New Theory of Everything in Mental Health: Fear of Loss of Control

"What are the things you can and cannot control? And how much do these matter to your overall sense of well-being? A new theory of psychological disorders proposes that it is not just what you can control but also whether you fear you will lose control. According to Concordia University’s Adam Radomsky, in a newly published paper (2022), “individuals struggling with a wide array of psychological problems do report concerns about losing control over a range of cognitive, emotional, physiological, and contextual domains”(p. 1).

Think about this idea for a minute. Have you ever felt that the events in your life were unfolding in a way that you couldn’t stop? Perhaps you’ve just received some bad news about your health, which means that the plans you’ve been making for the next few months are going to have to change. This was an event outside your control and so are the events that follow from it, such as making time for visits to your health care provider, figuring out how your work will be affected, and adjusting your family’s routines.

In cases such as these, when you’re faced with a new and unforeseen situation, the loss of control you’re experiencing involves a set of practical issues. At the same time, though, might you also start to fear that you’ll begin to start worrying endlessly about all of these changes in your life? How will you ever cope if all you can think about are the worst-case scenarios that might unfold?

How Fear of Loss of Control Can Spread

As you can see from these case studies, even though the symptoms of each of the disorders were very different, they share the element of a fear that some combination of their bodily sensations, thoughts, emotions, or actions will get away from them. Furthermore, while reading these clinical cases, did some of them partially resonate with you? Perhaps you’ve worried that you’ll lash out at someone who annoys you. Maybe you’ve had thoughts that you can’t seem to stamp out. However, as Radomsky points out, “the mere occurrence of a thought of losing control is unlikely to be problematic unless the individual ascribes significance to it.”

Is This Really a Theory of Everything?

It may never be possible to have one unified theory of all behavior, much less all behavior involved in psychological disorders. However, Radomsky presents compelling evidence of the centrality of this concept. What’s more, this work can also set forth a path for future research both to understand the phenomenon, through empirically based questionnaires, and to apply this framework to clinical practice.

Because a sense of control is so much a part of daily life, perhaps more than you’ve actually realized before, it makes sense that a theory that examines people’s relation to this psychological phenomenon could have widespread applicability. Think about what you can and cannot control, and learn to differentiate between them. That newly diagnosed health problem is a good example of an uncontrollable life change.

To sum up, this “transdiagnostic” state of fear of loss of control could ultimately prove to have overarching value as an approach to anxiety and other disorders. Thinking about what you can and cannot control, and why you needn’t fear the latter, may help you let yourself experience your thoughts, actions, sensations, and behavior in more fulfilling ways."

*Having a fear of losing control is much more common than you think, even among a variety of psychological disorders. I think the idea that our thoughts will take control of us can be scary, but the fact that we are worried about losing control means that we are aware of our intrusive thoughts and we are much more in control than we think. It's so important to remember that thoughts are just thoughts and they don't control us. It's important to practice some grounding techniques when we are feeling overwhelmed and personally, I love the 5-4-3-2-1 technique! I want you to know that everything will be okay and it's important to remember to breathe. Do you ever worry that you will lose control? Do you experience intrusive thoughts? What helps with these thoughts?*

#IntrusiveThoughts #Control #LossofControl

For the full article, please refer to Psychology Today. ☀️