Some
people can sleep through anything – partners snoring, trains speeding by and
thunderstorms. Yet those same people, after they’ve just had a baby, can be
woken by the slightest sniffle. It seems we have an inbuilt scanner, that keeps
us alert to certain signals, even when we’re sleeping. It’s constantly scanning
for the signal, then triggering the body’s alarm system which wakes us up, even
from the deepest sleep, to attend to the baby.
Sometimes these
inbuilt super-scanners are programmed to look
for
other signals, and it seems the sensitivity can vary. Someone who worries about
being burgled might have a super-scanner which is set to be highly sensitive to
noises that are different from those we normally hear at night. A knocking
sound will have them instantly awake, alert and anxious. On investigation, they
might realise it was a twig tapping against
the window, the anxiety subsides – and they can sleep reassured
they’re safe.
Our own
super-scanners may be very personal to us, to our style of thinking, to our
problem. Someone who’s feeling depressed is likely to notice only the negative
or bad things that happen, or interpret ordinary or positive events in a
negative way. Their negative or gloomy super-scanner working overtime so that
they only notice the negative or bad stuff.
Someone who gets
anxious in social situations, might have a super-scanner that is constantly
trying to read situations and people. Looking for a look, a tone of voice,
something someone says or does. Trying to interpret what others are thinking, or
‘really’ thinking (critically of us) in spite of what they say. This
‘mind-reading’ super-scanner is so highly-sensitive that it’s creating meaning
where there is none, or giving a very innacurate meaning. We can’t know what
others think!
If we’re worried about our health, then the super-scanner
might be constantly on, scanning for body sensations, which we might then
interpret as meaning we’re seriously ill. If we suffer from panic attacks, then
the super-scanner is going to be alert for those physical sensations (e.g.
racing heart beat) which we believe indicates we’re in immediate mortal danger!
If
we’ve experienced a trauma in the past, then maybe our super-scanner would be
scanning for any reminders of that trauma – something we see, hear, smell –
anything that reminds us. The scanner then then triggers a distressing
flashback. Someone with low self-esteem might have a super-scanner that works
continuously to find situations or triggers which cause us to think critically
about ourselves.
Maybe your
super-scanner is continuously scanning for something else. Understanding what
your own personal super-scanner is doing, will help you understand what’s
keeping your problem going now. Once your super-scanner is triggered, your focus
of attention is right there. Your scanner and your thoughts in reaction to the
scanner, zoom into the foreground of your attention, and everything else fades
into the background.
We can learn to
notice the highly-sensitive super-scanner, and turn the sensitivity dial down.
It can be a useful mechanism so we don’t want to turn it off completely, but we
can improve our ability to interpret the readings accurately, and adjust the way
we react to the scanner.
·Notice the scanner:
“That’s that super-scanner again!”
·Readjust
the sensitivity dial:
“Okay, the scanner is noticing that …………………, and that is triggering these
unhelpful thoughts.”
There’s no need
to fight the thoughts, you can notice them, and let them pass.
Some
people can sleep through anything – partners snoring, trains speeding by and
thunderstorms. Yet those same people, after they’ve just had a baby, can be
woken by the slightest sniffle. It seems we have an inbuilt scanner, that keeps
us alert to certain signals, even when we’re sleeping. It’s constantly scanning
for the signal, then triggering the body’s alarm system which wakes us up, even
from the deepest sleep, to attend to the baby. 
If
we’ve experienced a trauma in the past, then maybe our super-scanner would be
scanning for any reminders of that trauma – something we see, hear, smell –
anything that reminds us. The scanner then then triggers a distressing
flashback. Someone with low self-esteem might have a super-scanner that works
continuously to find situations or triggers which cause us to think critically
about ourselves. 
