Hi Etcetera1. Gotta tell you, I am on my big screen today and just realized that was a number and not the letter "l" at the end of your name. Boy do I feel dumb

Actually.... regarding quieting down the unsettling thoughts, I used the cognitive behavioral technique of literally stopping them when I recognized they were there. I'd actually say "stop" out loud to myself and move thoughts away from it. On those early, long days, I probably said "stop" to myself a thousand times a day. No joke. Like the emotions/anxiety, that settled down after a few weeks too.

It's funny because when you go into these things, you feel like you are starting something that will never stop, but the reality is that it does. That's why it's so hard to go through the process. I could imagine myself spending the rest of my life saying "Stop" thousands of time a day in response to crappy thoughts. But the opposite is true, you build new paths of thinking.

Another thing that helped me a lot was DBT- have you ever heard of that? it's... dialectic behavioral therapy (sp?). There is a site with the name DBT selfhelp . com. It has some information you might find interesting... or not. The stuff about radical acceptance and turning the mind was probably the most helpful to me.

You know, you might have touched on this earlier, but maybe those numb feelings are that way for a reason? Don't we tend to feel and remember things when it's the appropriate time? Maybe you don't have to try to name them or go at them just yet? Maybe they will come to you when you and they are ready? I don't know, just a thought.

You should definitely approach your emotions in the way that feels right and productive for you. One thing I'll note is that when I first started doing the lying on the floor, I had a toddler who wouldn't quit and a DH who was starting to experience some issues (but I didn't see it very clearly at the time). I was literally exhausted. Dr. W talks a lot about people suffering exhaustion and not realizing it- which can translate into your head playing a lot of tricks on you. Resting can make a big difference for some people, but then she also talks about conditions like depression and that any type of task, no matter how small, is important to work through that.

Any way, I hope today is a good day for you.