Anhedonia
Losing the capacity to feel pleasure in things that used to bring it.
How it shows up
It isn’t sadness, it is absence. Music is only sound, food only food, company an effort without reward. It is often one of the first signs of depression and one of the last to fade.
What we do with it in therapy
We don’t wait for pleasure to come back on its own. Behavioural activation — deliberately doing things despite the absence of will — is one of the few approaches that works here, because mood often shifts only after the action.
See also
Avoidance
Retreating from what triggers distress — the fastest relief and the most reliable way of making sure the distress stays.
Routine
A repeating frame for the day that relieves decision-making and provides predictability.
Trigger
A cue that instantly calls up an old emotional state, although the present situation doesn't call for it.
