Cognitive dissonance
The discomfort of holding two beliefs or actions that don't add up.
How it shows up
You know the relationship is harming you, and you stay. To make the discomfort go away, the mind would rather change the interpretation than the behaviour: »it isn’t that bad«, »others have it worse«.
What we do with it in therapy
We don’t demolish the interpretation all at once, because it is often the only thing holding things together. First we build support, then we look at what it would be like to let yourself believe what you know.
See also
Self-image
Your picture of who you are — as distinct from self-confidence, which is the belief that you can do something.
Psychoeducation
An explanation of how a difficulty works — part of therapy, not an introduction to it.
Heart rate variability
The variation in the intervals between heartbeats — an indicator of the nervous system's flexibility.
