Knowing WHY you’re suffering, WHAT to do, but still CAN’T escape the feeling?

See if this sounds like you:

1. ✅ You know the source of what's causing your suffering.

2. ✅ You already know the steps to handle it.

3. 🚫 But why is it still intensely painful, almost impossible to shake off?

My reasoning:

1. Likely: This type of suffering likely stems from a large discrepancy between expectations (high dopamine baseline) and reality (low actual dopamine).

2. Mechanism: Physiologically, the body simply feels suffering, not necessarily about anything specific. However, it often "temporarily" finds a problem to suffer about, to make the pain feel "logical."

3. Consequence: As a result, even if the problem has a solution, it still causes suffering, because this feeling is partly INDEPENDENT of the problem itself.

The method I use (and find very effective):

1. Notice and Reduce Baseline Triggers: Pay attention to what things have recently been pushing your expectations (dopamine baseline) high, and temporarily eliminate them.

2. Externalize the Action Plan: Regarding the source of suffering (what you feel is the cause): Write down all the processing steps on paper. Ensure these steps describe concrete actions (with real impact on the world, not abstract) that you can take.

3. Address the Remaining Illogical Suffering: Finally, what's often left is an illogical feeling of suffering in your soul. Do the following:
1. Gently close the door to your room.
2. Lie down on the sofa/bed.
3. Hug a blanket or pillow.
4. Hold one thought in your mind: "This pain is illogical and not real, it's just the hormones."
5. Scream, squirm freely 🤤, truly aligning with the emotion.

Comparison With Other Methods:

1. Dopamine Fasting / Detox: This concept is just everywhere online, and is misunderstood dearly. Completely fasting all dopamine generally reduces both the capacity for suffering and the motivation to work. I see this as a “blanket ban” type of solution, causing harm alongside benefits. Dry Squirming allows you to limit the release period more intentionally (easier to manage, easier to use).

2. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): CBT's main goal is to change thoughts and behaviors, while my method focuses on releasing the feeling of suffering to enable action more quickly. 11:47

3. Somatic Experiencing (SE): I dislike it because it's too slow and doesn't allow experiencing the extreme of emotions early on. This might make accessing these emotions harder in the long run, ultimately still not directly validating/neutralizing these specific feelings.