1. The Knot Theory of Thoughts
Domina Petric, MD

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Spectrum of thoughts
Human thoughts can be imagined as a spectrum.
On the one side of the spectrum are organised thoughts in healthy individuals and on the other side is severe thought disorder characteristic for schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders.
Between these two opposite sides of spectrum are milder impairments of thought quality that may sometimes occur even in healthy individuals, and more often in neurotic individuals.
Petric, Domina. (2018). The Knot Theory of Thoughts /RG
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Spectrum of thoughts
Organised thoughts
Healthy individuals, balance between negative and positive thoughts.
Thought knots
Healthy individuals, neurotic individuals, knots may lead to depression and anxiety.
Thought disorder
Psychotic patients, disorganised thoughts
Petric, Domina. (2018). The Knot Theory of Thoughts /RG
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Negative emotions
Sadness (depression, despair, hopelessness)
Anxiety (fear, worry, concern, nervous, panic)
Anger (irritation, frustration, annoyance, rage)
Guilt
Shame/embarrassment
Petric, Domina. (2018). The Knot Theory of Thoughts /RG
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Negative thoughts
Negative emotions provoke negative thoughts.
Sadness is associated with self-critical thoughts, pessimistic thoughts and thoughts of loss or failure.
Anxiety is associated with thoughts of something bad that could happen in the future, thoughts of threath, risk or danger and ˝what-if˝ thoughts.
Petric, Domina. (2018). The Knot Theory of Thoughts /RG
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Negative thoughts
Anger is associated with ˝should-thoughts˝, thoughts of having been harmed or heaving been treated unfairly and thoughts of rules being broken.
Guilt is associated with thoughts of having harmed someone, thoughts of having done something that goes against your own moral and sense of responsibility for a negative outcome.
Shame/embarrassment is associated with thought that other will judge flaws or mistakes in a negative way.
Petric, Domina. (2018). The Knot Theory of Thoughts /RG
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Negative thoughts
Negative thoughts have their function, but these thoughts should be always balanced with positive thoughts.
Petric, Domina. (2018). The Knot Theory of Thoughts /RG
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8. Example of healthy process
You offended someone
Feeling of guilt (healthy negative emotion)
Healthy negative thought: this is against my moral
Positive decision: I want to apologize
Apologizing
Positive thought: I will forgive myself
Negative thought is balanced with positive thought
Positive emotion: I am happy for apologizing
Negative emotion is balanced with positive emotion
Petric, Domina. (2018). The Knot Theory of Thoughts /RG
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Thought knot
When there is no positive thought following the negative thought, the new negative thought goes after and, thus, making a knot of negative thoughts.
Knots of negative thoughts associated with anxiety can transform healthy anxiety into the pathological anxiety.
The same, negative thoughts associated with sadness may transform healthy sadness into the depression.
Petric, Domina. (2018). The Knot Theory of Thoughts /RG
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10. Example of thought knot
You offended someone
Feeling of guilt
Negative thought
No decision, no positive thought
Feeling angry on yourself
New negative thought: maybe this person deserves to be offended
Petric, Domina. (2018). The Knot Theory of Thoughts /RG
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Thought knot
People that score high on neuroticism are susceptible for creating negative thought knots.
People who suffered psychological, emotional and/or physical injury and trauma are also prone for having these knots.
Every trauma is a possible negative thought knot around which many negative thoughts are accumulated in a cluster of thought knots.
These thought knots prevent traumatized patients to recover from the trauma.
Petric, Domina. (2018). The Knot Theory of Thoughts /RG
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12. Example of thought knot
Cluster of negative
thought knots
emotions
Forgetting about the primary trauma.
Anxiety, depression
New negative emotion
New negative thought
No decision, no positive thought
Negative thought
Negative emotion
Trauma
Example of thought knot
Petric, Domina. (2018). The Knot Theory of Thoughts /RG
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Thought knot
Negative thoughts have tendency to accumulate more than positive thoughts.
That is why is important to try hard and find positive thought to create a balance.
Balance between positive and negative thoughts helps a person to better organize his/her thoughts.
Petric, Domina. (2018). The Knot Theory of Thoughts /RG
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Conclusion
In an everyday life we often forget about importance of having healthy thoughts.
Stress, everyday obligations, deadlines and living too fast makes us more oriented to the outside world.
Health of reflection and emotions is often forgotten because it becomes important only how do we look or how much money do we earn.
Petric, Domina. (2018). The Knot Theory of Thoughts /RG
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Conclusion
Stress and any physical, psychological or emotional trauma, including unnoticed emotional and psychological microtraumas that may happen on the daily basis during the interaction with other people, may cause a knot of negative thoughts.
Further accumulation of negative thought knots may lead to anxiety and depression.
Disentangling of negative thought knots is important for maintaining the health of reflection and emotions.
Petric, Domina. (2018). The Knot Theory of Thoughts /RG
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