AboutChristine Jandke Expertise How to deal with stressful thoughts. Any kind of stressful thoughts.
Experience I am an experienced user of The Work of Byron Katie and I also a facilitator of the The Work of Byron Katie.
Publications http://www.TheWorkForBreakfast.com
Education/Credentials I have a degree in International Business Administration.
I am currently a major in Psychology.
Awards and Honors Graduate of The School for The Work of Byron Katie as well as having staffed two Schools and translated part of the material for The School in Germany.
Question Being that, 'they' say, the subconscious mind
cannot accurately tell the difference between fact
and fantasy, can reading "thrillers"(novels
triggering high emotional response) trigger an
adrenaline response, leading to elevated stress hormone
levels, causing chemical-imbalance Depression?
Answer Hi George,
Is your question triggered by a concern about you or someone else reading thrillers and how that may affect you/them?
In my experience (and I am not a scientist in that matter) the bodily reactions are very much the same whether the trigger is real or fictitious.
Have you ever been scared by a shadow, only to find out upon closer look that it was just the curtain or a dress hung up? Or have you ever jumped back because you thought it was a snake on the ground when it was actually just a rope?
In my opinion it makes no difference what triggers the adrenaline response. I would say that what triggers and what not is different for different people. I used to be an option trader. I would frequently experience an adrenaline rush, while my collegue would be as calm as could be in the very same situation.
The same I find with thrillers. My partner loves them and doesn't get any of the stress reaction that I experience.
Now I don't know at all how far it is from an adrenaline response to elevated stress hormone levels and from there to a chemical-imbalance caused depression. That is not in my expertise.
