MindMap-BookSummary-TimeCure
April 23, 2017 Leave a comment
MindMap-BookSummary-TimeCure
- About Time Cure
- Date Read: October 09, 2016
- Author: Zimbardo/Sword
- ISBN: 978-1-118-20567-9
- 334 pages
- MyRating: 5 Stars
- Chapter 1 How PTSD Sufferers Get Stuck in Time
- PTSD Basics
- PTSD„once called shell shock or battle fatigue and ignored ordismissed as something that would disappear with time„is now recognizedby the American Psychiatric Association as a real disorder. And itis no longer necessary to be a direct victim to be
As long as one is confronted with a situation that involves threat tothe physical integrity of ones self or others and one experiencesthe emotions of fear, horror, or helplessness, then the experiencecounts as exposure to a PTSD-qualifying stressor
In 2000 the American Psychiatric Association revised its criteria forthis disorder in the fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manualof Mental Disorders, commonly called DSM-IV-TR:Diagnostic criteria for PTSD include a history of exposure to atr
- PTSD„once called shell shock or battle fatigue and ignored ordismissed as something that would disappear with time„is now recognizedby the American Psychiatric Association as a real disorder. And itis no longer necessary to be a direct victim to be
- Criterion A: stressor
- The person has been exposed to a traumatic event in which both of thefollowing have been present:
1. The person has experienced, witnessed, or been confronted withan event or events that involve actual or threatened death or seriousinjury, or a threat to the physical integrity of oneself or others.
2. The persons response involved intense fear, helplessness, or horror.Note: in children, it may be expressed instead by disorganizedor agitated behavior
- The person has been exposed to a traumatic event in which both of thefollowing have been present:
- Criterion B: intrusive recollection
- The traumatic event is persistently re-experienced in at least one of thefollowing ways
1. Recurrent and intrusive distressing recollections of the event,including images, thoughts, or perceptions. Note: in youngchildren, repetitive play may occur in which themes or aspects ofthe trauma are expressed
2. Recurrent distressing dreams of the event. Note: in children, theremay be frightening dreams without recognizable content
3. Acting or feeling as if the traumatic event were recurring (includesa sense of reliving the experience, illusions, hallucinations, anddissociative flashback episodes, including those that occur uponawakening or when intoxicated). Note: in children, traum
4. Intense psychological distress at exposure to internal or externalcues that symbolize or resemble an aspect of the traumatic event
5. Physiologic reactivity upon exposure to internal or external cuesthat symbolize or resemble an aspect of the traumatic event.
- The traumatic event is persistently re-experienced in at least one of thefollowing ways
- Criterion C: avoidant/numbing
- Persistent avoidance of stimuli associated with the trauma and numbingof general responsiveness (not present before the trauma), as indicatedby at least three of the following
1. Efforts to avoid thoughts, feelings, or conversations associatedwith the trauma
2. Efforts to avoid activities, places, or people that arouse recollectionsof the trauma
3. Inability to recall an important aspect of the trauma
4. Markedly diminished interest or participation in significant activities
5. Feeling of detachment or estrangement from others
6. Restricted range of affect (e.g., unable to have loving feelings)
7. Sense of foreshortened future (e.g., does not expect to have acareer, marriage, children, or a normal life span)
- Persistent avoidance of stimuli associated with the trauma and numbingof general responsiveness (not present before the trauma), as indicatedby at least three of the following
- Criterion D: hyper-arousal
- Persistent symptoms of increasing arousal (not present before the trauma),indicated by at least two of the following
1. Difficulty falling or staying asleep
2. Irritability or outbursts of anger
3. Difficulty concentrating
4. Hyper-vigilance
5. Exaggerated startle response
- Persistent symptoms of increasing arousal (not present before the trauma),indicated by at least two of the following
- Criterion E: duration
- Duration of the disturbance (symptoms in B, C, and D) is more than onemonth
Criterion F: functional significance
The disturbance causes clinically significant distress or impairment insocial, occupational, or other important areas of functioning
- Duration of the disturbance (symptoms in B, C, and D) is more than onemonth
- psychological responses to catastrophe
- Psychological responses to natural and human-caused disasters havebeen theorized to occur in stages, as victims experience shock, feelintense emotion, and struggle to reorganize their lives.3 Survivors typicallypass through five stages4
1. Psychic numbness
- Immediately after the event, victimsexperience psychic numbness, including shock and confusion,and for moments to days they cannot fully comprehend what hashappened. Severe, sudden, and violent disasters violate ourbasic expectations about how the world is
2. Automatic action
- During a phase of automatic action, victims havelittle awareness of their own experiences and later show poor recallof many details about what occurred.
3. Communal effort
- In the communal effort stage, the sufferer and hisor her support network pool their resources and collaborate, proudof their accomplishments but also weary and aware that they areusing up precious energy reserves.
4. Letdown
- Next, survivors may experience a letdown. Depletedof energy, they understand and feel the tragedys impact. Publicinterest and attention fade, and survivors feel abandoned, eventhough the state of emergency may continue
5. Recovery
- An extended period of recovery follows as survivorsadapt to changes created by the disaster.
- Psychological responses to natural and human-caused disasters havebeen theorized to occur in stages, as victims experience shock, feelintense emotion, and struggle to reorganize their lives.3 Survivors typicallypass through five stages4
- this is your brain on trauma
- The brain is the most complex organ in the universe. In his book Incognito,the Secret Lives of the Brain, neuroscientist David Eagleman says:
Your brain is built of cells called neurons and glia„hundreds ofbillions of them. Each one of these cells is as complicated as a city. . . each cell sends electrical impulses to other cells . . . The cells areconnected to one another in a network of such st
Thats a lot of connections! When we realize the enormous complexityand diversity of the brain, it becomes easier to understand whysuch all-encompassing problems as PTSD are so difficult to weed out ofones brain, and subsequently to contain in ones psyche
When traumatic events happen to us, we enter into a kind of alteredstate in which our normal thinking processes do not function andanother operating system takes over. This is great if you suddenly findyourself in a situation in which you must run into a bu
But the same system of brain chemistry that allows us to beheroes or survive extreme situations also imprints the traumatic eventdeeply within our memory, emotions, consciousness, and subconscious.In fact, neuroscience tells us that the brain stores these d
The brain stores and encodes different types of memories, someof which are long-lived and some of which are easily replaced, usingdifferent chemicals. For example, the details of what you ate for lunchyesterday may be written in pencil„easily erased and rep
This complex encoding means that traumatic memories, such asthose that generate PTSD, are multidimensional, insidious, and difficultto ferret out and come to terms with. The memories assault sufferersin an overwhelming experience that steals their future an
- The brain is the most complex organ in the universe. In his book Incognito,the Secret Lives of the Brain, neuroscientist David Eagleman says:
- traumatic experiences
- Sight
- The gruesome visual images she saw were encoded andstored in her visual cortex, in the rear part of the brain
- Sound
- The grinding screech of metal and cries of pain andshock she heard were stored in her temporal lobes, the sides ofthe brain above the ears
- Smell
- The vivid smells of the event„hot pavement, burningoil, and blood„were stored in the olfactory cortex, the part ofthe brain that lies just behind the eyes.
- Touch
- The physical pain she experienced was stored in musclememory throughout her body, affecting the pain and emotionalcenters of her brain
- Thought and memory
- The horrible memories of the otherwomans suffering, combined with troubling worries abouthow PTSD sufferers get stuck in time 13the womans toddler and unborn infant, were recorded in theprefrontal cortex, where thought occurs, as well as in the limbicsyst
- Sight
- when PTSD goes untreated
- A person who suffers from minimal PTSD will probably get betterover time. For instance, perhaps youve been in a frightening motorvehicle accident in which you didnt suffer physical injury but othersdid. In time your car is repaired, so you arent reminded
But if you have been brutally physically assaulted and raped, forexample, you may be so deeply dipped in the darkest blue of memorythat no amount of time will ever completely bleach it away. It mightfade a bit, but its always there; and in some cases, the
Eventually, the normal things you would do for or with others„going to work, cooking dinner, being interested in what they did thatday„become chores that eventually turn into resentment, which causesyou to feel irritable and angry toward them. Simple things
They may seem closed off and uncaring, but deep down insidepeople with PTSD know they need help. Sometimes getting help seemslike one more chore thats just too overwhelming to contemplate. Oftenthey dont get help because they are afraid of being judged, c
- A person who suffers from minimal PTSD will probably get betterover time. For instance, perhaps youve been in a frightening motorvehicle accident in which you didnt suffer physical injury but othersdid. In time your car is repaired, so you arent reminded
- PTSD is mental injury, not mental illness
- We believe that PTSD should be thought of as a mental injury ratherthan a mental illness, and research supports this view. Studies show thattraumatic experiences can alter the overall structure of the brain,7 aswell as its chemical levels (in particular neu
- PTSD Summary
- Post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, is an anxiety disorderthat begins with a trauma and overwhelms the individualsability to cope with daily life
PTSD sufferers are stuck in time, reliving the trauma over andover, unable to leave it in the past and move on
With PTSD, the traumatic event is imprinted and stored inmany different parts of the brain, which is one reason why itis so difficult to treat
It is much more helpful to view and treat PTSD as mental injuryrather than mental illness, and research supports this view
PTSD doesnt only affect the sufferer; it can negatively affect thesufferers family, friends, coworkers, and entire social network
To date, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has been the therapywith the most success in overcoming trauma. This therapyfocuses on the here and now. Drugs have provided some help,but not enough. They are a temporary solution that alters behavior,but they do
Although all therapies are time based, time perspective therapytakes a different approach. It begins by respecting the trauma,and seeks to create a balance of past, present, and future thatallows the PTSD sufferer to leave the past in the past and movetowar
- Post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, is an anxiety disorderthat begins with a trauma and overwhelms the individualsability to cope with daily life
- PTSD Basics
- Chapter 2 A New Psychology of Time
- temporal theory in a nutshell
- We can reduce the complexity of our lives to a simple equation
all actions taken + all actions not taken = our current experience
Some actions we take work out as planned, and we can take pridein them (I studied hard for that test and got an A); there are otheractions, not in our best interest, that lead to bad outcomes, and forwhich we are sorry (It was a mistake to stay up dri
At the very heart of this decision matrix are the largely unconsciousdecisions that spring from our subjective psychological sense of time:our time perspective. This arises from the daily flow of our personalexperiences, which we automatically view through
- We can reduce the complexity of our lives to a simple equation
- the six main time perspectives in a nutshell
- Each of the three primary subjective time zones„past, present, andfuture„is divided into two parts. This gives us six main timeperspectives
1. Past positive
- Past positive people focus on the good old days. They may keepscrapbooks, collect photos, and look forward to celebrating traditionalholidays
2. Past negative
- Past negative people focus on all the things that went wrong in thepast: It doesnt matter what I do, my life will never change.
3. Present hedonistic
- Present hedonistic people live in the moment„seeking pleasure,novelty, and sensation, and avoiding pain
4. Present fatalistic
- Present fatalistic people feel that decisions are moot becausepredetermined fate plays the guiding role in life: What will be,will be.
5. Future
- Future-oriented people plan for the future and trust that theirdecisions will work out
6. Transcendental-future
- Transcendental-future-oriented people have faith that a bettertime is coming after death, and plan for this afterlife during theircurrent lifetime
- Each of the three primary subjective time zones„past, present, andfuture„is divided into two parts. This gives us six main timeperspectives
- Conceptual Time Perspective Model
- HOW DO YOU . . .MAKE A DECISION ORTAKE AN ACTION
- A-Based on . . .MEMORIES(Abstract Thinking)PAST ORIENTED
- B-Based on . . .IMMEDIATESITUATION/STIMULATION(Real/Physical)PRESENT ORIENTED
- C-Based on . . .ANTICIPATEDCONSEQUENCES(Abstract Thinking)FUTURE ORIENTED
- HOW DO YOU . . .MAKE A DECISION ORTAKE AN ACTION
- biased toward the past
- Good and bad things happen to everyone, but not everyone sees theworld in the same way or gives equal weight to experiences. Put simply,some of us naturally see the world through rose-colored glasses (pastpositive), whereas others see the world through a da
past positive: remember the good old days
People with a past positive point of view see constant reminders of whatused to be good and wonderful, a treasure trove of beloved mementoes,of life as it could and should be. They judge, evaluate, and react toeverything in the present moment through memori
past negative: life always lets you down
Phils old aunt, who viewed her world through dark prisms of thepast, is a good example of the past negative bias. People who seethrough this lens judge, evaluate, and react to everything in the presentmoment through memories of unhappy past experiences. Th
- Good and bad things happen to everyone, but not everyone sees theworld in the same way or gives equal weight to experiences. Put simply,some of us naturally see the world through rose-colored glasses (pastpositive), whereas others see the world through a da
- biased toward the present
- People who live in the present are far less„or not at all„influencedby either past experiences or future considerations. They focus only onthe immediate present„whats happening now. They make decisionsbased on the inner forces and outer pressures in their
PTSD sufferers often score high in a bias toward the present, bothas hedonists and fatalists. This leads to the risky behaviors that are sooften linked to PTSD
present hedonism: live for today
Present hedonists are pleasure-seekers, and delayed gratification is notpart of their psychological vocabulary. Youve heard their mottos: Doit now! Carpe diem! Let the good times roll! You only live once!For them, a bird in the hand is alwa
Present hedonism in moderation„selected present hedonism„isa good thing. But too much of a good thing can cause us to feel likeour lives are stuck on an out-of-control roller coaster. Because presenthedonists actively seek pleasure, its not surprising that
present fatalism: what will be, will be
The other way to live in the present is quite different: to believethat all of ones decisions are determined by fate, by external forces,or by religiously determined destiny. Present fatalists do not see theneed to spend time planning and plotting and cons
Present fatalists share a present focus with hedonists, but theycould not be more different. Whereas present fatalists feel their livesfollow a fated plan over which they have little or no control, presenthedonists desperately seek to overcontrol by indulgi
- People who live in the present are far less„or not at all„influencedby either past experiences or future considerations. They focus only onthe immediate present„whats happening now. They make decisionsbased on the inner forces and outer pressures in their
- biased toward the future
- No one is born thinking about how to plan for the future. A numberof conditions„including living in a temperate zone (where its necessaryto anticipate seasonal change), living in a stable family or society,being Protestant or Jewish, and becoming educated„
Americans in general are concerned with planning for the future.But PTSD sufferers, locked into negative memories, have generally lostthe ability to even conceive of a hopeful future and must journey towardthis time perspective to create balance.
- No one is born thinking about how to plan for the future. A numberof conditions„including living in a temperate zone (where its necessaryto anticipate seasonal change), living in a stable family or society,being Protestant or Jewish, and becoming educated„
- a third path: the expanded or holistic present
- There is a third attitude toward the present that is very different fromboth present fatalism and present hedonism. The expanded or holisticpresent is the absolute present, a concept central to Buddhism andmeditation, and is very different from the Western
By opening your mind fully to the present moment, you give uplonging and desire for future possibilities and surrender past regretsand obligations. This form of present attention or mindfulness can fillyour entire being, replacing your sense of past and fut
Sanskrit, Indias classical language, captures that unique attitudetoward time in this ancient saying:Yesterday is already a dreamAnd tomorrow but a visionBut today well lived makes every yesterday a dream of happinessAnd every tomorrow a vision of hope.Alt
- There is a third attitude toward the present that is very different fromboth present fatalism and present hedonism. The expanded or holisticpresent is the absolute present, a concept central to Buddhism andmeditation, and is very different from the Western
- future: plan for tomorrow
- Future-oriented people pay minimal attention to past experiences,and they brush off the clamor of the present to act now.
Instead,a new psychology of time 43they pull out their mental calculator to figure out the possible futureconsequences of current actions. If they find that the anticipated costsare higher than the imagined gains, then it is a NO GO„the perceivedrisks trump
Future-oriented people live in a world of contingencies, probabilities,and abstract mental representations of a virtual world on theirhorizon. They are not tempted by immediate gratification that couldbackfire later„like unprotected sex that could result in
Not surprisingly, the future orientation lends itself to problemsolving and creating alternative strategies for reaching a goal. Futureorientedpeople finish what they start and get the job done. And theyunderstand that although anything can happen, they can
- Future-oriented people pay minimal attention to past experiences,and they brush off the clamor of the present to act now.
- time perspectives and behavior worldwide
- Time perspective differences are global. The following selected researchfindings on time perspectives and behavior were found using the ZTPIand detailed in The Time Paradox2:
College grades in introductory psychology courses were foundto be highest for future-oriented, lowest for present fatalistic, andlow-average for present hedonistic students
Future-oriented people tend to live longer because their dominanttrait is conscientiousness, which has been shown to addseveral years of life over those who are low in this characteristic
Present-oriented college students (both female and male) atCornell University and Stanford University are significantly morelikely to drink alcohol to excess and engage in risky driving thanare their future-oriented peers
Hospitalized heroin addicts, when compared to hospitalizednonaddicted controls, scored significantly higher on measuresof present hedonism and fatalism, and lower on measures offuture orientation
Among two samples of U.S. high school students, a presentorientation was positively correlated with high-risk, high-arousalbehaviors. This is in contrast to the negative correlations foundwith future-oriented high school students on risky driving,receiving
Present-oriented college students were most creative whenmaking art within an experimentally induced process focus, butleast creative with a focus on their product. This contrasts withfuture-oriented students, who excelled in art high in technicalmerit when
In Rome, future-oriented women were found to be more likelythan present-oriented women to go to a free breast cancercheckup clinic
Future-oriented people in Brazil and Mexico were found tobe more likely than their present-focused peers to engage inwater and energy conservation and to have pro-environmentattitudes.
Students who scored high on past negative measures werefound to be less likely to get constructive social supportwhen under stress than those who were present or futureoriented.
Future-oriented Canadians were found to be more likelythan others to make health responsibility and nutrition highpriorities
British citizens who were homeless were more likely tohave scored, high on past negative and present fatalisticmeasures
- Time perspective differences are global. The following selected researchfindings on time perspectives and behavior were found using the ZTPIand detailed in The Time Paradox2:
- transcendental future: look ahead„far, far ahead
- As we have seen, future-oriented people are ambitious and motivatedby goals. They operate totally within the realm of their lifetime andmake decisions based on a relatively short or very long spans of time„focusing on next week, the quarterly return, or nex
religious beliefs
- One type of transcendental future orientation growsout of religious or spiritual beliefs. (Of members of the major worldreligions, Christians and Muslims score higher on transcendental futureorientation measures, whereas Jews and Buddhists score lower.)4 Fo
secular beliefs
- You dont have to be religious to have a transcendentalfuture orientation: you may make decisions based on the needs of futuregenerations. The Long Now Foundation, for example, has created theten-thousand-year clock, promoting very long-term thinking aboutt
- As we have seen, future-oriented people are ambitious and motivatedby goals. They operate totally within the realm of their lifetime andmake decisions based on a relatively short or very long spans of time„focusing on next week, the quarterly return, or nex
- Past Positive
- Im going to ask her out„she remindsme of my favorite cousin
- Law was a good field for my dad, so Imgoing to be an attorney too
- Sure, why not? Most things work outfor me
- Ive had so many good things in mylife„Im really fortunate
- You have my blessing„not everyone inthat family was bad, just Grandpasbusiness partner.
- Past Negative
- My ex used to love that movie too„Icant be with her any more
- My father was abusive, so Im better offwithout a man in my life
- I always make mistakes„I shouldprobably leave this alone
- The older I get, the more things I seethat Ive missed out on.
- No, you cannot marry into thatfamily„they were responsible forsinking Grandpas business.
- Present Hedonistic
- Sure, why not? Live fast, dieyoung„thats my motto
- College? No. Too much work, notenough partying
- I love writing, art, music, anythingwhere I get to be creative
- Sure, I shoplifted that ring„it was sopretty I just had to have it!
- I love being spontaneous„you neverknow what will happen when you leavethe door open.
- I never make to-do lists! That wouldjust cramp my style
- Present Fatalistic
- Sure, why not? If its gonna happen, itsgonna happen.
- Why should I even bother going tocollege? If God wants me to be rich, Illbe rich.
- Im waiting for inspiration. I know itwill strike sooner or later
- Sure, I shoplifted that ring„if I getcaught, thats just my fate.
- Why make big plans? Fate always lendsa hand
- I never make to-do lists! Somethingalways comes along
- Future Oriented
- I have to meet tomorrows deadline
- If I play my cards right, I can besuccessful in this life
- Im willing to forgo eating desserttonight because I want to enjoy
- Thanksgiving tomorrow
- I can think of several ways to approachthat problem! Let me work out thedifferent scenarios
- Transcendental Future Oriented
- The only thing that is important iseternity
- Whatever else happens, Ill get myreward in heaven
- It doesnt really matter if Im not wellfed today„God will provide in the nextlife.
- The best way to approach this problemis the one that has the most benefit inthe long term.
- ZPTI-zimbardo time perspective inventory
- 1 I believe that getting together with ones friends to party is oneof lifes important pleasures
2 Familiar childhood sights, sounds, and smells often bringback a flood ofwonderful memories
3 Fate determines much in my life
4 I often think of what I should have done differently in my life
5 My decisions are mostly influenced b ypeople and things around me
6 I believe that a persons day should be planned ahead each morning
7 It gives me pleasure to think of my past
8 I do things impulsively
9 If things dont get done on time, I dont worry about it
10 When I want to achieve something, I set goals and consider specific means for reaching those goals
11 On balance, there is much more good to recall than bad in my past
12 When listening to myfavorite music, I often lose all track of time
13 Meeting tomorrows deadlines and doing other necessary work come before tonights play
14 Since whatever will be will be, it doesnt really matter what I do
15 I enjoy stories about how things used to be in the good old times
16 Painful past experiences keep being replayed in my mind
17 I try to live my life as fully as possible, one day at a time
18 It upsets me to be late for appointments
19 Ideally, I would live each day as if it weremy last
20 Happy memories of good times spring readily to mind
21 I meet my obligations to friends and authorities on time
22 Ive taken my share of abuse and rejection in the past
23 I make decisions on the spur of the moment
24 I take each day as it is rather than try to plan it out
25 The past has too many unpleasant memories that I prefer not to think about
26 It is important to put excitement in my life
27 Ive made mistakes in the past that I wish I could undo
28 I feel that its more important to enjoy what youre doing than to get work done on time
29 I get nostalgic about my childhood
30 Before making a decision, I weigh the costs against the benefits
31 Taking risks keeps my life from becoming boring
32 It is more important for me to enjoy lifes journey than to focus only on the destination
33 Things rarely work out as I expected
34 Its hard for me to forget unpleasant images of my youth
35 It takes joy out of the process and flow of my activities if I have to think about goals, outcomes, and products
36 Even when I am enjoying the present, I am drawn back to comparisons with similar pastexperiences
37 You cant really plan for the future because things change so much
38 My life path is controlled by forces I cannot influence
39 It does not make sense to worry about the future, since there is nothing that I can do about it anyway
40 I complete projects on time by making steady progress
41 I find myself tuning out when family members talk about the way things used to be
42 I take risks to put excitement in my life
43 I make lists of things to do
44 I often follow my heart more than my head
45 I am able to resist temptations when I know that there is work to be done
46 I find myself getting swept up in the excitement of the moment
47 Life today is too complicated; I would prefer the simpler life of the past
48 I prefer friends who are spontaneous rather than predictable
49 I like family rituals and traditions that are regularly repeated
50 I think about the bad things that have happened to me in the past
51 I keep working at difficult, uninteresting tasks if they will help me get ahead
52 Spending what I earn on pleasures today is better than saving for tomorrows security
53 Often luck pays off better than hard work
54 I think about the goodt hings that I have missed out on in mylife
55 I like my close relationships to be passionate
56 There will always be time to catch up onmy work
scoring key
- Scoring InstructionsBefore scoring the ZTPI, you have to reverse the answers for questions9, 24, 25, 41, and 56. This means a
1 becomes a 5
2 becomes a 4
3 remains a 3
4 becomes a 2
5 becomes a 1
- Scoring InstructionsBefore scoring the ZTPI, you have to reverse the answers for questions9, 24, 25, 41, and 56. This means a
- 1 I believe that getting together with ones friends to party is oneof lifes important pleasures
- the past negative time perspective
- Add your scores on questions 4, 5, 16, 22, 27, 33, 34, 36, 50, and 54.Then divide this number by 10.
- 4. I often think of what I should have done differently inmy life.
- 5. My decisions are mostly influenced by people andthings around me.
- 16. Painful past experiences keep being replayed in mymind.
- 22. Ive taken my share of abuse and rejection in the past
- 27. Ive made mistakes in the past that I wish I couldundo.
- 33. Things rarely work out as I expected.
- 34. Its hard for me to forget unpleasant images of myyouth.
- 36. Even when I am enjoying the present, I am drawnback to comparisons with similar past experiences
- 50. I think about the bad things that have happened to mein the past
- 54. I think about the good things that I have missed out onin my life.
- the past positive time perspective
- Add your scores on questions 2, 7, 11, 15, 20, 25 (reversed), 29, 41(reversed), and 49. Then divide this number by 9.
2. Familiar childhood sights, sounds, and smells oftenbring back a flood of wonderful memories
7. It gives me pleasure to think of my past
11. On balance, there is much more good to recall thanbad in my past
15. I enjoy stories about how things used to be in thegood old times.
20. Happy memories of good times spring readily tomind.
25. The past has too many unpleasant memories that Iprefer not to think about
29. I get nostalgic about my childhood.
41. I find myself tuning out when family members talkabout the way things used to be.
49. I like family rituals and traditions that are regularlyrepeated.
- Add your scores on questions 2, 7, 11, 15, 20, 25 (reversed), 29, 41(reversed), and 49. Then divide this number by 9.
- the present fatalistic time perspective
- Add your scores on questions 3, 14, 35, 37, 38, 39, 47, 52, and 53. Thendivide this number by 9
3. Fate determines much in my life.
14. Since whatever will be will be, it doesnt really matterwhat I do.
35. It takes joy out of the process and flow of my activitiesif I have to think about goals, outcomes, and products.
37. You cant really plan for the future because thingschange so much
38. My life path is controlled by forces I cannot influence
39. It doesnt make sense to worry about the future, sincethere is nothing that I can do about it anyway.
47. Life today is too complicated; I would prefer thesimpler life of the past
52. Spending what I earn on pleasures today is betterthan saving for tomorrows security
53. Often luck pays off better than hard work.
- Add your scores on questions 3, 14, 35, 37, 38, 39, 47, 52, and 53. Thendivide this number by 9
- the present hedonistic time perspective
- Add your scores on questions 1, 8, 12, 17, 19, 23, 26, 28, 31, 32, 42, 44,46, 48, and 55. Then divide this number by 15.
1. I believe that getting together with ones friends toparty is one of lifes important pleasures
8. I do things impulsively.
12. When listening to my favorite music, I often lose alltrack of time
17. I try to live my life as fully as possible, one day at atime.
19. Ideally, I would live each day as if it were my last
23. I make decisions on the spur of the moment.
26. It is important to put excitement in my life.
28. I feel that its more important to enjoy what youredoing than to get work done on time
31. Taking risks keeps my life from becoming boring
32. It is more important for me to enjoy lifes journey thanto focus only on the destination
42. I take risks to put excitement in my life.
44. I often follow my heart more than my head
46. I find myself getting swept up in the excitement of themoment
48. I prefer friends who are spontaneous rather thanpredictable
55. I like my close relationships to be passionate
- Add your scores on questions 1, 8, 12, 17, 19, 23, 26, 28, 31, 32, 42, 44,46, 48, and 55. Then divide this number by 15.
- the future time perspective
- Add your scores on questions 6, 9 (reversed), 10, 13, 18, 21, 24(reversed), 30, 40, 43, 45, 51, and 56 (reversed). Then divide thisnumber by 13
6. I believe that a persons day should be plannedahead each morning
9. If things dont get done on time, I dont worry about it.
10. When I want to achieve something, I set goals andconsider specific means for reaching those goals.
13. Meeting tomorrows deadlines and doing othernecessary work come before tonights play
18. It upsets me to be late for appointments.
21. I meet my obligations to friends and authorities ontime.
24. I take each day as it is rather than try to plan it out.
30. Before making a decision, I weigh the costs againstthe benefits.
40. I complete projects on time by making steadyprogress
43. I make lists of things to do
45. I am able to resist temptations when I know that thereis work to be done.
51. I keep working at difficult, uninteresting tasks if they will help me get ahead
56. There will always be time to catch up on my work.
- Add your scores on questions 6, 9 (reversed), 10, 13, 18, 21, 24(reversed), 30, 40, 43, 45, 51, and 56 (reversed). Then divide thisnumber by 13
- interpreting your scores
- Once youve taken the ZTPI or TTPI and scored it, you may wonder whatit all means. Figure 2.2 is a graph that we made by combining time perspectivescores from a large sample of respondents. It shows averageand ideal scores for each time perspective
Average Scores (50 Percent):
The average score for each time perspectivelines up with 50 percent on the graph. For example, for the pastnegative time perspective, the average score is 3.0. For the past positiveit is 3.7.9
Ideal Scores (Dots):
The dots represent our idea of ideal timescores„they are not associated with the data in any way. We haveincluded these ideals so that you can have an indication of how toimprove your time perspective.
- Once youve taken the ZTPI or TTPI and scored it, you may wonder whatit all means. Figure 2.2 is a graph that we made by combining time perspectivescores from a large sample of respondents. It shows averageand ideal scores for each time perspective
- developing a balanced time perspective
- Our individual attitudes toward time are largely learned, and we generallyrelate to time unconsciously and subjectively. Each of us, in fact,has a time perspective that is largely biased„we overuse one of thetime zones while underusing the others, even when
We have58 the time curefound, however, that as we become more conscious of our temporalorientations we can take action to change them, journeying toward abalanced time perspective.
We divide the continual flow of our experiences into time framesthat help give order, coherence, and meaning to events. These timeframes may reflect cyclical and repetitive patterns, such as the changingseasons, holidays, your monthly menstrual cycle, or yo
In our work we have consistently found that time perspectives playa fundamental role in the way people live. People tend to develop andoveruse a particular time zone, for example, focusing on the future, thepresent, or the past. Although one perspective is
Future-oriented people tend to be more successful professionallyand academically, to eat well, to exercise regularly, and to schedule preventivedoctors exams. People who are predominantly present orientedtend to be willing to help others, but appear less w
Consequently, future-oriented people are the most likely to be successfulbut the least likely to help others in need. Ironically, the peoplewho are best able to help are the least likely to do so. In contrast,present-oriented people are less likely to be su
The situation is more complicated with past-oriented people. Divergentattitudes toward the past„negative or positive„play dramatica new psychology of time 59roles in daily decisions because they become binding frames of referencethat are carried in the mind
- Our individual attitudes toward time are largely learned, and we generallyrelate to time unconsciously and subjectively. Each of us, in fact,has a time perspective that is largely biased„we overuse one of thetime zones while underusing the others, even when
- Time Zones Summary
- The three subjective psychological time zones in which we liveare the past (what was), the present (what is), and the future(what will be). Each of these time zones is further divided bycultural biases; spiritual beliefs; and countless hopes, dreams,memorie
Past-oriented people make decisions based on negative or positivememories of similar situations. Present-oriented peopletake immediate action based on pleasure or avoidance, withoutthought for consequences. Future-oriented people makedecisions based on a re
1. Past positive people
- Past positive people focus on the good old days. Theymay keep scrapbooks, collect photos, and look forward tocelebrating traditional holidays
2. Past negative people
- Past negative people focus on all the things that went wrongin the past: It doesnt matter what I do, my life will neverchange.
3. Present hedonistic people
- Present hedonistic people live in the moment„seekingpleasure, knowledge, and sensation, and avoiding pain.
4. Present fatalistic people
- Present fatalistic people feel that decisions are mootbecause predetermined fate plays the guiding role in life:What will be, will be.
5. Future-oriented people
- Future-oriented people plan for the future and trust thattheir decisions will work out
6. Transcendental-future people
- Transcendental-future…oriented people have faith that abetter time is coming after death, and plan for this duringtheir lives.
Exercise: selected present hedonism
- Allow yourself five uninterrupted minutes to relax in a safe place. Closeyour eyes. Breathe slowly, deeply, and rhythmically. Allow your body torelax deeper and deeper with each breath
Once youve completed four of these relaxing breaths, think ofsomething you enjoy doing. If youve been through trauma and havebeen unable to enjoy yourself, you may have to go back to a time beforethe trauma and remember what used to bring you joy
Now make a commitment to yourself to follow through with thisselected present hedonistic activity as soon as possible. There is notime like the present!
If you now have a disability and can no longer do what you used toenjoy, then now is the time to discover new things that will bring you joy.These can be simple things, such as sitting in the sun, visiting a flowershop, listening to music, playing a board g
- The three subjective psychological time zones in which we liveare the past (what was), the present (what is), and the future(what will be). Each of these time zones is further divided bycultural biases; spiritual beliefs; and countless hopes, dreams,memorie
- temporal theory in a nutshell
- Chapter 3 Time Perspective Therapy
- Most traditional therapy models take PTSD sufferers back into thehorror in the hope of desensitizing them to the trauma, or to plant themeaning of the present firmly in the experiences of the past. This maymean dwelling in the past for anywhere from a few h
Time perspective therapy takes a very different route towardemotional and psychological recovery. We say, Where you are goingis more important than where you have been
Your past is not yourpotential„your future is your potential.
We begin by airing out thetrauma, giving it the respect it deserves; but we do not dwell there.Instead, we go even further back, gathering positive strengths from thepersons past„finding the person he or she was before the trauma.Then we come back to the p
TPT basics
- Understand time perspectives and how they frame the way wesee ourselves and our possibilities
Respect the trauma. We acknowledge that this was an importantevent and should not be downplayed
Recognize that PTSD sufferers are mentally injured, not mentallyill.
Learn self-soothing behaviors, including breathing exercises andvisualizations
Boost past positives. For PTSD in particular, we want to eventuallyeclipse the past negatives
Encourage healthy present hedonism. We promote selectedactivities that are enjoyable but not irresponsible or lifethreatening.
Encourage pro-social behavior, bringing the PTSD sufferer backinto healthy human relationships through social interaction ina relaxed group setting. Family members and significant othersare also invited to attend therapy sessions if possible
Help them make, and act on, both short- and long-range plansfor a positive future„a brighter future.
step 1: understanding time perspectives
- Understanding time perspectives and how they determine the way wesee our lives and our possibilities in life is the key to success in TPT, sothis is the place we start with every client. This simple concept is an eyeopeningand easy-to-comprehend new way for
We explain that one can either be stuck in one or two time perspectives(such as past negative and present fatalistic) at the expenseof the others (past positive, present hedonistic, and future positive), orbe balanced in all three major time zones.
An overall balanced timeperspective usually results in greater emotional well-being, so this isour goal for them in therapy. In our experience it is more helpful forclients to learn, understand, and talk about their time perspective thantheir clinical sympt
people suffering from PTSD
- High past negative
- Low past positive
- High or low present hedonism
- High present fatalism
- Low future
step 2: returning to the past
- The first session, then, is concerned with establishing rapport. Thetherapist explains the components of PTSD, Temporal Theory (TT), andthe basics of TPT. During the explanation of TT and TPT, many clientshave an Ah ha! moment. They see that their traum
Whatever the time perspective (TP) therapists method or the clientsresolve, we start with what brought the client in for therapy inthe first place„the trauma that knocked him or her off balance. Onceclients feel comfortable with the TP therapist, they beg
Retelling the trauma can, understandably, be terribly upsetting forclients. Toward the end of the session, therefore, the therapist givesthem easy, practical tools„a simple breathing technique to help themcalm themselves and focus, relaxation and visualizat
step 3: psychological testing
- Early in therapy, the client is given a series of psychological tests. Theseinclude a trauma severity indicator (we use the Post-trauma Checklist forcivilians [PCL-C] or the Post-trauma Checklist for military [PCL-M]);a depression test (the Burns Depression
step 4: discussing the present
- In a follow-up session, we can usually begin to discuss clients symptoms(nightmares, flashbacks, intrusive recollections or thoughts,avoidance, isolation, anger and irritability, hyper-vigilance or paranoia,sleep deprivation, and so on). Understanding how
Weve found that the best way to help PTSD sufferers overcometheir past traumas is to encourage them to envision a better future.This is accomplished by setting goals and figuring out specific meansby which these goals can be achieved. In turn, this encoura
First, we ask them to imagine that they have one foot stuck in thequicksand of the past, and the other resting on the mud of the fatalisticpresent. The fatalistic view is reasonable given that nothing has workedto help them out of the quicksand. In this sta
To make a start, all they need to do is lift that one foot out of themuck and mire of the past and put it on the solid ground of the future.Then they need to bring the other foot out of the mud of presentfatalism and rest it on the more solid ground of pres
This imagery seems to be especially useful for our clients who areveterans, and whose traumas have been particularly brutal. We also canwork at stepping on the really secure ground of past positives, where allthe good things in their past are still ready to
step 5: planning for the future
- Once all of the skeletons (the past negatives) are out of the closet andtheir manifestations (present fatalistic and certain present hedonisticbehaviors) have been examined, its time to lay them to rest. We beginby making first short- and then long-range p
In each succeeding session,wefocus first on handling any recent pastproblems, with emphasis on learning from past negatives and focusingon past positives. We discuss how the problems were handled or, ifthings didnt turn out so well, how they could have bee
Next, we discuss immediate day-to-day problems and formulateplans to tackle them. We give our clients homework, stuff theymust do outside the therapeutic session to try out new patterns ofbehavior„under the safety of I have to do it, they made me do it, i
Then plans are made for the next day, and then the next week, andthen the next month . . . until we have sketched out plans for a far futurepositive. These future positive plans must include some selected presenthedonism to offset the present fatalism in wh
step 6: living in the expanded present
- Follow-up psychological test results tell us that our job is done whenthe PTSD client consistently has more past positive thoughts than pastnegative, is following through with future positive plans while taking80 the time curecare of present business, and i
The cycle of well-being (see Figure 3.3) starts in the present, withawareness and decision making. When a positive thought or attitude inthe form of hopes and dreams is projected into the future, this maximizesthe chance of a future positive time perspectiv
Cycle of Well-Being
- Good Memories
- Past Positive
- Hopes and Dreams
- Future Positives
emotional distress
- High past negative: I am bothered by the past.
- Low past positive: Nothing is good about the past.
- High present fatalism: Nothing can change my fate, so Igive up
- Low present hedonism: Nothing is good about my liferight now.
- Low future: I avoid the future and fear it.
- Low transcendental future: When I die, thats it.
emotional well-being
- Low past negative: The stuff that happened in my past wasntso bad.
- High past positive: I enjoy thinking about the past.
- Low present fatalism: I can make things better if I try.
- High (selected) present hedonism: I love life; I enjoy my significantothers.
- High-medium future: The best is yet to come.
- Moderate transcendental future: There is an afterlife, and itsgood.
getting to a balanced time perspective
- TPTs goal is to help the client establish a balanced time perspective. ForPTSD sufferers, the negative past far outweighs the present or future,overbalancing the system like an elephant on a seesaw.
The optimal temporal mix includes all time zones
- 1. The past grounds us. It gives us roots, connecting us to our identityand family
2. The future gives us wings to soar to new destinations and acceptnew challenges
3. The present gives us the ongoing energy we need to explore ourworld, inside and outside of ourselves
the present is the balance point between past and future
- As the figure shows, the present is the fulcrum„the balance point„between the past and the future.The present is the point on which both the past and future canachieve balance. The present is the only place from which we can takeaction, but its not the onl
mental distress tips the balance toward the negative past
- The mental distress portion of the illustration demonstrates what happenswhen the negatives of the past outweigh hope for a better future(see Figure 3.4). Here the past negatives have been stuffed into a junkbox, overflowing and chaotic. The solid bar of th
time perspective therapy extends future hopes
- As time perspective therapy progresses, several things change: the negativejunk from the past is packed up into a much more manageablesuitcase„weve all got baggage, but we dont need to carry our entirebasement with us! (See Figure 3.5.) The timeline exten
a balanced time perspective includes past, present, and futureworking together in harmony
- In a balanced time perspective, amore positive past and a positive futurerest on the fulcrum of the present (see Figure 3.6). As future goalsbecome present realities, mental health improves. The positive thingsthat happened in the past once again become mor
a balanced time perspective includes past, present, and futureworking together in harmony
- In a balanced time perspective, amore positive past and a positive futurerest on the fulcrum of the present (see Figure 3.6). As future goalsbecome present realities, mental health improves. The positive thingsthat happened in the past once again become mor
planning a brighter future
- For PTSD sufferers, who have for so long lived only in the past andimmediate present, planning a brighter future means making plans forthe long term, for themselves and their loved ones. In the beginning,they naturally allow their past negatives to overwhel
TPT Summary
- The primary goal of TPT is the same regardless of what broughtthe client to therapy„achieving a balanced time perspective
The basics of TPT include the following:
- (1) understanding timeperspectives,
- (2) respecting the trauma and understanding theconcept of mental injury versus mental illness
- (3) using breathingand visualization to self-soothe,
- (4) boosting past positives
- (5) encouraging healthy present hedonism
- (6) encouraging prosocialbehavior,
- (7) planning and acting on positive futuregoals.
Initial psychological testing of clients includes a trauma severityindicator, a depression test (the Burns Depression Checklist),an anxiety test (the Burns Anxiety Inventory), and theZTPI. These tests are scored by the therapist and discussedwith the client
Follow-up psychological test results tell us that our jobis done when the PTSD client consistently has more pastpositive thoughts than past negative, is following through withfuture positive plans while taking care of present business,and is enjoying himsel
TPTs post-therapy outcomes are proven in our pilot studyresults as well as in client follow-up, indicating that it can indeedbe a long-lasting solution. TPT pilot study results indicateimprovements between pre- and post-treatment over thethree-and-a-half-y
Exercise: a brighter future
- Allow yourself five uninterrupted minutes to relax in a safe place. Closeyour eyes. Breathe slowly, deeply, and rhythmically. Allow your body torelax deeper and deeper with each breath
When youve completed four of these relaxing breaths, open yourmind to the image of your brighter future. Try not to think too hard, justlet it come. What does it look like? What are you doing? Who is with you?Where are you? What are you trying to achieve?
There are no right answers here! Perhaps your brighter futureplan is social or financial, or has to do with your health. It could be assimple as planting a kitchen herb garden, starting an exercise program,or eating more healthfully, or as complicated a
Now see yourself making a plan to actualize this brighter future.What will it take to achieve this goal? Take small steps that will beeasy to achieve, and envision yourself making carefully planned, steadyprogress toward your brighter future
- Understand time perspectives and how they frame the way wesee ourselves and our possibilities
- Most traditional therapy models take PTSD sufferers back into thehorror in the hope of desensitizing them to the trauma, or to plant themeaning of the present firmly in the experiences of the past. This maymean dwelling in the past for anywhere from a few h
- Chapter 4 War Veterans, PTSD, and Time Perspective Therapy
- Symptom minimizers
- an attitude that has been instilled and reinforced from childhood.
- Symptom minimizers can be severely depressed or anxious, yetput on a happy face in public.
- repression and denial
- frequent intrusive
- distressingrecollections
- flashbacks
- suffer from sleep deprivation
- Temporal Theory
- Whenever hehad past negative thoughts
- he was asked to remember the past positives
- Symptom minimizers
- Chapter 6 Women, PTSD, and Time Perspective Therapy
- Why twice as likely? The National Center for PTSD puts it in bluntterms:
- Women are more likely to experience sexual assault.
- Sexual assault is more likely than many other events to causePTSD
- Women may be more likely to blame themselves for trauma experiencesthan men [italics added].
- women are more likely to developPTSD if they
- Have a past mental health problem (e.g., depression or anxiety)
- Experienced a very severe or life-threatening trauma
- Were sexually assaulted
- Were injured during the event
- Had a severe reaction at the time of the event
- Experienced other stressful events afterwards
- Do not have good social support
- do hormones play a role in womens PTSD?
- As scientific studies on women and PTSD emerge, we are finding aninteresting correlation between womens physical makeup and PTSD
Their findings: thewomen, PTSD, and time perspective therapy 187hormone-like molecule PACAP (pituitary adenylate cyclase-activatingpolpypeptide), which regulates a persons stress response on a cellularlevel, was higher in clients with PTSD than in those wh
A follow-up study including only traumatizedwomen found that women with PTSD were also more likely to have avariation of a gene for PAC-1 (first procaspase-activating compound)„asynthesized chemical compound with anti-tumor potential that also respondsto es
This study provides a possible answer to the question of why somewomen respond differently than some men to traumatic situations andexperiences.Ressler hypothesizes that estrogen, the primary female sexhormone, may amplify the effects of stress. The gene fo
- As scientific studies on women and PTSD emerge, we are finding aninteresting correlation between womens physical makeup and PTSD
- Why twice as likely? The National Center for PTSD puts it in bluntterms:
- Glossary
- Balanced time perspective
- Having free emotional and mentalmobility between thoughts of the past, present, and future; theoptimum psychological state. See Time perspective(s).
- Brighter future
- A future time perspective free of the emotional andmental suffering from untreated PTSD; the goal of timeperspective therapy. It is the hope that the future will be betterthan the past.
- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
- A systematic, goal-orientedpsychotherapeutic approach merging two established talktherapies: cognitive therapy (aimed at changing unconstructiveemotional responses and dysfunctional thinking) and behavioraltherapy (reinforcing wanted behaviors and eliminati
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- A severe anxiety disorderthat can develop after exposure to a physically or psychologicallytraumatic event. This event may involve the threat of death tooneself or to someone else, or a threat to ones own or someoneelses physical, sexual, or psychological
- Suicidal and homicidal ideations with or without plan(s)
- Thoughts of taking ones own life or the life of another, eitherincluding thoughts of how to proceed (such as by the use of aweapon, vehicle, drugs, and so on) or without such a thought (forexample, wishing one would simply die).
- Symptom minimizer
- An individual suffering from depression,anxiety, trauma, and related symptoms (such as avoidance,isolation, irritability, increased anger, suicidal thoughts, and so on)who downplays the severity of his or her symptoms. Repression,denial, and displacement ar
- Temporal Theory (TT)
- The theory that ones time perspective(s)affect ones view of ones life and the choices one makes. TemporalTheory, as posited by Philip Zimbardo, stresses the importance ofones individual time perspective and its impact on ones sense ofmental distress or
- Time Paradox
- The idea that one can be stuck in a particular timeperspective, such as the past, even though time is considered linearand progressive. According to Philip Zimbardo, there are twoTime Paradoxes. First, our attitudes toward time have profoundimpacts on o
- Time perspective(s) (TP)
- The psychological term for the process bywhich each of us sorts out our personal experiences into temporalcategories. Each of the three primary subjective time zones„past,present, and future„is divided into two parts, yielding six maintime perspectives:
- Past positive (PP)
- A positive focus on the memories of thegood old days, family, and tradition. Balancing past positive andfuture positive orientations creates the following:
- Expanded or holistic present
- A focus on the here and now, abelief that all things are connected
- Past negative (PN)
- A negative focus that recalls past abuse, failures,and regrets over missed opportunities.
- Present hedonism (PH)
- A focus on pleasure, risk taking, andsensation seeking. Also of note is
- Selected present hedonism (SPH)
- A focus on a moderateamount of pleasure and sensation seeking; frequently as areward for accomplishments
- Present fatalism (PF)
- A focus on not taking control of situationsthat is driven by a belief that life is fated to play out in acertain way, no matter what one does
- Future (F)
- A focus on working for goals, meeting deadlines, andachieving objectives. In the development of time perspectivetherapy, the future time perspective was split into
- Future positive
- A focus on a brighter future
- Future negative
- A focus on a fatalistic future
- Transcendental future
- A focus that places spiritual life after thedeath of the body above all else (religious); a focus that places thelong-term future of many generations, or the life of the planet,above all else (secular)
- Time perspective therapy (TPT)
- The implementation ofZimbardos Temporal Theory into clinical practice, using a contextof time perspectives; an evolution of cognitive behavioral therapy.Developed by Richard and Rosemary Sword in 2008…2009, it hasbeen used successfully to treat PTSD, depre
- Balanced time perspective
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