When someone reports feelings of dread, it’s likely that their brain’s threat detection system, primarily involving the amygdala, has been activated. This activation can occur due to perceived danger, whether real or imagined. Constitutional features, traumatic experiences, or negative attachments can lead to maladaptive emotion regulation, making the amygdala more easily activated. The stress response might be initiated, leading to physiological symptoms like a racing heart, sweating, and feelings of panic. The cortex, particularly the prefrontal cortex, which is usually involved in rational thought and regulation, may become overwhelmed by these strong emotional signals. This can result in a “hostile takeover of consciousness by emotion”, where clear thinking is diminished.
The mind plays a significant role in contributing to feelings of dread. Negative thinking patterns can trap individuals in cycles of worry about scary future possibilities. Anticipating negative situations can create threatening thoughts and images that significantly increase anxiety, often making the anticipation more distressing than the event itself. Negative self-talk, with phrases like “I’m not good enough” or “something bad will happen,” can fuel the feeling of dread by immersing the brain in an emotional truth that blocks out other possibilities. The default mode network (DMN), which is active when we are not focused on a specific task, can become preoccupied with worries and perceived threats, contributing to a sense of unease and dread. Furthermore, the brain can attach strong emotions and physiological reactions to thoughts, and we can forget that we are the ones assigning this meaning, leading to a feeling that the dread is an undeniable reality.
Fortunately, several tools and techniques can help calm the mind and regain resilience when experiencing dread:
- CPR for the Amygdala: This technique, developed to build personal resilience, combines mindful touch (self-havening) with “brain games” that redirect thoughts away from the emotionally activating experience. Self-havening involves using gentle, stroking touch, which can send calming signals to the brain. Brain games are cognitive distractions that occupy working memory resources, such as movement exercises, category or narrative activities, numbers tasks, or songs and word games. Since the amygdala uses working memory to compare current stressors to past negative experiences, diverting this capacity can interrupt the stress reaction. An introductory practice involves checking in with bodily sensations and then using breath work as a distraction while self-havening. This practice not only calms the nervous system in the present but can also have longer-term impacts by depotentiating the neural pathways that lead to fear responses.
- Self-Havening: This is a psychosensory modality that involves specific self-applied touch to relax the brain and generate a sense of internal safety. By creating new neural pathways, self-havening can build resilience and improve emotion regulation, allowing individuals to feel more in control of their brains. When experiencing dread, consciously applying self-havening touch can help to create space between the reactive, stressed brain and a more responsive, calm state at a neurobiological level.
- Addressing Negative Self-Talk: Becoming aware of negative self-statements is the first step. Once identified, you can learn to challenge these statements by asking where they originated, what assumptions underlie them, and what evidence supports or contradicts them. Developing replacement statements that challenge the negative ones can help to shift your internal narrative towards a more positive and realistic perspective. Techniques like saying the negative thought repeatedly can also help it to lose its emotional charge, turning it into meaningless noise. You can then compassionately question whether these “noises” should dictate your life.
- Mindfulness and Acceptance: Practising mindful observation of thoughts and feelings without judgement can help to create distance from the feeling of dread. This involves noticing the physical sensations, emotions, and thoughts as they arise, without trying to change or suppress them. Acceptance in this context means allowing these experiences to be present without struggling against them. This can paradoxically reduce their intensity and impact. By mindfully observing dread, you can begin to see it as a temporary state rather than an overwhelming reality.
- Solution-Focused Approaches: Instead of dwelling on the feeling of dread and its causes, shifting the focus towards desired outcomes and potential solutions can be helpful. Asking future-oriented questions like, “If you weren’t feeling this dread, what would you be doing?” can direct the mind towards positive possibilities and identify small, manageable steps forward [Your previous response].
- ACT-Based Defusion: Cognitive defusion techniques aim to loosen the fusion between thoughts and reality. This involves recognising thoughts, including those related to dread, as just thoughts, rather than facts or commands. Labelling the feeling of dread or the thoughts associated with it (“I’m having the thought that…”) can create distance. Personifying anxious thinking or using metaphors (e.g., “Mr. Anxiety is talking”) can also help to shift from the content of the thought to the process of thinking, reducing its power.
- Applied Relaxation: Techniques such as deep, slow breathing can directly influence the physiological responses associated with dread by activating the parasympathetic nervous system, which counteracts the stress response. Muscle relaxation exercises can also help to reduce physical tension that often accompanies feelings of dread. Practising these techniques regularly can build a capacity to calm down quickly when dread arises.
- Compassion Focused Therapy: Developing self-compassion involves treating yourself with the same kindness and understanding you would offer to a friend experiencing dread. This can counteract the self-criticism that often exacerbates negative feelings. Practising a compassionate inner voice and using compassionate imagery can create an internal environment of warmth and support, which can soothe feelings of dread.
- LLAMP (Label, Let go, Accept, Mindfulness, Proceed): This approach involves labelling the feeling as “dread” or “worry,” letting go of the urge to control or fight it, accepting its presence, practising mindfulness of the present moment, and then proceeding in a valued direction despite the dread. Labelling can act as a cue to shift your relationship with the feeling.
Utilising these tools and techniques requires willingness to practise them consistently. It’s important to be patient with the process, as changing long-standing patterns of thinking and reacting takes time. Starting with less intense feelings and gradually applying the techniques to stronger experiences of dread can build confidence and effectiveness.
Summary: feelings of dread
Feelings of dread often involve activation of the brain’s threat system (amygdala) and an overwhelmed cortex, accompanied by negative thinking patterns, anticipation of threat, and negative self-talk. To overcome dread, techniques such as CPR for the Amygdala (combining self-havening and brain games), self-havening alone, challenging negative self-talk, practising mindfulness and acceptance, focusing on solutions, ACT-based defusion, applied relaxation (breathing), cultivating self-compassion, and the LLAMP approach can be effective. These methods work by calming the nervous system, redirecting attention, creating psychological distance from negative thoughts, promoting self-acceptance, and shifting focus towards positive possibilities and values. Consistent practice and patience are key to building resilience and reducing the impact of dread.