Tunnel vision: What role does it play in suicidal logic? – Online Psychologists

When we talk about stress in psychology, it never hurts to explain that it is a necessary physiological response. Our body activates stress mechanisms, such as tunnel visionwhen it senses that we are about to face a threat.

It does this precisely to help us get through it successfully. Absolutely all the sensations related to stress prepare you for fight or flight in the face of danger.

Imagine, for example, that while you are crossing a zebra crossing you see a car approaching you at full speed. At that moment, your heart starts beating wildly in an attempt to send oxygen to your muscles so that you can start running.

If you've ever experienced a situation like this, you may have noticed that your perception of reality becomes distorted. Time seems to stop, sounds become muffled, and all that's left to your eyes is imminent danger. This phenomenon that occurs when stress takes over your body is known as tunnel vision.

We can define tunnel vision as a phenomenon in which the ability to pay attention to environmental stimuli is reducedusually due to stress.

In medicine, this concept refers to the inability to visualize everything that is in the periphery of vision.

However, in psychology tunnel vision has nothing to do with your visual ability. What comes into play when you are overcome by stress is nothing other than your attention span, which is significantly reduced when your body detects a threat.

Although this is a much more specific term in medicine than in psychology, it is actually not that difficult to explain if an example is used.

Imagine that you are about to take an important exam, one of those exams that, they say, determine your future. Your heart is pounding, your palms are sweating and your stomach hurts. Stress is present, because you have the feeling that something bad is going to happen.

When you get the exam and read the first question, you realize you don't know the answer.

Maybe if you continued reading you would see that the rest of the questions are familiar to you, but the anxiety has taken control of the situation and, unfortunately, you can no longer see beyond that first question that poses a threat to your academic future.

We have already explained that tunnel vision usually appears when there are noticeably high levels of stress and anxiety.

In the face of a possible threat, your body reacts by focusing your visual attention on what it perceives as dangerous and, therefore, eliminates all other stimuli.

Although it can be a rather annoying sensation, it has a reason for being. When faced with danger, your body gets rid of any distractions that could hinder you from getting to safety.

In this way, you ensure that you can react more effectively to the stimulus that you consider most important at that moment.

But what exactly happens inside the body?

Well, what happens is that stress hormones are released: cortisone and adrenaline. adrenalinwhich on other occasions gives you a pleasant «boost» of energy, is responsible for activating the escape mechanisms that we already know, such as increased blood pressure and heart rate.

When the body receives the danger signal, it sends a signal to the adrenal glands, which begin to secrete adrenaline. And you could say that, at this moment, adrenaline enhances the senses.

As a result, your eyes receive more light, Your pupils begin to dilate and then your ability to perceive everything that is on the periphery of your vision is reduced.

Although, as we have explained, tunnel vision is often related to anxiety or stress disorders, it also plays an important role in suicidal behavior.

And people with suicidal thoughts usually have a notable difficulty in perceiving reality objectively, with its lights and shadows. Instead, they have a pessimistic view of life.

Overcome by hopelessness and convinced that there is no possibility of reducing their suffering, they see death as the only solution to their problems.

That is why it is important that, at the slightest warning sign, the people who are part of your environment rush to help you. Although it is a very difficult situation, having the support of the company and support from your loved ones can help you face life more optimistically.

In addition, it is necessary for the person who considers suicide as the only option to see that there are other ways to move forward. If he goes to therapyThe psychologist can help you get rid of the rigid ideas that make you see life in a negative way, and propose a new system of alternative, more realistic beliefs.

On the other hand, having the help of a psychologist can be beneficial for the patient to understand the origin of tunnel vision and understand that it is a cognitive distortion very far from reality.

If you have ever had suicidal thoughts or if you feel that tunnel vision prevents you from seeing reality as it is, at we can help you. You just have to make an appointment and we will put you in contact with an online psychologist capable of helping you.

Although we understand that it is a very unpleasant sensation, it is necessary that you understand that tunnel vision is a relatively safe mechanism. utilitywhich will often help you emerge unscathed from danger.

For example, if you're coming home and notice someone sneaking up on you, focusing on the pace of their steps and the distance between them and you can help you calculate the speed you need to adopt to get to safety.

However, it is true that the fight or flight mechanisms that our body naturally puts into action lose effectiveness against some modern stressors. Unfortunately, tunnel vision won't help you when you face an important meeting, or even when you file your tax return.

It is normal that you want to get rid of it in those moments when it has no clear use. Some techniques that can help you disable tunnel vision are:

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