What is rumination, or when the mind goes over the same thing?

Question: Almost 10 years ago a partner scammed me and stole a factory that, although it was small, had been built by my father. Although I’m financially recovered, my head keeps remembering that and I can’t get rid of that memory. (Jesús Villalba, from Mendoza)

Many people present thoughts that come back to your mind over and over againand even if you try to discard them and forget them, you can’t do it since they persistently reappear.

In general, they have three characteristics:

1) They are focused on the pastthat is, in events that have already occurred, trying to analyze them and looking for meaning in those past situations.

2) It is a passive process since the person cannot take any concrete action to solve the problem.

3) The same thoughts repeat themselves over and over again without leading to new or possible solutions.

This process called rumination has been defined by the American Psychological Association as “excessive, repetitive thoughts or themes that interfere with other forms of mental activity.”

They can deal with a multitude of contents, although they tend to focus on past events, current fears or concerns about the future.

Although they can be confused with obsessions and negative thoughts, there are subtle differences between them.

In a schematic way, it can be mentioned that, although rumination and obsessive thoughts are repetitive, rumination is more focused on the past and involves veiled personal reproachwhile obsessive thoughts are about the present and generate compulsions (rituals) to try to neutralize the anxiety they generate.

Another difference is that rumination does not involve the active search for solutions, while obsessive thoughts generate so much distress that it forces us to look for actions to suppress it.

Negative thoughts can be very varied and They are focused on interpreting negatively both the current reality and the personality traits of the person who suffers from them.

In rumination, attention is focused on an event from the past and affects emotional well-being due to the guilt and reproach that generates the experience of unfulfilled objectives and its difference with the expected expectations. So much so that people rarely ruminate when they reach their intended goal.

Rumination is not a disease in itselfbut it is a process that is at the basis of most depressive disorders, generalized anxiety, post-traumatic stress, eating disorders, hypochondria, grief or addictions.

Determine the exact percentage of The influence of rumination on the production of depressive symptoms is complex. since there are many factors that can contribute to the appearance of these, but rumination is usually an important factor.

Even, can be a predictive factor since people who ruminate have a greater probability (30 to 40%) of suffering from depression. In turn, rumination – as if in a vicious circle – sustains it and makes antidepressant treatment more ineffective.

Although anyone can suffer from rumination, More introverted individuals are more likely to suffer from itthe anxious and the perfectionists.

With adequate psychotherapeutic and pharmacological treatment, the rumination mechanism can be improved. or even be surpassed.