Affective Blocks: The Key to Emotional Resilience. Part 3
Imagine facing a serious crisis—someone close to you is in intensive care, or you’ve received a devastating diagnosis. Something happens that is completely beyond your control. This is the moment when anxiety peaks. The psyche is confronted with uncertainty, emotions intensify, and the feeling of helplessness takes over. This is when pathological affective blocks become activated.
When a person feels they have lost control, the psyche tries to construct a version of the future. If a pathological block is triggered, this future takes on a catastrophic shape. The mind no longer perceives reality as it is. Instead, it sees the present as merely a prelude to an inevitable disaster. The person doesn’t just experience anxiety—they start living in anticipation of the worst. The more they predict failure or suffering, the stronger their anxiety grows, which in turn reinforces the pathological block. It’s not just a vicious cycle—it’s a tightening loop.
Why does the psyche do this? Because this entire process is a release mechanism. Affective blocks serve, above all, as a way to discharge built-up emotional tension. The psyche escalates anxiety until it reaches its peak and then redirects the pressure toward the most vulnerable area of a person’s life. Suddenly, there is a clear reason to suffer. At first, everything feels overwhelming—panic, fear, distress—but then, out of nowhere, the person finds a reason to cry, withdraw, or feel sorry for themselves.
Here lies the paradox: at the peak of distress, tension drops. The person still feels sadness, grief, or despair—but at the same time, they experience a strange sense of relief. This is because the psyche has closed the affective block.
But does this process truly serve us? The cost of this relief is often too high, as it doesn’t actually resolve the anxiety—it distorts reality itself.
When a person has healthy affective blocks, their psyche can handle uncertainty by maintaining a constructive outlook: “Things will work out”. The mind does not leave uncertainty undefined—it always generates a version of the future. If affective blocks are dysfunctional, the future appears catastrophic. If they are healthy, the psyche keeps energy in the present, allowing for a realistic yet adaptive approach. This is why the phrase "let’s wait and see" doesn’t work at the level of affective blocks—because the mind will construct a future. The difference is whether that future is driven by fear or by resilience.
When a person feels they have lost control, the psyche tries to construct a version of the future. If a pathological block is triggered, this future takes on a catastrophic shape. The mind no longer perceives reality as it is. Instead, it sees the present as merely a prelude to an inevitable disaster. The person doesn’t just experience anxiety—they start living in anticipation of the worst. The more they predict failure or suffering, the stronger their anxiety grows, which in turn reinforces the pathological block. It’s not just a vicious cycle—it’s a tightening loop.
Why does the psyche do this? Because this entire process is a release mechanism. Affective blocks serve, above all, as a way to discharge built-up emotional tension. The psyche escalates anxiety until it reaches its peak and then redirects the pressure toward the most vulnerable area of a person’s life. Suddenly, there is a clear reason to suffer. At first, everything feels overwhelming—panic, fear, distress—but then, out of nowhere, the person finds a reason to cry, withdraw, or feel sorry for themselves.
Here lies the paradox: at the peak of distress, tension drops. The person still feels sadness, grief, or despair—but at the same time, they experience a strange sense of relief. This is because the psyche has closed the affective block.
But does this process truly serve us? The cost of this relief is often too high, as it doesn’t actually resolve the anxiety—it distorts reality itself.
When a person has healthy affective blocks, their psyche can handle uncertainty by maintaining a constructive outlook: “Things will work out”. The mind does not leave uncertainty undefined—it always generates a version of the future. If affective blocks are dysfunctional, the future appears catastrophic. If they are healthy, the psyche keeps energy in the present, allowing for a realistic yet adaptive approach. This is why the phrase "let’s wait and see" doesn’t work at the level of affective blocks—because the mind will construct a future. The difference is whether that future is driven by fear or by resilience.
This raises an important question: if a situation is unpredictable and beyond our control, how does the mind react? It automatically tries to fill in the missing pieces—even when there’s no real reason to do so. In doing this, a person unknowingly shifts their mental energy toward the future, focusing on what might happen instead of what is happening. The moment this energy moves away from the present and into an imagined "tomorrow," the person loses touch with reality.
As long as anxiety remains manageable, a person continues to perceive the world clearly, recognize opportunities, and find solutions. This is the psyche’s key function—to maintain connection with reality. If this connection is lost, if anxiety becomes too strong, the person collapses into pathological states.
Healthy affective blocks prevent the psyche from drowning in fear. The more a person develops these healthy mechanisms, the less susceptible they are to irrational anxiety. They function as shock absorbers, preventing emotional energy from spiraling into an uncontrollable future.
So how can you tell if your affective blocks are working properly? It’s simple: if you are truly present in the moment, you are not obsessing over tomorrow. A healthy psyche directs all its energy toward the present task. If someone is sick, their thoughts shouldn’t be on when they’ll recover, but on what they can do today.
The psyche only has energy for this moment. When affective blocks function correctly, they keep energy grounded in the present, maintaining clarity and connection with reality. If the mind isn’t constantly offloading energy into endless worries, it can find solutions in the here and now.
The only real indicator of a well-functioning psyche is this: where are your thoughts?
But when a person falls into a dysfunctional affective block, the psyche receives a different signal: “What’s the point?” If the mind believes that nothing meaningful lies ahead, it begins to withhold energy. This is the mechanism of apathy and procrastination.
If you push someone hard enough—if you create painful pressure about the future—they might force themselves to act. But if action is driven only by willpower and pressure, it won’t last.
Any process that relies on force, obligation, or internal pressure is destined to collapse. People try to push forward with thoughts like “I have to” or “I should”, but if the psyche isn’t providing energy for action, it won’t work.
This is why someone with a broken leg won’t be motivated by hearing “Come on, you can do it!” If their mind is consumed by thoughts of how much they’ve already lost, they won’t respond to external pressure. When someone is trapped in a pathological affective block, their psyche tells them: "Everything is pointless."
But even when only traces of healthy affective blocks remain, the right actions can help restore balance. The key is simple: don’t give your energy away to the future—bring it back to the present.
As long as anxiety remains manageable, a person continues to perceive the world clearly, recognize opportunities, and find solutions. This is the psyche’s key function—to maintain connection with reality. If this connection is lost, if anxiety becomes too strong, the person collapses into pathological states.
Healthy affective blocks prevent the psyche from drowning in fear. The more a person develops these healthy mechanisms, the less susceptible they are to irrational anxiety. They function as shock absorbers, preventing emotional energy from spiraling into an uncontrollable future.
So how can you tell if your affective blocks are working properly? It’s simple: if you are truly present in the moment, you are not obsessing over tomorrow. A healthy psyche directs all its energy toward the present task. If someone is sick, their thoughts shouldn’t be on when they’ll recover, but on what they can do today.
The psyche only has energy for this moment. When affective blocks function correctly, they keep energy grounded in the present, maintaining clarity and connection with reality. If the mind isn’t constantly offloading energy into endless worries, it can find solutions in the here and now.
The only real indicator of a well-functioning psyche is this: where are your thoughts?
But when a person falls into a dysfunctional affective block, the psyche receives a different signal: “What’s the point?” If the mind believes that nothing meaningful lies ahead, it begins to withhold energy. This is the mechanism of apathy and procrastination.
If you push someone hard enough—if you create painful pressure about the future—they might force themselves to act. But if action is driven only by willpower and pressure, it won’t last.
Any process that relies on force, obligation, or internal pressure is destined to collapse. People try to push forward with thoughts like “I have to” or “I should”, but if the psyche isn’t providing energy for action, it won’t work.
This is why someone with a broken leg won’t be motivated by hearing “Come on, you can do it!” If their mind is consumed by thoughts of how much they’ve already lost, they won’t respond to external pressure. When someone is trapped in a pathological affective block, their psyche tells them: "Everything is pointless."
But even when only traces of healthy affective blocks remain, the right actions can help restore balance. The key is simple: don’t give your energy away to the future—bring it back to the present.
Inspired by the lecture of Ekaterina Sokalskaya on affective blocks and emotional resilience.