Trauma-related rumination refers to perseverative thinking about the trauma and its consequences; such consequences may include an individual's PTSD symptoms (see Ehlers & Clark, 2000). A feature common to both rumination and re-experiencing symptoms is that they are difficult to control.
Rumination was associated with a diagnosis of PTSD. Individuals with PTSD reported greater rumination; rumination was associated with increased likelihood of PTSD diagnosis and PTSD symptom severity. Rumination mediated the effect of thought control strategies (punishment and reappraisal) on PTSD symptom severity.
Traumas that have not been fully discussed and ventilated are linked to increased ruminations about that traumatic event (Pennebaker and Susman, 1988). Generally, childhood trauma is not easily discussed and is suppressed, so that it might lead to a ruminative cognitive style.
Many different mental health conditions, including depression, anxiety, phobias, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), may involve ruminating thoughts. However, in some cases, rumination may just occur in the wake of a specific traumatic event, such as a failed relationship.
Importantly, however, rumination is not only related to depression, but is involved in the development and/or maintenance of a broad range of disorders, including post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety disorders, insomnia, eating disorders, somatic symptom disorder, and substance use disorders2, 3.
Biofeedback is part of behavioral therapy for rumination syndrome. During biofeedback, imaging can help you or your child learn diaphragmatic breathing skills to counteract regurgitation. For infants, treatment usually focuses on working with parents or caregivers to change the infant's environment and behavior.
At its core, rumination is a coping mechanism. It's a way of responding to stress by repeatedly focusing on the source of distress. One theory states that people tend to engage in repetitive thinking about the nature of their difficulties.
However, the key distinction is that whilst intrusive symptoms are essentially recurrent 'flashes' of the trauma that are highly sensory and come to mind unbidden, rumination refers to abstract, perseverative chains of thinking about the traumatic event itself, as well as its antecedents and consequences.
Rumination is divided into two subtypes, reflective and brooding. Reflective is a cycle of thinking that is analytical and problem-solving, whereas brooding is more negative and self-perpetuating. Brooding rumination leads to negative moods and negative opinions of oneself.
Rumination is associated with the worsening of negative mood states, greater affective responding to negative material, and increased access to negative memories.
Rumination syndrome is a condition in which people repeatedly and unintentionally spit up (regurgitate) undigested or partially digested food from the stomach, rechew it, and then either reswallow it or spit it out. Because the food hasn't yet been digested, it reportedly tastes normal and isn't acidic, as vomit is.
Finally, some studies have shown that rumination can be an antecedent of dissociative experiences. For example, in a longitudinal study, Vannikov-Lugassi et al.
Abstract. Objective: To increase the knowledge of rumination and its associations with stressful events, we explored the relationships between 4 types of rumination (brooding, reflection, intrusive, and deliberate rumination) in a sample of 750 adult participants who experienced a highly stressful event.
This process has been termed “behavioural avoidance” (or, in the context of grief, “depressive avoidance,” Boelen et al., 2006). Nolen‐Hoeksema et al. (2008) proposed that rumination helps individuals to avoid an aversive environment because it occupies attention and time.
Rumination, on the other hand is a mental compulsion, and it is unobservable to others since it is entirely an internal process. So for example, if someone has contamination OCD, and they have an intrusive thought that something is dirty, their compulsion might be to wash their hands repeatedly (an observable action).
Some scholars suggest that rumination is a learned habit and is formed when children are discouraged from taking a proactive approach to problem-solving.
Rumination is a behavior and not a mental health condition. It's a common symptom in anxiety and mood disorders, though. But it doesn't have to be permanent. You can learn to manage it.
The main treatment for rumination syndrome is behavioral therapy to stop regurgitation. The behavioral therapy that is usually prescribed for rumination syndrome is diaphragmatic breathing. The diaphragm is a large, dome-shaped muscle located at the base of the lungs.
Rumination syndrome is a rare problem. However, it may be underdiagnosed because it is mistaken for another problem. Although still rare, rumination is being diagnosed more often in both children and adults.
Rumination is highly associated with negative emotions and psychotic symptoms and has been supported as a buffer between DM and psychiatric symptoms in clinical populations and SSDs.
Overthinking in all its forms, including rumination and worrying, comes from many sources. It can come from trying to control a situation, trying to get more clarity about what to do next, or trying to predict what will happen to reduce our anxiety. A common underlying theme is discomfort with uncertainty.
Rumination is specifically correlated with the DMN core regions and the dorsal medial prefrontal cortex subsystem.