In life, when the truth is told, you could experience either trust, doubt, or distrust. The differences between doubt and distrust need to be explained.

Doubt and distrust are not the same. Many people get confused about them, and they think they are the same. No, they are not the same. Doubt is about uncertainty. It is unsure. It is about knowing that something is happening but not knowing exactly what is going on. Distrust means condemning the whole thing. The worse is there is no willingness to open up or learn about such things. One already made up his/her mind. There is a certainty or final decision in distrust.

Doubt could have multiple directions, such as toward positivity or negativity. One who has doubt with positivity direction and being process with positive belief systems will lead to the capability to see opportunities and grow—the possibilities to experience a deep sense of wonder and awe that scents the internal and external exploration.

Doubt with the support of the facts and the clarity of evidence will become reasonable doubt. Reasonable doubt powers the journey further, with confidence and with a sense of purpose and responsibilities.

Unreasonable doubt happens when doubt being processed by the maladaptive thought processes, such as “All or Nothing Thinking,” “Overgeneralization,” and “Catastrophizing.” Through this negative processing, doubt who is now transforming into unreasonable doubt, becomes an existential distrust.

When one sees his/her life through this existential distrust lenses, life could be a curse, a never-ending suffering, or a never-ending defeat and debacle—life is experienced as a continuous catastrophe, paralyzing and totally saddening. At this point, one has no way of stepping out of his/her discursive thoughts, no way of stepping out of his/her ego fixation and grasping because one is so caught up in that particular preoccupation.

The necessary intervention is needed when one is rendering doubt with lenses of maladaptive thought processings. Right at that moment, with well-trained mindfulness practices, one can question the process of thinking, exploring the supporting and not supporting facts with rational evidence. Through this process, one needs to pause, stop, and breathe first while learning to let go of his/her preoccupation thoughts.

Furthermore, one needs to learn to take in his/her own pain and put his/her awareness into the rest of the world’s pain. Surprisingly, one will expand his/her knowledge and heart and further reinforce this noble gesture, leading him/her out from the preoccupation of negative thoughts and emotions.

What does this all mean? It is about how one can liberate his/herself from the potential of self-defeating thoughts, emotions, and behaviors.

DR. Rony Kusnadi
Notable Life Counseling Services LLC