--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In the simulator, upsetting events from…" description: "\"“In the simulator, upsetting events from the past play again and again, which unfortunately strengthens the neural associations between an event and it..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d13/rick-hanson-10793_painful-feelings_in-the-simulator-upsetting-events-from-t_3094787.jpg" --- # In the simulator, upsetting events from the past play… ![“In the simulator, upsetting events from the past play again and again, which unfortunately strengthens the neural associations between an event and its painful feelings.” quote by Rick Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d13/rick-hanson-10793_painful-feelings_in-the-simulator-upsetting-events-from-t_3094787.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d13/rick-hanson-10793_painful-feelings_in-the-simulator-upsetting-events-from-t_3094787.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d13/rick-hanson-10793_painful-feelings_in-the-simulator-upsetting-events-from-t_3094787.jpg) > ““In the simulator, upsetting events from the past play again and again, which unfortunately strengthens the neural associations between an event and its painful feelings.”” [Rick Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-hanson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Repeated exposure to painful memories reinforces emotional pain. **In simple terms:** Re‑experiencing trauma strengthens negative feelings. Key Takeaway Break the cycle of painful recall. Themes trauma memory neuroscience Mood somber hopeful Type psychological inspirational When to use this quote - therapy sessions - mindfulness practice - journaling Key Concepts neural pathways emotional conditioning psychological healing Questions to Reflect On - What strategies help you reframe painful memories? - How can you create new, positive associations? A Different Perspective Avoiding memories may hinder processing and integration. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Event Painful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/event-painful-5337954/) [Painful feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painful-feelings/) [Simulator Upsetting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/simulator-upsetting-5337955/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Upsetting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/upsetting/) [Upsetting Events](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/upsetting-events-5337953/) ## Related quotes > [One of the reasons I love prayer is that it is an antidote to guilt and blame. 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People talk about how great love is, but that's bullshit.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-morrison/people-are-afraid-of-themselves-of-their-own-reality-their-feelings/) [Jim Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-morrison/) > [There are several different kinds of painful feelings that we might experience, and learning to distinguish and relate to these feelings of discomfort or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kornfield/there-are-several-different-kinds-of-painful-feelings-that-we-might/) [Jack Kornfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kornfield/) > [“Moreover, painful feelings can only arise and remain in our mind because of our present self-grasping.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelsang-gyatso/moreover-painful-feelings-can-only-arise-and-remain-in-our-mind/) [Kelsang Gyatso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelsang-gyatso/) > [Painful things do not come to us from outside, but arise from within our own mind. 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He or she tries to help them see which kinds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/the-therapist-does-not-treat-patients-by-simply-giving-them-another/) [Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/) > [I never wrote sentences with words, they were painful feelings with unsaid emotions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sushan-sharma/i-never-wrote-sentences-with-words-they-were-painful-feelings-with/) [Sushan Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sushan-sharma/) > [Self harm is not the anwere, all u have to do is love urself. It may help u to express ur feelings tht u…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sushant-mehra/self-harm-is-not-the-anwere-all-u-have-to-do-is-love-urself-it-may/) [Sushant Mehra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sushant-mehra/) > [Mindfulness is being aware of yourself, others, and your surroundings in the moment. When consciously and kindly focusing awareness on life as it unfolds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-thoele/mindfulness-is-being-aware-of-yourself-others-and-your-surroundings/) [Sue Thoele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-thoele/) > [“We want you gone. Your presence is obviously upsetting for her." "Oh, aye, the poor, wee lass -- who tossed me like a skipping…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kresley-cole/we-want-you-gone-your-presence-is-obviously-upsetting-for-her-oh-aye/) [Kresley Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kresley-cole/) > [“We always want someone we've treated badly to be gay. It's less upsetting.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francoise-sagan/we-always-want-someone-we-ve-treated-badly-to-be-gay-it-s-less/) [Françoise Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francoise-sagan/) > [I just can't think how I would go on without children having lost Edith already... It's too upsetting for me to write about them.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-frank/i-just-can-t-think-how-i-would-go-on-without-children-having-lost/) [Otto Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-frank/) > [There was a lot of stress and assumptions made without me even saying anything, which was very upsetting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-stevens/there-was-a-lot-of-stress-and-assumptions-made-without-me-even-saying/) [Craig Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-stevens/) ## More by Rick Hanson > [ “\[I\]f you can be with the pleasant without chasing after it, with the unpleasant without resisting it, and with the neutral without ignoring it… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-hanson/i-f-you-can-be-with-the-pleasant-without-chasing-after-it-with-the/) [Rick Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-hanson/) > [“inescapable physical or mental discomfort is the “first dart” of existence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-hanson/inescapable-physical-or-mental-discomfort-is-the-first-dart-of/) [Rick Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-hanson/) > [“The autobiographical self (D’Amasio 2000) incorporates the reflective self and some of the emotional self, and it provides the sense of “I” having a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-hanson/the-autobiographical-self-d-amasio-2000-incorporates-the-reflective/) [Rick Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-hanson/) > [“I once heard a Native American teaching story in which an elder, a grandmother, was asked what she had done to become so happy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-hanson/i-once-heard-a-native-american-teaching-story-in-which-an-elder-a/) [Rick Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-hanson/) > [“Therefore, you can use your mind to change your brain to benefit your mind—and everyone else”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-hanson/therefore-you-can-use-your-mind-to-change-your-brain-to-benefit-your/) [Rick Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-hanson/) > [“Whatever positive facts you find, bring a mindful awareness to them—open up to them and let them affect you. 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But then we add our reactions to them. These reactions are “second darts”—the ones we throw ourselves.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-hanson/first-darts-are-unpleasant-to-be-sure-but-then-we-add-our-reactions/) [Rick Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-hanson/) > [ “Letting go of ill will does not mean passivity, silence, or allowing yourself or others to be harmed. \[...\] There is plenty of room… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-hanson/letting-go-of-ill-will-does-not-mean-passivity-silence-or-allowing/) [Rick Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-hanson/) > [“Stress reduces serotonin, probably the most important neurotransmitter for maintaining a good mood.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-hanson/stress-reduces-serotonin-probably-the-most-important-neurotransmitter/) [Rick Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-hanson/) > [“Experiences are thus incapable of being completely satisfying. They are an unreliable basis for true happiness. To”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-hanson/experiences-are-thus-incapable-of-being-completely-satisfying-they/) [Rick Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-hanson/) > [“Nurturing your own development isn’t selfish. It’s actually a great gift to other people. The”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-hanson/nurturing-your-own-development-isn-t-selfish-it-s-actually-a-great/) [Rick Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-hanson/) [Explore all 63 Rick Hanson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-hanson/) ## More Painful feelings quotes > [Mindfulness is being aware of yourself, others, and your surroundings in the moment. When consciously and kindly focusing awareness on life as it unfolds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-thoele/mindfulness-is-being-aware-of-yourself-others-and-your-surroundings/) [Sue Thoele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-thoele/) > [Self harm is not the anwere, all u have to do is love urself. It may help u to express ur feelings tht u…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sushant-mehra/self-harm-is-not-the-anwere-all-u-have-to-do-is-love-urself-it-may/) [Sushant Mehra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sushant-mehra/) > [I never wrote sentences with words, they were painful feelings with unsaid emotions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sushan-sharma/i-never-wrote-sentences-with-words-they-were-painful-feelings-with/) [Sushan Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sushan-sharma/) > [The therapist does not treat patients by simply giving them another set of beliefs. He or she tries to help them see which kinds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/the-therapist-does-not-treat-patients-by-simply-giving-them-another/) [Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/) > [Think one of the painful feelings is 'almost' fulfilling your dreams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/think-one-of-the-painful-feelings-is-almost-fulfilling-your-dreams/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Painful things do not come to us from outside, but arise from within our own mind. Circumstances or other people have no power to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geshe-kelsang-gyatso/painful-things-do-not-come-to-us-from-outside-but-arise-from-within/) [Geshe Kelsang Gyatso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geshe-kelsang-gyatso/) > [“Moreover, painful feelings can only arise and remain in our mind because of our present self-grasping.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelsang-gyatso/moreover-painful-feelings-can-only-arise-and-remain-in-our-mind/) [Kelsang Gyatso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelsang-gyatso/) > [There are several different kinds of painful feelings that we might experience, and learning to distinguish and relate to these feelings of discomfort or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kornfield/there-are-several-different-kinds-of-painful-feelings-that-we-might/) [Jack Kornfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kornfield/) > [People are afraid of themselves, of their own reality; their feelings most of all. People talk about how great love is, but that's bullshit.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-morrison/people-are-afraid-of-themselves-of-their-own-reality-their-feelings/) [Jim Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-morrison/) > [It's hard to constantly delve into your psyche and unearth these deep and often painful feelings and hold them out in front of people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-sudol/it-s-hard-to-constantly-delve-into-your-psyche-and-unearth-these-deep/) [Alison Sudol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-sudol/) > [One of the reasons I love prayer is that it is an antidote to guilt and blame. If we are unhappy with the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-lesser/one-of-the-reasons-i-love-prayer-is-that-it-is-an-antidote-to-guilt/) [Elizabeth Lesser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-lesser/) [Browse all 12 Painful feelings quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painful-feelings/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“In the simulator, upsetting events from the past play again and again, which unfortunately strengthens the neural associations between an event and its painful feelings.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Rick Hanson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-hanson/in-the-simulator-upsetting-events-from-the-past-play-again-and-again/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Painful feelings" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-hanson/in-the-simulator-upsetting-events-from-the-past-play-again-and-again/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d13/rick-hanson-10793_painful-feelings_in-the-simulator-upsetting-events-from-t_3094787.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d13/rick-hanson-10793_painful-feelings_in-the-simulator-upsetting-events-from-t_3094787.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d13/rick-hanson-10793_painful-feelings_in-the-simulator-upsetting-events-from-t_3094787.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In the simulator, upsetting events from the past play again and again, which unfortunately strengthens the…” — Rick Hanson", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Rick Hanson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-hanson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“In the simulator, upsetting events from...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-hanson/in-the-simulator-upsetting-events-from-the-past-play-again-and-again/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-hanson/in-the-simulator-upsetting-events-from-the-past-play-again-and-again/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```