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I’m a little embarrassed to admit it, but I’ve always blanked when someone asked me about my five-year plan or inquired whether I wanted to get married or have kids. My future feels like it has nothing to do with me, and I struggle to envision it – in general, though, the idea of hitting milestones never felt like it “fit” me. I also felt vaguely as though I was going to die at 20, then 30 (I wonder if the goalposts will move again). It’s a phenomenon friends have described, too. So, I felt enormous relief in discovering the term “a sense of foreshortened future”, which may be more common than you realise. What is a “sense of foreshortened future”? BACP member Alec Williams, a trauma-focused therapist based in London, said: “A ‘sense of foreshortened future’ isn’t simply just thinking that one’s life will be short”, though that can be a part of it. “It often goes much deeper and can undermine a person’s entire worldview. “Often,” he explained, “it happens due to an individual experiencing an extreme traumatic event... that shakes the very foundation of how they experience the world.” Those with a “foreshortened sense of future” might lose all sense of trust in their environment, no longer believing that it can be a safe place where they are valued and cared for. “Previous commitments, projects, interests or things they were looking forward to can begin to feel meaningless and become difficult to make sense of. The future of one’s life can often feel collapsed and insignificant,” the therapist added. “In everyday life, this might mean not making long‐term plans, feeling separate or disconnected from the world or people, or believing that investing in the future is pointless. “Over time, this can affect all aspects of someone’s life and heap a heavy strain on interpersonal relationships. How do you plan a future with someone who no longer trusts or believes in it?” Why does “a sense of foreshortened future” happen? Per Williams, trauma can leave you mentally stuck in your time (or times) of distress. It “can disrupt continuity in time so that a person feels cut off from a’before’ and an ‘after’”, he said. “A catastrophic traumatic event, such as torture, can lead to a change in thestructure of time-based experience... they might not just have difficulty inimagining the future, but experiencing time in a way where the future fails topresent itself as fully meaningful or available.” This can sometimes make you feel “othered”. Because people with a sense of foreshortened future may have a different understanding of both the past and the present (as well as what’s coming next), Williams says that “The future may still exist intellectually, but it lacks the availability and meaning that often allows for planning and hope. “The world as they knew it has gone, and things that once held meaning are no longer relevant. The future is now either too unknown or too unsafe to engage with.” It is not as simple as a fear of death, he added. “It’s a seismic shift in worldview that alters a person’s ability to move forward with their life and comprehend a future. “This can lead to withdrawal. If the future life feels insignificant or meaningless,the effort required to stay connected and invest in relationships, work, andlong‐term planning can feel futile.” What can I do if I have a “sense of foreshortened future”? Therapy can be a great step forward, says Williams. “We can help clients reconnect to what they care about, restore trust in the world, and rebuild time-based experience around past, present and future, helping them to put trauma back on the timeline.” This way, he hopes, “once again, the future can belong to them, rather than being unreachable due to trauma”. Per VeryWell Health, being mindful of your thoughts, seeking positive activities, connecting with others and reducing avoidance where possible, practising self-care, and choosing actions aligned with your values often may help too. Help and support: Mind, open Monday to Friday, 9am-6pm on 0300 123 3393.Samaritans offers a listening service which is open 24 hours a day, on 116 123 (UK and ROI - this number is FREE to call and will not appear on your phone bill).CALM (the Campaign Against Living Miserably) offer a helpline open 5pm-midnight, 365 days a year, on 0800 58 58 58, and a webchat service.The Mix is a free support service for people under 25. Call 0808 808 4994 or email help@themix.org.ukRethink Mental Illness offers practical help through its advice line which can be reached on 0808 801 0525 (Monday to Friday 10am-4pm). More info can be found on rethink.org.
