Does anyone else find this lesson the hardest? I am trying to figure out why i have these scary obsessive thought (What am I trying to avoid) but I can't figure it out..I just want these thoughts to go away..Has anyone else had problems with this?

What did you do? How did you find the underlying answer?

Hey turtle,
I don't have all the answers, but sometimes we don't need to know "why" to move forward.
Who cares why you have the scary thoughts, how can you get rid of them is a more important question.
Fear only has as much power over you as you give it.
If you are a believer, I can tell you that God has given us power over the evil one who puts those scary thoughts in our head. You can refuse to accept those thoughts and call them what they are -- LIES.

I need comforting scripture -- TRUTH to keep me strong when those thoughts come.

Hope that helps.
Take care.
Kim

JOS 1:5 No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.

PHP 4:8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me--put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

Hey Turtle,

I too thought the reason I had intrusive, obsessive scary thoughts was because I wasn't dealing with something in my life. In fact I thought these thoughts crept up because I hated my job. I almost went so far as to change jobs just to make these thoughts dissipate. Thank god I did not because nothing can be further from the truth. These thoughts are simply a symptom of anxiety. Nothing more and nothing less. We are very sensisitive individuals. I firmly believe everyone has a variation of scary thoughts. Some are obsessed with germs...some are obsessed with scary thoughts of hurting loved ones or themselves...some have scary thoughts of driving...some have scary thoughts of animals attacking them,ect...I think the past four years I've worked with so many people, I've heard them all. 95% of the population has a variation of scary thoughts (did you know this?). However, we being sensitive, begin to questions why we have these thoughts and ultimately create more anxiety by bombarding ourselves with bad questions. For example, someone may have a scary thought of hurting themself and they follow up with a slew of racing thoughts like "I must be suicidal"..."I must have a mental disorder"..."I must be depressed".."Oh no, what if I jump"...By this time we have ourselves full of anxiety. The truth is we really don't know what causes some tumors, however, we know howe to eliminate them through chemotherapy, surgery, ect...There are a ton of conditions that we are not fully sure what the causes are but conversely we know how to cure...Just like these scary thoughts...no matter how many you have of whatever variety you will not act on them....The sheer fact these thoughts cause you distress is proof...Now, what are YOU prepared to do. Carry around a little spiral notebook and when you have a scary thought counter these thoughts with the truth. Your brain does not know the difference between a good or bad habit. Thus, bombard the brain with accurate data and you will catch on. These thoughts are eliminatable. Don't believe anything otherwise..Keep plugging away and God Bless......

Thank you both for getting back to me...I guess I just always like to have reassurance that I am not the only one that deals with these horrible symptoms..

Michael, you are right what you said about asking ourselves the questions, like "Oh, I must be really crazy, or I must have a real mental problem"..I hate second guessing myself...All I want to do is live a happy, healthy life without dealing with these continuous, unpleasant thoughts...

Thanks everyone

Hey Turtle,

It's o.k.. You will live a live free of anxiety. Remember this is a process. You are a strong individual committed to recovery. Individuals like yourself always recover. It's not a question of if..it's a question of when...God Bless You..