ok ok- im not bonkers yet but i feel like i am sinking. i was always the kind of guy who if you told me that i was a bad sleeper, that very next night, i would not sleep well at all. suggestive! My anxiety started over a year ago and since then i have been critiquing every last thought almost every waking moment of each day thinking "why did i think that, and why am i still thinking about this, i cant stop thinking about this, oh look im still thinking about what im thinking about, etc."

Then I made the mistake of going online and looking at OCD cites a couple weeks ago. When i first read over the bad thoughts those people had, i thought "wow... glad im not like that -then and hour later- what if i do think like they do or start and then never stop?" So I never had scary thoughts (only obsessive) before but now i do just because i scared myself into having them almost every waking moment. My therapist does NOT think i am OCD but that i am just neurotic and scared of my own thinking.

Im trying to incorporate this obsessiveness in with this lesson becsaue it is where I am in the program. As noted above this anxiety/fear/obsessiveness started 1 year ago right before 1st semester of my law school finals, and now finals are about to begin again and I've got these terrible thoughts almost all the time. Its more the fear of having them that scares me. Last year finals and christmas were AWFUL. I sat around and was so depressed and could not stop thinking about how my life was going you know where. I dont want this to ever happen again.

I want to expect that the program will alleviate this, and of course i have high expectations. Can anyone relate to me on this style of thinking all the time analyzing every thought... then being afraid of analyzing every thought? how does it go away? Can it?

Hi there. I think I know exactly what you are doing here. You are quite possibly DISTRACTING yourself from your fear of failure (i.e. law finals) by running around anywhere trying to find answers (by looking up ocd sites,thinking,over thinking,thinking it all over again.) Do you usually have good grades? Probably yes,or you'd be booted out by now. So,now that we know the FACT, which is..you are a good student and WILL pass your finals just fine, you can allow yourself to have peace of mind because you now have the facts and not the stupid over analizing causing "Dumb thoughts" as I call them. Trust me, I'm here 25 years having done that stupid stuff and it gets to me once in a while too!

This is what I mean>>>>
I found this down the forum. Either way you look at it, you are still IN CONTROL at all times. I personally believe that we are distracting ourselves from what is really bothering us though.











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Author Topic: Great Info on Obsessions
2Cor.5:17

Member
Member # 1956

posted 11-07-2004 10:43 AM
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I was doing research on OCD thoughts and found this. I thought it was great 411.

Obsessions Are Not the Real Problem

Obsessions are repetitive and unwanted thoughts that are intrusive and unrelenting. Due to a glitch in the brain�s neuro-circuitry, these particular thoughts are beyond the conscious control of the individual. Sufferers of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) know all too well the torment of these perverse and strange thoughts, which can accompany violent or graphic images. For them, it is a prison sentence of solitary confinement, inescapable, and seemingly deserved. There are many who fear losing their minds, while struggling to make sense of ideas foreign to their values and beliefs.

In my work with children and adults who suffer OCD, it is often assumed by the client that getting better means getting rid of obnoxious, intrusive thoughts. Relief means the elimination of obsessions. Although this is a noble goal, it is probably unattainable. In fact, obsessions are not the real problem for clients. Emotional recovery actually occurs as clients learn how to change the meaning given to their obsessions, while reappraising their true value. This article will briefly examine that process, as it pertains to work in psychotherapy.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) in combination with Exposure and Ritual Prevention (ERP) is an effective treatment modality for OCD. Through CBT, clients learn to recognize errors in their thinking. Clients are educated concerning how to correct those errors, which eventually produces healthier emotional states and coping behaviors. The process includes learning to recognize the difference between realistic and unrealistic appraisals of self, others, and the world around us.

ERP is a means for directly testing hypotheses regarding the assumed danger of an obsessive thought. Clients are guided through a series of graduated exposure exercises. Clients confront the situation, thought, or object that instigates fear without escaping. The goal is to realize there is no danger, which tends to extinguish compulsive behavior. Exposures range from 10 to 15 minutes.

Emotional re-education begins with a careful discernment of the neuro-biological causes of OCD. It is important for clients to understand that OCD is not due to a defect in character, weakness of the will, or some deep-seated, unresolved early life trauma. Life circumstances are nevermore than a contributing factor. Clients learn early on that a glitch in the brain�s circuitry is behind those odd thoughts.

I always show my clients pictures of PET scan imagery that reveal the inner workings of the brain, pointing to the neurological causes of their obsessions. Borrowing from Dr. Jeffrey Schwartz, and his book Brain Lock, clients learn to RELABEL their obsessions as false messages caused by a �short circuit� in the brain. The relief of knowing this truth often eliminates for many clients long held, unrealistic appraisals of the self, such as, �I must be a bad (or weak) person for having those thoughts.�

A helpful metaphor I use to describe intrusive obsessions is to liken them to pop-up ads we often encounter while surfing the Web. Just like pop-up ads, obsessions are not under our control; they are always unwanted, and always annoying. Just as importantly, though, is for clients to realize that getting better emotionally does not depend on eliminating obsessions, which, in fact, is unnecessary, even perhaps, unattainable.

Obsessions can wax and wane over time, depending on several factors, including the individual�s stress load and physical health. Since OCD is a chronic condition, it is difficult to predict whether obsessions can ever disappear entirely. Some clients have told me their intrusive thoughts vanished almost overnight, only to reappear in a different form a few years later. It is nearly certain that those prickly thoughts will come back. If eliminating obsessions were the expressed goal of therapy, there would be little hope of relief for any sufferer of OCD.

What can we do? I teach my clients to recognize the following: obsessions alone are not enough to disturb the sufferer emotionally; there must be a consequent negative appraisal of the obsession, which actually produces the anxiety and depression felt by the person. This also provokes compulsive behavior. It looks like this:

A father graphically imagines stabbing his son to death obsessively.
He consequently tells himself (negative appraisal), �This must be what child murderers think. I�m an evil and corrupt man!�
He consequently feels horrifying anxiety and depression, prays compulsively for God�s forgiveness, and avoids his son.
Once my clients are convinced that their OCD is a brain glitch, it becomes easier to attack the negative self-talk with corrective self-talk. Mind you, this is not easy to do. It often takes great practice, which includes managing pathological doubt (e.g. �Well, there�s always a chance I could murder my son, even if by accident.�). One cannot be passive with OCD: it takes consistent, deliberate, conscious effort to attack the problem. What is the problem? Negative appraisal. This is what produces emotional disturbance.

When the father in our example realizes his imagined thoughts arise via faulty neuro-circuitry, he is ready to take the next step, which is challenging the accuracy of his assumptions. This is where CBT is most helpful. A skillful therapist will guide the client to ask several reality driven questions, such as, �Where is the evidence that you are an evil and corrupt man?� Because this father finds his obsession to be morally repugnant, he will be asked to consider if it is likely that a serial killer feels any moral outrage for wanting to stab a child to death. The answer is obviously, �No.� Serial killers enjoy obsessing about their victims. In contrast, all OCD sufferers regard their obsessions as ego-alien, i.e. against their value system.

Additionally, this man can be challenged to consider and test the hypothesis that all human beings are capable of having disturbing thoughts, even murderous thoughts, which hardly makes one a murderer at all. This dad can ask trusted friends and relatives to verify the truthfulness of this premise. He will discover that we all have bad thoughts on occasion. The significant difference being that OCD sufferers obsess about their negative thoughts, the rest of us really do not. Once again, this is related back to the OCD brain glitch.

Borrowing from our example above, the corrected appraisal can take this form:

A father graphically imagines stabbing his son to death obsessively.
He consequently tells himself (corrected appraisal), �This is an OCD thought, due to a glitch in my brain circuitry. It�s also an involuntary thought. I didn�t produce it, and this thought is not me. Like anyone else, I can have a bad thought. Just because I think it, doesn�t make me evil. I�ve spent enough time considering the issue.�
He consequently feels healthy concern and relief.
Behaviorally, the father in our example would be encouraged to act on something right now that adds value to his life. Since all OCD obsessions are �junk mail of the brain�, they do not deserve copious amounts of our energy. This dad can deliberately spend time playing with his son, for example, not only as an ERP exercise, but also to neutralize the compulsive praying. It is likely that in less than fifteen minutes, his anxiety will reset to zero. Nothing terrible happens and this father learns to appreciate the value of loving a joyful son.

Finally, the fuel for OCD is anxiety. Cut off the fuel source and obsessions are likely to decrease dramatically. When clients change the meaning they give to their obsessions through reappraisal or thought correction, anxiety is lessened. When they commit to neutralizing their compulsions consistently, clients engage the �brain trick� head on, further robbing OCD of the anxiety it needs to fuel future obsessions. The bottom line is obsessions are not the real problem at all; it is the meaning we give to them that makes all the difference with coping emotionally.

With warm regards,

Frank Morelli, M.A., D.A.P.A.
Licensed Mental Health Counselor
Certified Diplomate,
The American Psychotherapy Association
Email Frank
FL MH2774

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He shall cover thee with His feathers, and under His wings shalt thou trust: His truth shall be thy shield and buckler. -- Psalm 91:4

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danell

Junior Member
Member # 7763

posted 11-07-2004 01:03 PM
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This post was so meaningful to me. I suffer with anxiety/panic attacks (haventhad a panic attack in 3 months). Ive realized that alot of my anxiety come from an obsessive thought that I have. I obsess about my health and dying of an illness. I know , well I try to believe thatI am healthy because my doctor told me that I am. But theres always a what if. What if he missed something? I think that me constantly thinking that wat is a little obsessive . But I dont think I have OCD. I believe my anxiety and the obsessive thinking are all the same in my case.. Ive cone to the conclusion that if I change how I think I will change how i feel.If I think positive I will feel positive. Im trying to work on that.. Its hard but I know it will get easier.
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2Cor.5:17

Member
Member # 1956

posted 11-07-2004 05:44 PM
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danell,

I am happy for you that this info is beneficial for you.

quote:
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Its hard but I know it will get easier.

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Way to go.

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He shall cover thee with His feathers, and under His wings shalt thou trust: His truth shall be thy shield and buckler. -- Psalm 91:4

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Michael
Member
Member # 314

posted 11-08-2004 03:48 PM
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Dear 2Cor 5:17,

I respectfully diagree that scary thoughts are the result of a "brain glitch". You have to remember who you are posting. I firmly believe every human has scary thoughts thus we tend to be born "sensitive and analytical" thus giving these thoughts way too much air time and power. Reality is every human has some sort of disturbing thought. The belief in any thought (which was nicely put in your post) is the source of our axiety. I don't like to throw around the OCD label alot either. I'm sure plenty of therapists would or would not diagnose OCD. Reality is every human has certain obsessions/compulsions. It is when these obsessions or compulsions affect the qulaity of our life do we reach out for help. That therapist is right however, in that should the goal be elimination of scary thoughts...I feel the goal should be both elimination or insigniificance of the thought....I personlly continue to practice responding to any scary thought...this had lead to elimination of many scary thoughts and insignificance of many others...Reality is we can eliminate/insignificize any scary thought...I firmly believe we were simply born to sensitive and analytical. We are just using this in reverse...Once we learn to de-sensitize..we are on our way to elimination/insignificance...God Bless.
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Psalm 18

Junior Member
Member # 8566

posted 11-08-2004 11:04 PM
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Thank you for posting the info that you found, it has really helped me. Thinking of scary thoughts as pop up ads is such a great association that really made me feel at ease. I printed out your post and keep it near me so I can read it when I start to feel anxious. Thanks again.

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God is our REFUGE and STRENGTH, and ever-present HELP in trouble.
-Psalm 46:1

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2Cor.5:17

Member
Member # 1956

posted 11-09-2004 09:49 PM
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Michael,

quote:
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You have to remember who you are posting.
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Gee, thanks for reminding me . Please.

Michael, if a board member finds comfort in the notion that their obsessive scary thoughts are due to a physiological reason, and not some psychological source--that's great. If a board member finds comfort in your notion--that's great, too. I am more into an OCDer's comfort than anything else.

I found this information--for another board member, incidentally--a refreshing change as an answer to what causes OCD thoughts.

[ 11-09-2004, 09:53 PM: Message edited by: 2Cor.5:17 ]

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He shall cover thee with His feathers, and under His wings shalt thou trust: His truth shall be thy shield and buckler. -- Psalm 91:4

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2Cor.5:17

Member
Member # 1956

posted 11-09-2004 10:01 PM
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Psalm 18,

I am glad you found the info helpful.

I wish you--all of us sufferers of obsessive scary thoughts--fast recovery.

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He shall cover thee with His feathers, and under His wings shalt thou trust: His truth shall be thy shield and buckler. -- Psalm 91:4

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Michael
Member
Member # 314

posted 11-10-2004 10:15 AM
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Dear 2Cor.5:17,

God Bless you Brother............
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