bruces Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 I know the rule of thumb is if it feels like ocd then it probably is but I have lots of thoughts that I don't know are ocd or regular thoughts ?? Link to comment
Caramoole Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 Why is it important to define them as such? Link to comment
Claire1704 Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 (edited) Hi there, Just to paraphrase something I wrote in another thread today: The thought itself is not evidence of a disorder. The thought is just a thought, and the disorder comes from the reaction we give (i.e. the significance we attach and any compulsions that might follow). In my experience, there is no such thing as an OCD thought. Thoughts are perfectly normal, despite how horrible they can be. The thought doesn't need to change but your reaction to it certainly can change and you can do something about the anxiety. Once you tackle the OCD, the thoughts will lose their power. I wear an OCD UK wrist band which has 'Just a Thought?' on it, which is a good daily reminder to me of this. I spent a lot of time in the past being upset by a particular intrusive thought. I still get the thought from time to time, but it doesn't upset me anymore. In fact it just irritates me! ? but I consider it dealt with even though it's kind of still there.... Claire Edited July 24, 2015 by Claire1704 Link to comment
ACE Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 I think it depends on your thoughts really,as we have so many different types of thoughts that come into our minds every single day.It depends say how much they affect us if we're ruminating very badly& obsessing so much over them that we can consider as OCD & the same goes for rituals/compulsions etc etc :original: . Link to comment
Claire1704 Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 I'm afraid I kind of have to disagree..... I don't think there's any difference between thoughts. Whether it's a pleasant thought or an unpleasant thought, it's still just a thought. Huge numbers of people without OCD have the same thoughts, but don't react in the way we with OCD do. Therefore the disorder isn't the thought. The disorder is the reaction to the thought. As you've said yourself, if we're ruminating etc...badly there is a difference in behaviour, but surely the difference is the reaction to the thought, and not the thought itself. After all, I could have a thought that I would just brush of, but that which someone else could find intrusive. Sorry to bang (!) on but I believe this is an essential point in understanding and overcoming this disorder. Link to comment
ACE Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 I do agree with you Claire :original: , yeah indeed I think clearly it's the difference in or reactions to the thoughts of course.As you stated people who don't suffer from OCD very likely of course have thoughts also but may not react& obsess badly & ruminate so much over them as we do with OCD :original: . Link to comment
Claire1704 Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 It's something that was so important to me when I started my treatment and I find it so helpful to remember. Although I do struggle from time to time! Link to comment
bruces Posted July 24, 2015 Author Share Posted July 24, 2015 After chatting with friends and family I think it's fair to say that they don't have thoughts like me Link to comment
ACE Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 Bruces I think it's very likely non OCD sufferers won't have the same thoughts maybe as us,there may be some thoughts we have very similar to non sufferers but there may be a number of them that we don't have the same.Then obviously we will have thoughts where clearly we will ruminate over them constantly that non sufferers are very unlikely to.But this is very obvious as well when we aren't very well no doubt the thoughts& ruminations will very likely be much more constant& even when we get better it still be very challenging that they don't take hold as much but certainly when we improve we're no doubt very able to take more control of the thoughts :original: . Link to comment
Claire1704 Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 (edited) Hi there, I wonder if people without OCD don't really recall these thoughts because they don't find them intrusive. Extensive research has been done and huge numbers of people confirmed that they have these unpleasant thoughts. They just don't react to them and so they don't cause a problem. I wonder if perhaps we have more of them because we entertain them. We have thousands of thoughts, it stands to reason that some of them are not going to be very nice. The thought is not the problem, the reaction to it is. Are you having help with your OCD? Edited July 24, 2015 by Claire1704 Link to comment
Claire1704 Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 I would just add that even if no one else has the same thought, it's still nothing more than a thought and is no more or less important than any other thought you may have. Please consider what I'm saying because I promise there's no reason that you should have to feel quite as bad about it as you do. I hope you feel better soon, Claire Link to comment
PottyMummy Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 Hi! I just have to say that I totally agree with Claire on this one. Everyone has thoughts and there is no such thing as an ocd thought. Claire, I think your explanation of thoughts is amazing. It really sums up what I have been trying to understand for years. I think I am slowly getting there now! :-) thanks so much for that, Claire and good luck Bruces! Link to comment
Caramoole Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 Most people have the thoughts but don't even notice or register them, they filter through without consideration. Our brains constantly appraise every bit of information, every waking second....and try to make sense of our surroundings/situation. It's part of a safety mechanism. "That traffic is going fast" "Am I too close to the road?" "What if tripped and fell in front of a car?" "What if I stepped in front of a car on purpose?" "What if i pushed that child into the road?" "I'm feeling so anxious I'm going to lose control" "What if I really did lose control?" "What if I went insane and attacked someone?" "That child/old person/my partner wouldn't suspect me as a risk, couldn't protect themselves and would be in danger" "That naked child on the beach makes me uncomfortable" "Why did I even think that?" "Why did i look/notice?" "I must be a real danger, I'm a pervert" Those similar thoughts are processed by everyone, every day......usually seamlessly for most, hence most "normal" (non-sufferers) aren't even aware of them, they flit in, they pass on unnoticed. As an OCD/anxiety sufferer we notice, we home in, we give meaning to the thought, we react, we panic.......we dread a recurrence of the thought...we give meaning to it, we attach fear to it and then do everything we can to avoid it. The thoughts are part of a human beings safety mechanism but are over-inflated by anxiety and then become feared. Link to comment
ACE Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 The thought is the thought in itself just that yes a thought but it's what us OCD sufferers do that causes the distressing pain of ruminating/obsessional thinking etc etc that is the difference no doubt to OCD sufferers & non OCD sufferers.I think it's fairly easy to point out what really is OCD thinking & what isn't at the end of the day :original: . Link to comment
Claire1704 Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 Its funny, to people who perhaps haven't spent the time sometimes consumed by these thoughts it can possibly seem like a small point. It took a long time for me to come to see the difference between the thought, and the reaction to the thought. To be honest, when my OCD was at its worst, I don't think I was prepared to believe it. These thoughts are really horrid, they had to be demonstrative of an illness. The realisation that my reaction was what was wrong, and not the thought, was massive. As ACE said - we're talking about OCD thinking, not 'OCD thoughts'. Thank you for your post, PottyMummy, I appreciate it ? Link to comment
Saz Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 Hi guys... My problem is how do you actually identify the original thought as an intrusion to begin with? I suffer with what I hope is a dreaded false memory. x Link to comment
gingerbreadgirl Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 (edited) . I'm afraid I kind of have to disagree..... I don't think there's any difference between thoughts. Whether it's a pleasant thought or an unpleasant thought, it's still just a thought. Huge numbers of people without OCD have the same thoughts, but don't react in the way we with OCD do. Therefore the disorder isn't the thought. The disorder is the reaction to the thought.As you've said yourself, if we're ruminating etc...badly there is a difference in behaviour, but surely the difference is the reaction to the thought, and not the thought itself. After all, I could have a thought that I would just brush of, but that which someone else could find intrusive.Sorry to bang (!) on but I believe this is an essential point in understanding and overcoming this disorder. Brilliant explanation, Claire - you really hit the nail on the head. Edited July 25, 2015 by gingerbreadgirl Link to comment
gingerbreadgirl Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 (edited) Duplicate post. Edited July 25, 2015 by gingerbreadgirl Link to comment
Claire1704 Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 Hi Saz, I'd like to reply to this as I've got a couple of techniques, but I've got someone coming over for the day and I'd like to reply when I can give this my full and undivided attention! Will reply later, Claire Link to comment
gingerbreadgirl Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 My problem is how do you actually identify the original thought as an intrusion Hi Saz The thing is you have already identified it as an intrusion, several times - which is why you are here, on an OCD forum. What you are really asking is 'how can I be SURE this is an intrusion?' - and it is this quest for certainty that has kept you stuck for several years. You have got to treat it like an intrusive thought despite not being certain that is what it is. You will never be sure, never, ever, ever - you've got to accept that there will always be doubt, you'll never get the answers you crave. The only thing that's certain is if you carry on down this path, you will be suffering in the same way for many years to come. Link to comment
Saz Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 Hi gbg that's the thing I haven't identified it yet - that's the reason I'm stuck x Link to comment
Legend Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 Hi gbg that's the thing I haven't identified it yet - that's the reason I'm stuck x identification not required , treat it as such , regardless using cbt , correct decent cbt Link to comment
Caramoole Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 Hi gbg that's the thing I haven't identified it yet - that's the reason I'm stuck No Saz.....The reason you're stuck is that you're trying to solve the problem with the wrong tools. You're getting more stuck because you keep adding more glue. You have to stop trying to identify anything Link to comment
Saz Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 Ok caramoole I'll try but I just feel like I need to be as sure as I can that this memory is total nonsense because it's so bad. It confuses me that it's ok to just leave it be when it's so awful if that makes sense x Link to comment
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