Jump to content

Interesting analogy...


Recommended Posts

Been working on some online CBT and they had this to say about suppressing intrusive thoughts...

If you imagine pouring a glass of pop or soda in a glass, intrusive thoughts are like the air bubbles that float to the top. You can allow them to rise to the top naturally and eventually they go flat. Or you can fight them and keep them from floating to the top by sticking your fingers in there to push them down. But by doing that, you create even more bubbles

Edited by OCDCanuck
Link to comment
Guest heartplace

That sounds right! I try to remind myself they're just thoughts. But when I'm having a bad spike I get so caught up in the moment that I kind of forget. Oftentimes I just need to keep reading written reminders. It reinforces the fact that I shouldn't let OCD beat me.

Link to comment
Guest Shannon

Hi Guy's- definitely agree! By feeding the OCD, you are buying into the suggestions and the monster grows and grows! It always reminds me of the 'Gremlin's' film where the gremlins multiply x

Link to comment
Guest Sisyphus

Been working on some online CBT and they had this to say about suppressing intrusive thoughts...

If you imagine pouring a glass of pop or soda in a glass, intrusive thoughts are like the air bubbles that float to the top. You can allow them to rise to the top naturally and eventually they go flat. Or you can fight them and keep them from floating to the top by sticking your fingers in there to push them down. But by doing that, you create even more bubbles

Well it certainly gives me wind so the bubble analogy holds!

Link to comment

i love analogies and metaphors.Here are some more than help me when OCD is kicking me - as it is now.

The beach ball

We try to stop the thoughts by holding the ball under water, but it keeps popping up (the thoughts) . But we can allow the ball just to float around us, letting it (the thoughts) just be.

The unwanted guest at a party

Let's treat intrusive thoughts as unwanted guests. If we ignore them, and spend all our time with the invited guests, then they lose their impetus and their effect fades.

Bubble

Let's focus for a moment on our unwanted intrusive thoughts, then imagine that they are captured in a bubble, and then the bubble rises up into the sky taking those unwanted intrusions away with it.

Link to comment

I heard one poster say to think of the thoughts as a machine that only works on solar enegy,. Your attention to them is the sun. Without your attention, the sun, the machine cannot work.

Link to comment

Loving these. I've also heard one which is:

You're driving a bus. There are some noisy and rude passengers. You can turn round and try and argue with them, but it'll make it nearly impossible to drive the bus; or you can focus on the road, concentrate on where you're going, and the noisy passengers will fade into the background.

Link to comment

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...