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Intrusive, unwanted images


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Hiya :)

I suffer from intrusive, unwanted images sometimes, particularly when I am lying in bed at night trying to get to sleep. I assume this is part of OCD? The question I really want to ask though is what I'm supposed to do when they come into my head? Do I think more about them and actually focus on them? As this makes me very anxious. Or do I try to think about something else. A problem is that if I shut my eyes when I have them then I immediately feel I have to open them again because otherwise it's like I can see them more clearly.

I hope that makes sense, I'm not sure if it does or not :(

Thanks for any advice, greatly appreciated :)

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I think you have to accept the thoughts somewhat at first, just say to yourself they are OCD thoughts and accept them for now, then talk to a therapist, get stronger and eventually look more at challenging them.

I think if you try and fight the thoughts now, all that will happen is they will get stronger and worse.

Remember the old 'Radio OCD' analogy, your mind is a radio and tuned into 'Radio OCD' but the volume knob is upside down, so when you try to turn the volume of the thoughts down you are in fact turning them up.

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Guest Tommo

Hi NS,

I get this sometimes as well, i'm not too sure what the advised thing to do is (what a great help I am, not)

When it happens to me, I acknowledge it for a few seconds then try and think in my head "This image has come into my head but it's irrelavent to me" and then try to think of something else.

Seems to work sometimes, hope that maybe some sort of help.

Tommo :(

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Guest rpeders3

Hello,

I suffer from the exact same thing. It is common at night for the thoughts to enter even more since the brain is somewhat at rest. Perhaps you've had glasses in your life. If so, you might be able to remember how they felt at first - you were aware of them ALL the time. After awhile your eyes adjusted to the glasses until, as happened to me, I was looking frantically for them only to have someone inform me that I was already wearing them. Psychologists call this 'habituation'. Similarly, when our life is more stressful we OCDers have a profound tendency to overvalue nonsensical thoughts that enter our brains. And then we panic. We're also experts at avoiding anxiety. It's a catch-22 because in order to get better we need to experience the anxiety and go through it. Everyone has stupid thoughts that enter their head. We just need to ignore them as best we can and realize the only reason they get stuck in our heads is due to a) either slightly off brain chemistry, or b) our overvaluation of them, or c) both.

I don't want to sound 'preachy' but I've found great comfort in the Book of Psalms, especially Psalm 139.

Take Care

Randy

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Guest Tommo
What I am worried of is that if I accept the thoughts as what they are then I am in fact saying to myself that it's all right to have these images. Is that right?

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The way I see it, if you accept them, you're not saying that you think the images are right, you're saying that the images are not right but the OCD is putting them there at the moment so i'll just accept and ignore.

I'm sure everyone gets horribe images, people with OCD or not. It's just that people without OCD can dismiss them easier where as we put too much meaning into them.

I guess I look at it as, It's the OCD putting these unwanted images into my head, I don't want them, and they're irrelavant to me, so I don't feel so bad about having them as I know it's not really me wanting to see such things, it's the OCD putting them there for me to panick over.

have you brought this up with your therapist?, they would know what the ideal thing is to do.

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Guest tangoblu

Hi NS

Our son had this problem for quite a while and he found that by listening to relaxing music at bedtime, it helped him to focus and "tune into" the music - this distracted him for long enough for the thought to move on...

Hope this helps...

Pam

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Guest Creative Cat

Hi Northern Star,

I get this too. I think that all humans get all kinds of random thoughts and images in their minds. They just accept them and move on. With OCD, we get scared by them. The truth is that they are nothing to be afraid of. Just try to accept their presence, know that they're nothing to be scared of, and try to REFOCUS on something else. If you get stuck in the trap of focusing on the thoughts it will just make them worse. Believe me, I know from experience. Just consider them "brain garbage" and let them make their way on by. Do not make any self judgments based on these thoughts. Just know that you're human and like everone else. Don't be so hard on yourself.

I think that our minds are creative and thoughts come from all kinds of different sources -- movies we've seen, pictures we've seen, stories that we've heard or read, television, conversations, etc. We are exposed to so many thoughts and images throughout our lives its no wonder why they cycle back around in our heads sometimes.

Hope this helps,

Try to relax and be nice to yourself!!! Think of 3 nice things to do for yourself today or tonight. Try to meet with some friends and have a good time.

Take care

Marie

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I haven't had this for a long time but when I was particularly bad I did, brain flitting from one thing to another like the worst horror movie you can think of. It's always worst when you're going through a stressful or bad time. If I get this at all these days it's at the point of waking up, when my mind's flitting between sleep and waking......I hate that :)

I think Tangoblu's idea is the best, having the radio on or music set low allows your mind to listen into something other than the white noise of anxiety.

Wishing you sweet dreams instead :)

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What I am worried of is that if I accept the thoughts as what they are then I am in fact saying to myself that it's all right to have these images. Is that right?

37062[/snapback]

This is exactly the dilemma I have NS :thumbup: . I too have been told to try not to let the thoughts trouble me, but that just sets up feelings of guilt.........I feel guilty that I'm not upset/disgusted by them :thumbup:

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Guest muddy fox

elo im nearly over ocd. and i had the very same thing! so dont worry ur not the only 1! what u have 2 do is like u said keep thinking about them over and over again and DONT react cuz then ocd is winning and no matter how anxious u get keep goin cuz ul feel alot better after! :grin: and jus remember not 2 give in to the worries and keep thinking about it and even laugh at it!

p.s one more thing, dont forget its only in ur head its not real! :grin: :grin: ur pal muddy fox :wallbash:

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