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Intrusive thoughts/visions


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Hi everyone, 

Hope you’re all ok.

My OCD is doing my head in yet again! :(

I have quite a few themes, some have got better though. 

Does anyone else get visualisation’s (for want of a better word) as well as thoughts, so for instance, I can be driving and go over a bump, worry in case it’s a person, and end up checking loads? Also though, I sometimes can be driving along, not even go over a bump but suddenly visualise a person is walking out in the road (there isn’t one of course). I then end up checking in case there was a person, and if this happens, and also a slight bump, I can check for absolutely ages. It’s weird, but it happens most at zebra crossings and at junctions when I’m turning left or right and I’ve slowed down anyway.

I find this so very hard not to check though, even harder than just a bump, as my mind then says that person was real.

I’ve had similar with cleaning products, so for instance I may be cooking something, notice the cleaning spray then imagine I’ve put it in the cooking pot, so I’ll tip everything out and start again. 

Does or has anyone experienced this, and how can you stop your mind visualising? I feel like it’s the don’t think of a pink elephant scenario!!

Thanks x

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Hi Dragonfly,

Unfortunately I again cannot give any advice but I've the same. I have it with animals though. My fear is that I might have hurt an animal with the car and I often have to go back and check or sometimes I brake and look in the back mirror for ages. Or I think I might have touched another car and could not hear it because the music was too loud. I then check the car if there are any signs of an accident and since the car is very old it does have minor damages. Of course I know that they are old and I know from which incidents they are but I then doubt if this is really true or if something might have happened today. I only can stop checking with iron will, telling myself every time I doubt that nothing happened and then refuse to look in the back mirror or drive back. This makes me extremely anxious but it eventually subsides.

I also know what you mean with cleaning products. I don't have it with myself but with the cat food. When I was in contact with washing powder or a cleaning spray and then want to feed the cats I get doubts if I really washed my hands. I then have to throw away the cat meals and make them once more. I know this is one time too much but luckily I never had to repeat this since I then focus on washing my hands and then I know for sure that the cats are safe. I know I should not do this but I simply cannot stand the thought that I might harm the cats because of having been careless. Strange enough I don't care at all when it comes to my food.

I know that I couldn't give a helpful advice but I wanted to let you know that you're not alone.

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I think thoughts and images or visualisations are part of the obsessive side of OCD and the remedy is the same for all. Don’t do the checking or compulsions which reinforce the obsession. So don’t check the road or start the cooking process from the beginning. As GreyCat says the refusal to carry out a compulsion causes a spike in anxiety but it will subside.

But I think it is more difficult with images because, at least for me, they are more powerful than thoughts. So, as said, ‘iron will’ is needed.

I have a phobia of rodents and once or twice I have imagined images of them when they were not there. Hasn’t happened for a long time now. The trigger for me was once having a rat infestation due to a neghbour’s building work. And the process of time reduced my sensitivity to the idea of an infestation.

Edited by Angst
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Guest OCDhavenobrain

You need to stop doing all the checking, it only makes it worse. Don't go back and don't read the news just to check if you do so. 

Ali Greymond talks A LOT about driving-OCD. I don't know why but she always use it as an example! I don't have this exact theme but i can ruminate about things on the road which i should move or someone could die. I mean I move things which are actually dangerous, like one time did i move a metalthing 30x30x10cm from the middle of the road. But one time didn't i move a shoe because i realized it would be a compulsions to go back and move it afterwards. 

Stop doing all the checking, it is not impossible that your OCD will force you to stop driving altogether just because of this, so stop it before it grows bigger!

Edited by OCDhavenobrain
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19 hours ago, Dragonfly said:

Does anyone else get visualisation’s (for want of a better word) as well as thoughts, so for instance, I can be driving and go over a bump, worry in case it’s a person, and end up checking loads? Also though, I sometimes can be driving along, not even go over a bump but suddenly visualise a person is walking out in the road (there isn’t one of course). I then end up checking in case there was a person, and if this happens, and also a slight bump, I can check for absolutely ages. It’s weird, but it happens most at zebra crossings and at junctions when I’m turning left or right and I’ve slowed down anyway.

 

Don't worry I think this is pretty normal if this is your specific theme of OCD Dragonfly.  For example if someone has a fear of HIV they will see or visualise seeing needles or used condoms etc when walking down streets.   It's just what OCD does I am afraid.

 

19 hours ago, Dragonfly said:

I feel like it’s the don’t think of a pink elephant scenario!!

I think it is exactly that myself :yes:

 

19 hours ago, Dragonfly said:

Does or has anyone experienced this, and how can you stop your mind visualising?

As cliched as this is, I think you just have to think about it like any type of OCD exercise and deliberately visualise and imagine the worst case scenarios every day, every drive so the visualisations lose power over you... I think! 

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17 hours ago, OCDhavenobrain said:

Stop doing all the checking, it is not impossible that your OCD will force you to stop driving altogether just because of this, so stop it before it grows bigger!

Whilst I am not saying this is wrong, I will say it's not exactly the best advice because you have missed out the 'how'!   I think we can assume that Dragonfly desperately wants to stop checking, we all do, but this is OCD and OCD sometimes makes us powerless (or at least makes us think we are).

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Guest OCDhavenobrain
2 hours ago, Ashley said:

Whilst I am not saying this is wrong, I will say it's not exactly the best advice because you have missed out the 'how'!   I think we can assume that Dragonfly desperately wants to stop checking, we all do, but this is OCD and OCD sometimes makes us powerless (or at least makes us think we are).

I will have to agree. But i am like genuinly intrested in what you would suggest to do. What are you supposed to advice?

Take small steps and such? Like cutting back on the checking?

Edited by OCDhavenobrain
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22 hours ago, GreyCat said:

I know that I couldn't give a helpful advice but I wanted to let you know that you're not alone.

Thank you Greycat, it’s definitely helped knowing I’m not the only one 

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22 hours ago, Angst said:

But I think it is more difficult with images because, at least for me, they are more powerful than thoughts. So, as said, ‘iron will’ is needed.

Thanks for replying Angst. 

That’s exactly it though, for me the images are more powerful too. Sometimes I get through it very well when it happens, but other times I question my sanity, as well as think how irresponsible it would be not to check being as I’ve ‘seen an image’, be it all in my head :(

 

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22 hours ago, OCDhavenobrain said:

Stop doing all the checking, it is not impossible that your OCD will force you to stop driving altogether just because of this, so stop it before it grows bigger!

Hi Ocdhavenobrain,

Thanks for replying.

The driving theme has been with me for absolute years, at times I’ve thought I’ve overcome it, well actually I have at times. The visual side has only come in to play the last couple of years though. And as I said, it’s not just with the driving at times, it happens with some of my other themes. 

I know the whole speech about not checking etc, I know what it does, but I find the visual OCD side particularly hard and very upsetting at times. 

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5 hours ago, Ashley said:

Don't worry I think this is pretty normal if this is your specific theme of OCD Dragonfly.  For example if someone has a fear of HIV they will see or visualise seeing needles or used condoms etc when walking down streets.   It's just what OCD does I am afraid.

Hi Ashley,

Thanks for replying.

It has helped me knowing the above, I have felt like I’m loosing my mind at times! 

5 hours ago, Ashley said:

As cliched as this is, I think you just have to think about it like any type of OCD exercise and deliberately visualise and imagine the worst case scenarios every day, every drive so the visualisations lose power over you... I think! 

Yes, I think you’re right. Thanks

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5 hours ago, Ashley said:

  I think we can assume that Dragonfly desperately wants to stop checking, we all do, but this is OCD and OCD sometimes makes us powerless (or at least makes us think we are).

Yes, this is exactly it! 

Of course I don’t want to check, and I know I shouldn’t. I’m actually pretty good with quite a lot of my checking now, but this visual OCD in particular really does make me feel powerless, because the OCD is making me think I’m seeing something, as well as having the thoughts sometimes. 

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Guest OCDhavenobrain
50 minutes ago, Dragonfly said:

Yes, this is exactly it! 

Of course I don’t want to check, and I know I shouldn’t. I’m actually pretty good with quite a lot of my checking now, but this visual OCD in particular really does make me feel powerless, because the OCD is making me think I’m seeing something, as well as having the thoughts sometimes. 

People with OCD gets images. It is another method OCD uses so you get "convinced". You don't need to prove everything to be OCD, this will actually make it hard to recover. Because when you have proved something to be OCD, the OCD throws something else at you, and you will just go around proving that you have OCD. 

It is OCD, treat it all as OCD for a while. Let say you do this for 6 months, then you can see if it is not OCD. Let the questions be there for a while, try not to answer them. You don't need to do it your whole life, but take a pause from the answering. 

Edited by OCDhavenobrain
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2 hours ago, Dragonfly said:

That’s exactly it though, for me the images are more powerful too. Sometimes I get through it very well when it happens, but other times I question my sanity, as well as think how irresponsible it would be not to check being as I’ve ‘seen an image’, be it all in my head :(

Yes, exactly I also think how irresponsible it would be not to check. I know that in 99% everything should be fine, but it could be the 1% where not checking would just be completely careless.

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An obsession is an intrusive thought, intrusive image, urge, impulse, fear, sensation that causes distress and leads to compulsions. So you can see that the word image is there. It's simply a type of obsession.

The 'how' to stop compulsions starts with the cognitive side of CBT. You learn and understand that the images are just another firm of obsession, that they are a lie and can be dismissed without you taking any action.

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