Brain scanning

[californiadreaming]

Hi there, I find that when an obsession is loosening its grip on me, my brain starts to “scan” to try to find something else.

I know when this is happening and I make sure to take note of my emotions like - “ok, my brain is scanning. I’m feeling anxious but I’m going to get back to work.”

Sometimes this lasts all day or for hours. Any tips?

[taurean]

Yep. The scanner works on the basis of "scanning for the thing you fear", whether it is the same obsession, or the OCD switches to another theme or obsession. 

I needed to find a way to switch off the scanner.

What happens is when the brain finds a trigger it is looking for, it focuses in on it then, like a dog with a bone, it won't let it go.

So the first thing to do is to learn how to break that focuslock. What I learned was to , when the  scan then the lock occurred, think "oh that's just my silly obsession", then immediately - without believing or connecting with the obsession - refocus away to something beneficial and involved.

And keep on doing this as and when necessary, so that eventually that becomes an automatic autonomous reaction.

When the obsession doesn't get the attention it wants, it eventually loses power and frequency, and this will disrupt  the scanning.

Another way to discourage the scanner is to , when it  focuses onto a trigger, deliberately expand your field of mental focus outwards, maybe mentally shifting the scanned focused item  to the edge of mental  vision, then ease it away as you again refocus onto a beneficial involved distraction.

I have my latest wonderful therapist, who I have now not needed to consult for some years, to thank for helping me with  this resolution. 

Edited November 1, 2018 by taurean

[Bodger]

Yes it's perfectly normal for OCD. I find the quicker i can distract from the things my scanner latches onto the better. I usually do an activity which makes me focus on what I'm doing.