greentop Posted April 2, 2019 Share Posted April 2, 2019 I suffered from intrusive thoughts for many years and now when one comes into my mind I don’t even react, I just let it float through and I feel no connection to them - which is great! But recently as I tackle my OCD I have found the OCD to be growing in strength and moving on to other themes. Although intrusive thoughts that happen when I’m walking down the street don’t bother me, recently one popped up during a real event My mind is fixated on this one intrusive thought that happened when I was with my partner and an image popped into my head of a family member, that wasn’t even sexual! When we were intimately together my mind basically went blank, then an image of them popped in and then it moved out. I just shook it off when it happened as a ‘brain fart’ as I like to call them. However now my brain has associated it back to the fact I was being intimate with my partner that it meant I was turned on by it! Because this intrusive thought has literally come out of the blue after having a handle on them for so long I feel like now I have to learn how to be ok with thoughts that happen during real (intimate) events rather than a trivial intrusive thought that happens when I’m completing a mundane task (which now don’t bother me at all). If I apply the technique that I’ve used before will I look back and be able to acknowledge the fact I did nothing wrong? Are previous suffers able to look back on intrusive thoughts which occur and seem so real and laugh at them, because I sincerely hope I can! Link to comment
PolarBear Posted April 2, 2019 Share Posted April 2, 2019 When you recover, truly recover, you don't look back and you simply don't care what the answer to the question is. Link to comment
taurean Posted April 3, 2019 Share Posted April 3, 2019 Your OCD has made an "anchor" between an intrusion and intimate events. OCD seeks to make such markers. But anchors can be lifted, the associations and links OCD makes can be broken. Don't believe that anchor, it's all the usual - upsetting - nonsense of OCD. Yes, this kind of thing happened in my own case. But applying what I just said weakened, then removed, the anchor. What happened in the past no longer is an issue, former triggers are exactly that. And a bonus is that, since also learning some mindfulness techniques neither the past bothers me nor the future (though I do make sensible plans) and I live quite happily taking each day as it comes, and often focused in the present in the moment. Mindfulness is a great add on tool to CBT for me. Link to comment
greentop Posted April 4, 2019 Author Share Posted April 4, 2019 Thanks guys - I think I’ve been doing so well weaning off my compulsions at the moment that the OCD is trying to slip in the cracks and catch me off guard! It’s exciting to watch my compulsions slowly reduce each day Link to comment
greentop Posted April 4, 2019 Author Share Posted April 4, 2019 It’s also kind of funny how something can seem so life or death one day and as you stop to ruminate over it you realise it’s really not that big of a deal too! Link to comment
PolarBear Posted April 4, 2019 Share Posted April 4, 2019 Yup, and that's the trick. The less attention you pay to the thoughts, the less problematic they seem. Link to comment
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