How would a non OCD sufferer see this

[Pranjali]

10 minutes ago, BM94 said:

Look, I had the same problem when i was driving, I would be so adamant I'd hit someone in my car and driven on.

Until I stopped thinking about it and got on with the day. It doesnt bother me any more

If you were so certain, how did you go about it?

[gingerbreadgirl]

But if you saw it happen then that is evidence.

[Pranjali]

10 minutes ago, BM94 said:

Look, I had the same problem when i was driving, I would be so adamant I'd hit someone in my car and driven on.

Until I stopped thinking about it and got on with the day. It doesnt bother me any more

If you were so certain, how did you go about it?

[Pranjali]

1 minute ago, gingerbreadgirl said:

But if you saw it happen then that is evidence.

I don't know what to say...my mind has images which could build as evidence..then what happens..I am feeling lost..

[gingerbreadgirl]

Just now, Pranjali said:

I don't know what to say...my mind has images which could build as evidence..then what happens..I am feeling lost..

so you saw it happen, you saw that you hit someone.

Or... you are anxious that you hit someone and you are now worrying about it. 

You have doubt, because otherwise you would never have thought to post on an OCD forum. It simply would never have crossed your mind. 

 

[gingerbreadgirl]

4 minutes ago, Pranjali said:

I don't know what to say...my mind has images which could build as evidence..then what happens..I am feeling lost..

your mind having images isn't the same as having seen something

I can have an image of a pink elephant, right now, it doesn't mean there is a pink elephant here

there is absolutely nothing whatsoever to say you hit someone, nothing whatsoever

[Pranjali]

I understand your point..I am thinking aloud here..why do you think this happens? IF it is just a thought, then why is it so real and true?

[PolarBear]

These bad thoughts come from the same place as all your other thoughts, your mind. Of course they feel real.

[Handy]

It’s called Driving OCD & is fairly common on forums. Don’t react. 
Don’t return, dont obsess  

If you did hit someone there would be an obvious dent on your car. 

[BM94]

11 minutes ago, Handy said:

If you did hit someone there would be an obvious dent on your car.

But to add on to this, don't go checking your car for dents now as this is a further compulsion.

The key with this one is to just carry on, don't think about it and crack on with the day.

[Pranjali]

Thank you everyone. I am trying to calm myself.

[Pranjali]

14 minutes ago, BM94 said:

But to add on to this, don't go checking your car for dents now as this is a further compulsion.

The key with this one is to just carry on, don't think about it and crack on with the day.

I'm more worried about it being a person than a vehicle...

[BM94]

There would still be a dent

[Pranjali]

Oh is it. I didn't think of it that way. Thanks for your prompt response. Helps during times of worry.

[paradoxer]

2 hours ago, Handy said:

 

If you did hit someone there would be an obvious dent on your car. 

Short term reassurance (as is often the case, missing the point) With OCD - presuming it's OCD, rationalization is never enough. 

[dksea]

13 hours ago, Pranjali said:

But my anxiety is real..and the reason to not go to police lack of proof on my end.

Real anxiety does not mean real threat.  That is very very important to take on board with OCD recovery.

You can be utterly terrified but completely safe.  Say, you think you heard a noise in your house in the middle of the night, but there is no one there.
You can be completely calm and in imminent danger.  Say, you are calmly enjoying a nice walk in the park when a massive earth quake is about to hit that will make a tree fall on you.

PLUS OCD is an anxiety disorder, you are going to feel anxiety more often/strongly than a non-sufferer in many cases.  It doesn't change the actual level of risk, same situation, different emotional response.

[Pranjali]

I feel sick. People say do not ruminate. Refocus. But I cannot get over this. My husband does not want to give me reassurance and he said he is tired of this all the time. I affected someone's life. How can I be okay about it? 

[BelAnna]

Hi,

As others have said- this is a really common OCD theme. I even heard of one OCD sufferer who even used to go around looking in public wheelie bins to check that she hadn't run someone over and then put their body in a bin. OCD comes up with some ridiculous ideas and then plays on the fact that your anxiety is creating doubt. 

It's as though your brain has gone through a little internal dialogue like this: 

'Oh I feel anxious'

'Why do I feel anxious?'

'Well I'm driving a car so it's possible that I ran someone over'

'Yes, that'll be it, I've run someone over' 

'Oh God what if I have?'

'Now I'm even more anxious... this thought must be real'

'Imagine images of running someone over ('Thought-Action Fusion')... yep that's evidence enough... I definitely ran someone over' 

Etc. 

So yes, firstly there would be evidence- dents on the car; blood; you'd have felt a huge amount of resistance under the car and there'd be marks on the wheels- then you'd have seen things in your mirror etc. However the way that OCD works is that it ignores all of the evidence that contradicts the initial worrying thought so it's best not to go looking for evidence but instead just to relabel the thought as 'OCD' (Gingerbreadgirl is right that this is why you've posted on the OCD Forum- because deep down you do know that it's OCD; even if your doubt is screaming to you that it must be true) and then get on with your normal daily activities.

 

 

 

Edited February 8, 2020 by BelAnna

[paradoxer]

On 08/02/2020 at 04:55, Pranjali said:

I feel sick. People say do not ruminate. Refocus. But I cannot get over this. My husband does not want to give me reassurance and he said he is tired of this all the time. I affected someone's life. How can I be okay about it? 

Poor beleaguered husband, try to work on his welfare*, rather than the siren call of 'what if' nonsense. 

* And in doing so, yours too.