constantly getting horrible intrusive thoughts...

are you an ocd sufferer too?

Gary,

Intrusive thoughts are extremely tough to deal with. They make you think you're going completely insane and tricks you into thinking you're going to do something horrible ether to yourself, friends or loved ones.

The first thing to learn about these thoughts is that they're just that....thoughts. You have many thoughts per day, week, month and year. Those you can easily let pass and might not even remember. Intrusive thoughts prey on your insecurities and it sends your brain and body into overdrive. It tricks you into thinking something is extremely wrong and you begin to worry....sometimes very randomly for no reason or by a trigger like witnessing something or hearing certain words.

For me its "harm OCD / intrusive thoughts ". I got hurt allot when I was younger, emotionally and rarely but physically as well ( fights at school or with family members ). As I got older I buried all of this and tried not to think about it but years later it all came crashing down on me when I had my first anxiety attack.

I found out though a counselor that the reason why I have "harm OCD / intrusive thoughts " ( intrusive thoughts about harming others or others harming me or me harming myself ) is because I'm very insecure and worried about the people I encounter or quite simply the people around me. My brain would not think logicly do to the massive amount of stress I put it through over the years and thoughts like that would come randomly.... at times.

The best advice I can give you is this, Just know you're not going crazy. You wont act upon those feelings you're having. Its just that you're overstressed right now and your brain is not thinking logiclly.

Here is some advice I was given...I hope it helps you too. Its tough to follow at first but if you keep with it it will work over time. It helped me and it still is helping me.

** Remind yourself that these thoughts are automatic and you can safely ignore them

** Accept and allow the thoughts into your mind. Do not try to push them away.

** Take deep breathes continuously until you start to feel yourself get abit calmer

( Things NOT to do )

** Engage the thoughts in anyway

** Push the thoughts out of your mind

** Try to figure out what the thoughts "mean" because it will lead to you dwelling on it to much which will lead you to making the thoughts even more hard to deal with

** Don't try to convince yourself that you'd never do what the thoughts make you think you may do. Believe it or not, the more you "fight" the thoughts the more power you give it and the harder it will be to move on from them

** Don't change your behavior to avoid the possibility of acting upon your thoughts. Because if you do it will make you think you have serious cause to worry and the thoughts will become even stronger. You truly don't have anything to worry about but trying to convince yourself of that will be hard...but not impossible.

Just remember friend, let these thoughts remain without hindrance. They will go away on their own. It may seem impossible at first but trust me its not. We give the thoughts power and if we learn to treat them like any other thought it will eventually strip the thoughts of the power it uses to frighten us into thinking something is wrong.

This will take allot of time and practice but it can be done. I'd know....I've been trying to do this myself. Some days it works and some days it doesn't....but the days that it works is becoming more and more as time goes on while the days it doesn't work are becoming less and less.

I hope this somehow helps you friend. I wish you the best of luck on this hard journey.

If you are in the UK and have an NHS number you can do a self referal on line and get some CBT or other counselling.

Its all good if it sorts you out ... you have nothing to lose.

Good Luck