Confronting Intrusive Thoughts

Before I start, I am in no way a professional. I am a 16 year old kid who happens to be way too educated on these types of topics. But even with this said, please take my advice seriously. I speak from experience regarding this post... ________ Confronting Intrusive Thoughts. Three absolutely terrifying words to some who struggle with them. We feel helpless, disgusting, like a threat or a danger either to ourselves, our peers, or people we have close relationships with. But with full reassurance, I can confirm that ITs so not make you a bad or dangerous person, nor will they ever. Telling someone about intrusive thoughts is an entire other wavelength that many of us are not ready to confront. We are not ready to surface these thoughts and feelings. Either out of fear of acting on them, being rejected, or even being reported to authority. But for all intents and purposes, nobody, not your family, friends, counseler, etc is allowed to do this. Thoughts are SIMPLY just thoughts. If we do not have a towering intention to act on them, we can not be considered a danger. (And in most cases, even if you are deemed a threat, they will work with you before even considering a report) It is ENCOURAGED to contact a professional about intrusive thoughts. In most cases, the ones who fear rejection the most are people like me who struggle with ZOCD, POCD, HOCD, and so forth. We worry that if we open up, we will be rejected. This may be (unfortunately) true for the public or people you know, but as for professionals, it is their JOB to help you sort these thoughts out and find the root. I worried about possibly being a Zoophile or Hebephile (MAP) for a while. I discussed with my therapist how I was feeling, and what it felt like to me. And we simply concluded I was not dealing with paraphilias, I was dealing with these intrusive thoughts. And I was in fact, in need of no treatment regarding the other end of things. Trust your therapists. If there is something "wrong", they will work with you. If there is something you are worried about, TELL THEM. The more you wait, the longer the distress will be dragged out. Don't be afraid to open up. It's not worth the long-term anxiety and paranoia. -Anon/OP

hopelytle

Date posted: 25w ago

Question for those who have been in therapy

I am wanting to go to therapy to hopefully lower my OCD symptoms but I am terrified to tell anyone else, like a therapist, about my intrusive thoughts. Has anyone else had this experience and if so how did you get over it?

issphra 🫶🏻

Date posted: 22w ago

worried about intrusive thoughts during sex

Hi everyone, I wanted to reach out to see if anyone else has experienced something similar with OCD and intrusive thoughts. I’ve been struggling during moments of intimacy because intrusive thoughts, particularly ones related to POCD, feel so ‘sticky’—like they’re all I can picture. Even though I really want the thoughts to go away, they persist, and I’ve been trying not to avoid intimacy because of them. However, that makes me feel like I’m somehow ‘enjoying’ the thoughts or images, which I really dislike. It’s like my brain is playing this awful trick, and it’s leaving me feeling confused and gross. I guess I’m supposed to not let the thoughts bother me and continue as if nothing’s wrong, but I’m scared that by doing so, I’m almost training myself to get off to them or something. This fear makes it so hard to trust myself in those moments, and it’s been overwhelming. If anyone else has been through this, how do you handle it?

nae nae

Date posted: 20w ago

I'm sorry. Just need to vent. :(

This might contain triggering content, but I'm also wondering if others have dealt with this similar thought, and if so, how to deal with it? Overall, I've been doing so well these past few days. I'm able to eat again, which I hadn't been able to do because of how much anxiety I'd been experiencing. I'm spending time around loved ones and not just rotting in my room, and I've been able to wake up without immediately being bombarded by intrusive thoughts. When things first got really bad, I'd wake my mom up every night for reassurance, but I haven't done that in a while either. I'm really proud of myself, but there's still this nagging thought in my mind... While looking through others posts on here, hoping to find advice that'd fit my situation, I ended up making things worse. Someone mentioned how they had a fear that they'd purposely search for illegal content (related to POCD). I panicked, and "what ifs" flooded my thoughts. "What if the intrusive thoughts affect who I am as a person, and I do that?" I'm terrified that I'll search for those things, which I know means I wouldn't do it. But then, another person on here said they'd actually looked for those things, and that freaked me out even more. Does that mean it's possible for that to happen to me? I don't want to do that, but I keep having intrusive thoughts surrounding it. I've been doing so well these past few days. I'm just... stuck. I don't know what to do. I've spoken with other people who have the same fears, but how do I manage this? It's not something I've even thought about before seeing those posts. I've been practicing accepting the uncertainty, but I'm really struggling with this one. I hate this. This morning, I woke up, and the intrusive thoughts were back. It's just disheartening.

Be a part of the largest OCD Community

Share your thoughts so the Community can respond

Confronting Intrusive Thoughts

Related posts

Be a part of the largest OCD Community

Be a part of the largest OCD Community