Because the thoughts disturb us, it's been said that they're the opposite of who we are. But maybe they disturb us because we simply know they're wrong and maybe these are more like temptations? Freud believed the thoughts were signs of repressed anger. Maybe they are? I struggle with this.
I struggle with this too
I guess since we have OCD we will doubt everything. But sometimes when I read about Freud's logic it makes a lot of sense. Because my harm OCD sometimes feels so strong and dare I say natural that the urge to act is irresistible. I've talked to many famous psychologists who have taken the time to reply and they'll either flatly say Freud is 100% wrong or they'll just say that if the thoughts weren't ego-dystonic they wouldn't bother you. But maybe why the thought bothers you is because yes they are disturbing but also because a part of you secretly wants it, and that is intolerable too. Oh well.
Sounds like and ocd to me. If they are ego-dysgenic of course they would bother you. Temptations can also go against our values. Questioning the value of these thoughts is what gets us in trouble. Thoughts are funky, everyone has good, bad , and at times crazy thoughts. How you act defines you not what pops into your mind.
Hypothetical. You have been married for 20 rocky years. You have a love/hate relationship with her. Suddenly you are obsessed with the thought of killing her with an axe. Why wouldn't you question the value of the thought? You know killing is wrong, but you also have this complicated and at times volatile relationship. You wouldn't simply accept they're "ego dystonic", no matter how much the thoughts bothered you. In fact, you'd feel as if you were losing your mind and that this was pent up anger. Harm OCD is not as simple as "I love this person, so these thoughts are totally opposite me." Relationships are very difficult, and most people with OCD I would imagine question their very being as a matter of course, and would never confidently say they were moral people. At least not me.
I honestly think a lot of what Freud said was nutso. And it’s all theoretical. Your last line of “maybe they are” is probably where I’d leave trying to figure it out
And the current view of our thoughts being ego-dystonic is theoretical too. I'm searching for certainty, you know.
Most of Freuds theories have been proven false and some of his case studies have been exposed as lies.
@Mindpocket - Ah, but on OCD he's not been proven wrong. People want to believe he's wrong, but there is a grey area there. Some therapists reluctantly accept/ incorporate his views on OCD. At least as far as repressed anger goes.
I think the bottom line is that we really do know ourselves. We have all had thoughts in anger that we have not acted on or have acted on and sometimes afterward we regret our actions. No one is perfect, but intrusive ocd thoughts do feel different if you take the time to think about it. At least for me they do. They usually don’t fit the situation and seem to come out of the blue. They usually come with instant anxiety and feel uncharacteristic.
So I was enjoying some “me time” and had intrusive thoughts, but it felt like just for a second I liked it. Like I’m holding myself back from “enjoying” the thought. And the thoughts are related to things I was into when I was younger, but sometimes I feel like I might still like it even though 9/10 I wouldn’t give it a second thought. Is this common? Or is this just denial? Thanks
I think when people are saying OCD is egodystonic is really triggering me and I was just wondering if this has happened to anyone else? I’m going through a really bad relapse and right now I’m trying to figure out if my thoughts are truly egodystonic, like I how do I know I won’t act on them, how can I trust my emotions and everything. I feel really confused and I feel like I don’t know who I am anymore or how I carry on with life because it’s so long and I’m so unsure of everything that’s going on in my head. Like how do I know that this is OCD and true desires/urges. I’m so confused.
Help! My OCD has caught onto this thought for awhile and I keep spinning on it. I know you are supposed to follow your values and what your actions suggest with OCD, but what if that is even blurry right know? For example my whole life I wanted to be with a man, and now my OCD is having major intrusive thoughts about women. How do you tell if those thoughts are wanted or not? I can’t figure out if I like the thoughts or not. I’m trying to live the life “I want” but what if I don’t know what that is?
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