- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 46w
Techniques
Does anyone have any tips they can share as to what they do to prevent intrusive images from coming into their brain? Or when it happens how to cope?
Does anyone have any tips they can share as to what they do to prevent intrusive images from coming into their brain? Or when it happens how to cope?
You don’t need to prevent anything from coming into your brain. I know (cause a lot of mine take this form) that intrusive mental images or commands or statements can seem more scary than the more hypothetical “what ifs” but they’re no different. Don’t try and avoid or fight or prevent as this is a trademark compulsion. Instead, I like to either do nothing or give it a non-engagement response like “cool one dude!” “Love this one” “thanks for sharing man hope you come back!”. I know it seems scary and very weird to do this to mental images of even taboo stuff, but this is the treatment that works. Hope this helps. :)
Thank you! I'm going to try that! I have some scary images, so maybe this will help.... kind of making fun of them. I like it!
Our brain has built-in mechanism to clean up memory spaces, so it can reuse it. This process is not under our control like breathing or regulating heart beats. So it presents the thoughts to awareness to see if you develop any emotional reactions to it, whether negative or positive, and if you do it will keep bringing it again and again and again.... until you have no reaction to them. Just let the thoughts be, and go live your daily life.
Thanks! Yes...I just need to move along without engaging them.
When you get a stuck thought in your mind, as stupid or untrue as it may be, how do any of you block them out, or try to at least? It’s like my mind has another voice telling me making up the stupidest things?
Hi all, I’m really grateful for all the support I’ve gotten from people in the last few days. My mental health is at an all time low and I really appreciate the relief people have brought. I had a question about whether an intrusive image of a potentially imagined event can feel just as real as a real memory. I’m doing my best to stop ruminating over an image I have in my head, and have gone so far as requested security footage of myself and have been told both through that and by my friends that nothing bad happened, but the image in my head feels just as real as other memories. I was also drinking the night in question, which makes it harder for me to dismiss the image and makes me feel like I shouldn’t. I was just wondering if imagined images can feel just as real? I’m trying to use tools to ignore the image, and have therapy scheduled for tomorrow, but I feel like I can’t responsibly dismiss the image even with the evidence I’ve gathered if there’s something about a real memory that looks different in the brain and that if so, that suggests my memory is real and I should confess it. I’m really working on stopping reassurance seeking as well, especially now that even after being told that nothing bad happened when the establishment I was at reviewed security footage, my brain is telling me “they’re probably just lying and never reviewed it.” I know I need to just stop ruminating, reassurance seeking, and mentally checking the memory, but I just don’t know if I can/should in case the image is what I should trust more, if that makes sense.
What's a piece of advice you give when someone has constantly intrusive thoughts and ruminations that won't stop? Interested to see what you tell others.....more on this when I see some replies!!!
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