- Date posted
- 5y
- Date posted
- 5y
Does it say anything about the amygdala? This part is responsible for the processing of emotions including fear
- Date posted
- 5y
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1572249218/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_ADtwEb6RSAC22 The orbital cortex is in the front part of the brain, above the eyes. This is where thoughts and emotions combine. The orbital cortex tells us when something is wrong and when we should avoid something. It’s like an early warning system in the brain, and it seems to work overtime in people with OCD. When the caudate nucleus lets unnecessary thoughts and impulses through, this makes the orbital cortex’s job much more difficult. The cingulate gyrus, located in the center of the brain, helps shift attention from one thought or behavior to another. When it’s overactive, we get stuck in certain behaviors, thoughts, or ideas. The cingulate gyrus is also the part of the brain that signals danger, and as such, it’s the part that says something horrible will happen if you don’t carry out your compulsions.
- Date posted
- 5y
Brain Lock does a good job of describing this process too. It’s really helpful to me to know physically what’s going on in my brain.
- Date posted
- 5y
Yes here’s explanation from Brain Lock:Brain Lock, Twentieth Anniversary Edition: Free Yourself from Obsessive-Compulsive Behavior https://www.amazon.com/dp/006256143X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_cOvwEbTWRJNM8 • STRIATUM: The stratum is composed of two parts, the putamen and the caudate nucleus, which sit next to one another in the core of the brain, deep in the center. The putamen is the automatic transmission for that part of the brain that regulates motor or physical movement, and the caudate nucleus is the automatic transmission and filtering station for the front part of the brain that controls thought. • ORBITAL CORTEX: The orbital cortex is the underside of the front of the brain, the “hot spot” in OCD. The brain’s “error-detection circuit,” it is located directly over the eye sockets. Here, thought and emotion combine. The orbital cortex can inform you that something is right or wrong, whether it is something to approach or avoid. • CORTEX: The cortex is the outer surface of the brain. The frontal cortex is where the most advanced thinking and planning take place. • BASAL GANGLIA: The basal ganglia is essentially the same as the striatum; the terms are almost interchangeable. The caudate nucleus, which enables us to shift gears from one behavior to another, is part of the basal ganglia. • CINGULATE GYRUS: The cingulate gyrus is at the center of the brain, the deepest part of the cortex. It’s wired into your gut and heart-control centers and is responsible for giving you the feeling that something terrible is going to happen if you don’t act on your compulsions to wash, check, whatever. • THALAMUS: The thalamus is the central relay station for processing the body’s sensory information.
Related posts
- Date posted
- 24w
Common posts on here are "i had a thought" "why am i thinking this" "what if" and these are all OCDs way of making you doubt yourself while taking you round and round in never ending circles at the same time. Regardless of the theme you are facing, there is no "figuring out" or "making sense" of a thought, because it isn't a real situation - it's a passing word or image or scenario without any meaning attached. You can't control your thoughts and the more you "don't want to have them" the more they will appear. For instance, tell yourself not to think about "apples", it will be the first thing that comes to your mind, because that's just how our minds work. Once you categorise a thought as "bad", every time it comes into your mind, your anxiety level will go up and this makes the thought seem real. Because if it "Feels" this bad, surely it must mean something or must have happened - But none of this is true. All we have to do is naturally notice thoughts as they come up, and rather than try to assess or ruminate over the content, we can almost shrug them off. It's the only way to accept thoughts as simply thoughts and nothing more. Anxiety drives the intense feeling and the more attention you give to thoughts, the more power they have over you. No random thought can change your real intentions. OCD is never ever satisfied, so the only way forward is to accept the uncertainty of never knowing "for sure" and to class the unwanted thought as irrelevant. OCD says "quick..bad thought..feels horrible.. what does it mean.. fix it". But in reality there is nothing bad here or nothing to be fixed, it's a false alarm. Once you learn to respond to a thought calmly by working on anxiety, it gets easier over time. It's your perception of your thoughts that needs to change, you believe they mean something about you, but random things pop into our heads all the time - both things we like and things we don't. OCD also latches onto what we care about most and it always comes with a feared consequence, so think about what yours is, e.g "what happens if my worst fear comes true" you can then practice imaginal exposure which is imagining your worst case scenario over and over until you become desensitised to it and no longer fear it - therapists use this technique in sessions. Everyone in the world has thoughts, the thoughts are not the issue, you just get more of what you focus on, up until the point that you can change your attitude towards the thought. If I asked you if you went upstairs today you would have an answer straight away, however if I asked you a question related to your OCD theme, your anxiety would increase and you would doubt yourself, because that's OCD doing the thinking for you. Once you give it less power it becomes a less significant part of your day. It's so easy to give into compulsions as they feel like a "quick fix".. but as I mentioned, ocd is never happy, which is why it wants us to continue to check and seek reassurance. Once you start reducing and gradually stopping compulsions, whether this is rumination, checking, or a physical action (whatever you falsely believe is "keeping you safe" from your feared consequence) you will see it's not necessary to do them, and that the time consuming little things you have taught yourself to do have no effect on what actually happens in real life. Thoughts prompt feelings and feelings prompt actions - meaning - thoughts cause anxiety and anxiety drives unnecessary actions. As a side note, I overcame contamination ocd (I was in a very very bad way and now the theme doesn't bother me anymore). I still have OCD and it can affect me slightly at times, but i can manage it in a way that it doesn't interfere with my day and without the need to carry out compulsions. Please practice, because I promise it helps, it's super scary at first and extremely difficult but the end result is worth it. ERP therapy is also very helpful.
- Date posted
- 24w
I’m not sure what subtype this falls under , but a while ago I learned a strange fact about the human brain. (Trigger warning for anyone with contamination/cleanliness or health concern OCD) I don’t remember exactly how it works but basically while you sleep your brain absorbs all of the fluids around it and somehow filters through and “cleans” it. And the feeling of being groggy/tired when you wake up is caused by your brain not finishing through its filtration process. I’ve gotten to a point where anytime I wake up and still feel super tired I obsess over the thought that my brain is dirty and it makes me actually nauseous to think that my brain is dirty and all I want to do is just be able to take my brain out of my head, scrub/wash it with soap and water, and then put it back in my head.
- Date posted
- 16w
Can it? I've had it for 5 years, not just in the background, fully severe and acutely crippling. I can hardly go through life, my memory and cognition are very poor, I struggle with comprehension and have difficulty thinking clearly or having conversations to people about everyday things. Like I can only narrate my ocd thoughts in my head, regular thoughts take too much brain power to think about. I have very high anxiety and depressive feelings also. I'm just worried my brain is structurally changed from this ongoing traumatic experiencs and when I'm in my late 30s or 40s it's going to evolve into neurodegenerative diseases. I want to get a brain scan done and see if everything is alright. What kind of doctor or tests would show me that?
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