- Date posted
- 3y
- Date posted
- 3y
Thought suppression can take several different forms. A compulsion is anything you say, think, or do in an attempt to relieve your anxiety. So examples of thought suppression would be if you tried to reason, argue with, or disprove the intrusive thought. Another example would be if you were to try to replace the intrusive thought with a "good" thought or tried to push away the intrusive thought. Avoiding the thing that initially triggered the intrusive thought would also be a compulsion. I have found that a good way to deal with intrusive thoughts is to do the opposite of what your OCD tells you to do. If your OCD tells you to stop watching something, keep watching it. Another good trick is to say Maybe Maybe not or even NO OCD. At first, your OCD will respond by throwing a hissy fit. It doesn't like being ignored or losing its control over you. But if you stick with it, eventually your OCD will realize its not going to get the reaction it wants and it will give up. Its not fun when your anxiety is going crazy. It feels like an eternity, but it actually only lasts a few minutes. Then your anxiety will peak and start to subside. Thats pretty much how you do ERP. Its simple, but definitely not fun or easy. But the benefits are so worth it. The more you do it, the easier it gets.
Related posts
- Date posted
- 20w
There’s something that happens that keeps me stuck in a thought, it’s when I can see some part of myself agreeing with or relating to it in some way. That’s when the doubt creeps in. If I can understand *why* the thought is there, doesn’t that mean it’s not just random? Doesn’t that mean it actually reflects something about me? For example **(TMI/TW)**: I had the thought, *“I wonder what other people’s kinks are (including friends, family, even teenagers).”* And then I caught myself thinking, *“Well, I guess that could be interesting information… maybe I wouldn’t even stop someone from sharing it with me. Does that mean I actually want to know? Wait—does that make me perverted or incestuous for even having this curiosity?”* The same thing has happened with other thoughts, like wondering what someone’s privates might look like. I recognize that, on some level, that could be interesting—but does that mean the thought is truly mine? Maybe the answer is super obvious and I just can’t see through my OCD smoke. This was a bit embarrassing for me to write 🥲, but can anyone provide some insight?
- Young adults with OCD
- Relationship OCD
- OCD newbies
- Harm OCD
- Older adults with OCD
- "Pure" OCD
- BIPOC with OCD
- Mid-life adults with OCD
- Students with OCD
- POCD
- Date posted
- 19w
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
- Date posted
- 19w
Or thought-stopping, or suppression. I'm new-ish to OCD treatment and recovery, and I understand and believe that I'm living with this condition, but I still don't *get* it sometimes. I don't immediately click with what other people are describing. For example, when my therapist suggests using mindfulness techniques like naming something in my environment for each sense (something I see in this room, something I hear in this moment, etc), I'm thinking, "is this thought-stopping?" because I'm using the technique to get out of an obsessive spiral and redirecting my attention outward. Isn't that a good thing? Is it thought-suppression *every* time I try to change the subject in my mind? How would you describe "thought neutralizing" mental compulsions to someone who doesn't get it? (ie me lol)
Be a part of the largest OCD Community
Share your thoughts so the Community can respond