![]() He tried many of the ways mentioned above of controlling the thoughts to no avail.Įventually, this man sought out a counselor for help. In his case, he faced thoughts of harming his family that left him a shell of himself, frightened of carrying out the images that played throughout his mind. In 2015, the NPR podcast Invisibilia kicked off its first episode, “The Secret History of Thoughts,” with a fascinating story about a man plagued by intrusive, dark thoughts. When your attempts to stop your thoughts don’t yield results, you might worry or fear that you are mentally unwell or that you may act on the impulses in your mind. Fighting them only makes them worse or more intense. Often attempts to control thoughts, however, are fruitless. Particularly if the thoughts repeat themselves, you might find yourself avoiding situations related to the thoughts, keeping the thoughts secret, attempting to make them go away through self- punishment, or other means of controlling the thoughts. You might believe there is something wrong with you and that you are the only one who has these thoughts happen to them. If you identify with the thought as part of who you are, or as an actual desire or impulse to act in that way, you will likely feel fear. Let’s say you have a disturbing, violent image pop into your mind. Often intrusive thoughts can be incredibly frightening. In fact, almost all women surveyed in a recent study reported unwanted intrusive thoughts of harming their infant, although there was no increase in actual violence toward their children. Women in the postpartum period after giving birth can also face unwanted intrusive thoughts. In sex and love addiction, fantasy about past or imagined sexual encounters and imagery from pornography or other material can intrude into the addict’s brain unannounced and affect desires to use. Euphoric recall, or a memory related to past use of substances or addictive behaviors, can be a powerful trigger that pulls someone back into their addiction. Anxiety is characterized by worries about the future, and can cause insomnia due to being unable to shut off the mind at night or waking up with anxious thoughts.Īddicts often find that intrusive thoughts about their drug of choice motivate their urges to act out or use again. Depressed individuals are often plagued with self-critical or negative thoughts about the self, the world, or others that interfere with daily living. Intrusive thoughts also manifest in depression and anxiety. Intrusive thoughts are more common in what is referred to as “pure O” OCD, in which obsessions and compulsions both take place in the mind and don’t impact outward behaviors. In obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), intrusive thoughts and fears invade the mind and motivate compulsive behaviors like repeated hand-washing, counting, turning lights off and on, and other behaviors. There are a few clinical situations in which intrusive thoughts like these are more common. Moments like the ones mentioned at the beginning of this article are universal. ![]() Most of us have dealt with self-critical thoughts at some point, such as, “I’m worthless,” “I can’t do anything right,” or “I’m not good enough.” Or maybe we’ve felt fear for our loved ones and had intrusive images of their death or harm.Įvery person faces intrusive thoughts to some degree or another. On a less disturbing but just as painful level, intrusive thoughts can include negative self-talk, critical thoughts about yourself or others, or worries that won’t leave your mind. Some contain disturbing or distressing content, like violence, sexual imagery, or harm to self or others. Intrusive thoughts can take many different forms. They are often called “unwanted intrusive thoughts,” because they are often undesired and can create fear and distress in the person having them. ![]() These are all examples of intrusive thoughts, distressing thoughts that pop into your mind out of nowhere. What about waking up in the middle of the night with a racing mind, or being unable to fall asleep because your mind is consumed with insecurities about the day before or worries about the future? Have you ever had a mental flash of a disturbing violent or sexual image that seems to come out of nowhere? Have you ever been on a tall building and had a strange feeling you might lose control of your body and jump off the side? (This is actually a common experience, called “high place phenomenon,” that 50% of people reported having in a recent study). ![]()
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