Obsessions
Repetitive intrusive thoughts causing mayhem in the brain.
Ugh, these are so annoying, upsetting, terrifying, exhausting and anyone who has OCD will tell you they hate having them even though part of treatment is to accept their presence, so don’t go telling our therapists that we hate intrusive thoughts :p
Take note of the word intrusive, meaning entering without permission, just like a burglar! These thoughts intrude on our peaceful minds and cause havoc for those who have OCD. Every human on this planet has intrusive thoughts, whether they admit it or not, some people though may just not recognize them and that’s OK, lucky them! Others will sometimes notice them and be able to move on. Those who have OCD instantly attach meaning to them, not intentionally and at first will not be aware this is what they’re doing and probably won't ever be aware until they enter the realm of ERP.
Intrusive thoughts get stuck in the brain of those who have OCD, it is literally impossible to not think about them, someone saying “just don’t think about it” is totally unhelpful and completely worthless, so please don’t say it. When I say intrusive thoughts get stuck it’s like they’re on a loop going around and around a broken merry-go-round that never, never stops and you have zero control over it.
Intrusive Images can be images of harming someone or yourself in horrific ways
Intrusive urges can sound like, “kill them” or “have sex with that random person”
Intrusive feelings are intense urgent feelings that come with incessant questions
Intrusive thoughts- sound like, “what if I hit someone with my car”, “what if I hurt that child when I walked past them”. If something starts with “what if” it’s usually a moo point meaning it doesn’t matter and doesn’t need your attention.
Remember: All of the above are INTRUSIVE - meaning they are unwanted, uninvited and cause distress to the sufferer.
There are many different themes of intrusive thoughts which you can learn more about on the themes page. What I have listed above is not extensive and are just random examples of which someone who has OCD may experience.
I cannot stress enough that these thoughts are not wanted, desired, or acted upon by those who suffer with OCD, they want nothing more than to not have them and will do almost anything to get rid of them leading us on to compulsions which you can learn more about here.
Intrusive thoughts are just thoughts and don’t mean anything. Just because you had a thought doesn’t make it true. Just because you thought about being a millionaire doesn’t mean you magically become one. Just because you thought about hitting someone with your car doesn’t mean you have or that you are going to.