[How to] Get rid of OCD tormenting thoughts

[Been there Done that]

How do you get rid of thoughts that show you hurting yourself but you want to live but the thoughts are continuous? I have OCD my doctor said this is a mood disorder but my therapist said that this is OCD-I dont want these thoughts!

 

[Daniel E.]

By not trying get rid of them

In addition to the book Brain Lock, some good articles are mentioned here:

http://forum.psychlinks.ca/obsessive-compulsive-disorder-ocd/23755-horrible-obsessive-thoughts.html
http://forum.psychlinks.ca/obsessive-compulsive-disorder-ocd/24305-key-cognitive-errors-in-ocd.html
http://forum.psychlinks.ca/obsessiv...lest-obsession-obsessing-about-obsessing.html
http://forum.psychlinks.ca/obsessive-compulsive-disorder-ocd/17809-those-damn-unwanted-thoughts.html

Also, personally, anything like exercise and socialization that helps my anxiety and depression can help. When I'm feeling better, I tend to obsess about minor things like how much to tip.

 

[Retired]

I've found the suggestions described HERE on dealing with intrusive thoughts to be helpful.

 

[Kobayashi]

I used to have continuous thoughts that I would hurt myself. Yes they are scary. I still have these thoughts, but they don't scare me anymore because I have learned that they are not real - they are simply ridiculous. I love life too much to ever do anything to hurt myself - this I know to be true. The process of identifying the scary thoughts and labeling them as "silly" is best described in the book "Brain Lock". Truth is - everyone has these thoughts, but they are amplified in volume and frequency with is OCD types, so we pay attention to them more and this is what makes us feel so upset.

 

[Been there Done that]

I read this often for help-this is helping! Also, how do you force your mind to quit thinking about your obsessions?

 

[Daniel E.]

See:

Isn’t the purpose of treatment to stop obsessions? No! Then does that mean you are doomed to live with constant painful obsessions? Thankfully, the answer is also no. In the remainder of this article, I will discuss: 1) the common mistakes therapists make in treating obsessing about obsessing; 2) the wishing ritual; and, finally, 3) what you can do about it.

Treating obsessing about obsessing or neutral obsession is not a matter of getting rid of the thoughts or images. It is getting to the point where you don’t care whether or not they are present. You might recognize that this is the goal of treatment for all primary obsessions.

http://forum.psychlinks.ca/obsessiv...lest-obsession-obsessing-about-obsessing.html

In Refocusing, the idea is to work around the OCD thoughts and urges by shifting attention to something else, if only for a few minutes. Early on, you may choose some specific behaviour to replace compulsive washing or checking. Any constructive, pleasant behaviour will do. Hobbies are particularly good. For example, you may decide to take a walk, exercise, listen to music, read, play a computer game, knit, or shoot a basketball.

When the thought comes, you first Relabel it as an obsessive thought or a compulsive urge and then Reattribute it to the fact that you have OCD - a medical problem. Then Refocus your attention to this other behaviour that you have chosen. Start the process of Refocusing by refusing to take the obsessive-compulsive symptoms at face value. Say to yourself, "I'm experiencing a symptom of OCD. I need to do another behaviour."

You must train yourself in a new method of responding to the thoughts and urges, redirecting your attention to something other than the OCD symptoms. The goal of treatment is to stop responding to the OCD symptoms while acknowledging that, for the short term, these uncomfortable feelings will continue to bother you. You begin to "work around" them by doing another behaviour You learn that even though the OCD feeling is there, it doesn't have to control what you do. You make the decision about what you're going to do, rather than respond to OCD thoughts and urges as a robot would. By Refocusing, you reclaim your decision-making power. Those biochemical glitches in your brain are no longer running the show.

http://forum.psychlinks.ca/obsessiv...our-steps-dr-jeffrey-schwartz-brain-lock.html

 

[Kobayashi]

Don't force it. The more you resist, the more it comes. Its like quicksand - the more you struggle the deeper you sink. Eventually, you will just kind of get used to it. Kind of like background radio static...still annoying at times yes, but not as distressing.

 

[Daniel E.]

And to summarize Brain Lock in two words: "Stay busy." You can't stop the train of thoughts, but you can change your behavior and how you relate to the thoughts (as mentioned above).

Similarly:

You cannot always control your thoughts.
You cannot always control your feelings.
But you can always control your behavior.
As you change your behavior, your thoughts and feelings will also change.

Getting control: overcoming your obsessions and compulsions