A little laugh at a not-so-funny subject
This little video gives a lighthearted look at intrusive thoughts.
Ahhhh yes, intrusive thoughts. Of course, you already know what an intrusive thought is since you’ve had them yourself. Everyone does.
My favorite is when I’m sitting in church and think, “What if I streaked through the congregation?”
Ridiculous, right?
Another common intrusive thought is, “What if I throw a brick through that car window?”
These sorts of thoughts can cause you to wonder, “Where the heck did that come from?”
You laugh, and you move past it. So what’s the big deal? It's just a thought.
Well, maybe . . . but maybe not (excuse the double entendre).*
The OCD intrusive thought differs from the typical intrusive thoughts mentioned above. As with any type of intrusion, these thoughts are unwanted, uninvited, and distressing. Even worse, OCD intrusive thoughts can be accompanied by body reactions such as sweating, shaking, and stomach-turning, as well as strong swells of anxiety. The thoughts feel as though they are real and that impending doom is certain.
In the silly video above, the young woman has the thought of stabbing her husband; however, the video does not do full justice to the reality of the intensity of the fear.
Typically, the OCD sufferer experiences an overwhelming feeling of paranoia and fears that they will, in fact, lose control and stab their spouse. The thought gets “stuck” in the mind, so the sufferer tries to convince themselves that they would never do what it suggests.
They reason, “I am not that type of person . . . but what if I am? What if I am so deceitful that I am even fooling myself?!”
Depending on how the thought is dealt with, the OCD sufferer could spend hours ruminating over what they might be capable of doing. In the end, their view may be that the only possible solution is to avoid knives when their spouse is home because who knows what might happen?
So, when your good friend with OCD talks about their horrific intrusive thoughts, understand that these thoughts feel very, very real and are not to be taken lightly. Telling them to “just not think about it” is truly unhelpful. Help them find an OCD therapist who knows how to deal with these sorts of thoughts. Simple refutation does not make them go away. It takes knowledge and skill to quiet these uncomfortable and unhelpful mind worms.
*”Maybe, maybe not” is a statement used by OCD sufferers to keep the mind from searching for absolute certainty so that they don’t continue to travel down the never-ending road of obsession.
