OCD Action

Nathan
Member

Hey forum members.

I saw a very interesting thread on another site for OCD sufferers in which someone had posted that they had beaten OCD by welcoming the thoughts instead of trying to resist them. Instead of analysing a thought in depth, and getting concern, the general approach was to accept the thought, or even completely agree with it and say I am what I'm thinking, or to accept the fact you might be what this thought says you are - for then it would become clear how irrational the thought truly was.

This seems a completely different approach to tackling OCD but one that sounds like it'd work - because after a while the OCD would get bored and the initial threat level would go, eventually not existing at all.

Of course its extremely intimidating to think of accepting a thought in that manner and it could not work and make a lot of people feel worse about their thoughts, but I was wondering what other people's opinion on this approach to OCD was? Some people in the thread had posted saying it was actually helping them cope better with and not fear the thoughts the same.

Nathan

Tue Apr 12 2011 21:56:12 #
Bionictenshi96
Member

Is interesting and basically is the point of some sessions of CBT I guess (leave the thoughts come but without care too much about them), but I guess not all of us have the luck to take this things so easy :-), in my case my intrusive thoughts sometimes are, at least for me, the worst things a person can think, and is really annoying and I don't think I can leave them in my mind that easy but some people can take the things as they come and for them this method can work better. In fact what you said:
because after a while the OCD would get bored and the initial threat level would go, eventually not existing at all.
is what it occurs but I guess not all of us can do it so easily (believe me sometimes I get obsessed with trivialities :cry:).
In fact, face the fears is valid to stop them but some of us need a lil' help. sometime I'll try it with some thoughts (the less annoying). ^-^

Wed Apr 13 2011 2:50:34 #
Nathan
Member

I completely understand where you're coming from - I've been trying this method of stopping my thoughts work me up but sometimes I over analyse because the topic they're about really bothers me (for any OCD sufferer they seem to prey on their worst fears, really) and I sometimes over-analyse so much I find -evidence- that isn't actually evidence but I link to the thought in a panic that then makes it even harder to get rid of.

I guess it depends on the person. We're all individuals so probably all handle our thoughts differently, but I'm sure there's more than one way to beat this thing. This was just one of the lesser heard of things I'd come across. I actually got taught to rationalize thoughts as in, weigh up for and against, in CBT and that really backfired when I started over-analysing because the thoughts got worse sometimes.

Wed Apr 13 2011 7:53:33 #
blueboy
Member

interesting but nothing has worked for my main thought all through the years..
i feel cursed without hope

Wed Apr 13 2011 16:05:50 #
brennie
Member

Nathan, i have to agree that welcoming the thought is much better than resisting it, the harder you fight the more powerful the thought becomes.
I have suffered from this illness for many many years and i have found that acceptance is by far the easier option.

love brennie x

Wed Apr 13 2011 16:37:00 #
Tess
Member

Ah but is it the easier option or the most effective option for making the thoughts less intrusive? We were discussing this at out OCD group this afternoon and yet again we seem to have a therapy U-turn so what are we to believe?

Wed Apr 13 2011 17:08:36 #
sweeteater
Member

It's what we think about 'thoughts' that's the issue isn't it? I read recently that people prone to OCD tend to think about their thinking too much, we over-analyse. A therapy I have heard of recently is meta-cognitive therapy- has anyone else heard of this or how effective it is? Maybe connected to the thinking process..

Thu Apr 14 2011 7:53:48 #
tizzkins
Member

I have managed on some occasions to do the above by accepting the thought it has been successful but there is always for me anyway another thought around the corner and i cant always succeed so sometimes i can and sometimes i cant. And then i just get very stressed and tired out that i have managed it once but cant keep consistent with that thinking. For me as i am sure for others some thoughts are easier than others. Not sure what the answer is really.

Tizzkins

Thu Apr 14 2011 11:48:58 #
tizzkins
Member

I have managed on some occasions to do the above by accepting the thought it has been successful but there is always for me anyway another thought around the corner and i cant always succeed so sometimes i can and sometimes i cant. And then i just get very stressed and tired out that i have managed it once but cant keep consistent with that thinking. For me as i am sure for others some thoughts are easier than others. Not sure what the answer is really.

Tizzkins

Sorry post got sent twice.

Thu Apr 14 2011 11:49:29 #
sweeteater
Member

yeh, the OCD doesn't like it when we ignore the thoughts so gives us another one. Perhaps it's just practise, learning how to ignore one thought, then another and so on, learning to think differently. It seems to be hard work, but trying not to think of the distressing thought makes it worse, more repetitive. maybe that's where the medication helps- my brain feels tired when I've tried to let the thoughts just 'be' in my mind and the medication may help alleviate the anxiety that follows.

Fri Apr 15 2011 8:00:57 #
justineb
Member

Hello, just found this thread on meta cognitive therapy. I am undergoing it at the moment rather than exposure response which has worked for me in the past but only for a limited time. It is literally trying not to give time to the ocd thoughts. it comes into your head, rather than ruminating over it you say something along the lines of "I'm not going to listen to the thought and ignore it". It is by far a hard hard thing to do and you have to continuously keep saying that line and consciously thinking i'm not going to think about the ocd thought. i haven't succeeded yet but am trying my best. in time hopefully the ocd thought will be less and less conscious because i have not given it my time.

Sun Sep 4 2011 18:13:00 #
aishah
Member

Hi,

I have been battling with intrusive thoughts for years. Through therapy I have learnt to accept the thoughts as they are but I am still suffering.

The only difference for me is that I no longer get terrified of my thoughts, however bad they are, (most of the time anyway) but the thoughts are still there, every minute of every single day.

I don't mean to be pesimistic but this is how it is for me.

Bridget

Sun Sep 4 2011 19:51:46 #
BT
Member

I don't think you are being a pessimist, Bridget. I have tried all approaches and have reached the point of acceptance that my OCD is here to stay - that‘s being a realist. I have to make the best of it. In many ways this attitude helps. I was more miserable battling and feeling I was continually failing. I've tried the therapy mentioned in this thread, but nothing takes the thoughts away (apart from when medication offered a degree of relief at one point).

Mon Sep 5 2011 11:32:33 #
Tess
Member

Hi BT
I agree with you about reaching a point of acceptance, or to put it another way, coming to terms with your OCD. Eternal optimism is a very hard road to follow when every treatment available brings minimal or no change. This doesn't mean I don't believe you can't improve further having reached the point of acceptance, far from it, in fact I think coming to terms can be a very important step on the journey and it is a state of mind which brings peace, comfort and no more pressure to be seen to succeed and that in itself is conducive to further recovery.

Tue Sep 6 2011 8:43:27 #