Bad thoughts about other people

[Jorn]

Hi all, I am having bad thoughts about other people for around 4 years now. These thoughts will sometimes pop up in my head when I see people and when I talk to people. I don't know exactly how to describe the thoughts but they are mostly thoughts about an illness or an accident. When I get these thoughts I am worried that something might happen to that person because of my thoughts. I get these thoughts quite often about numerous people. Some people I have had these thoughts about, became ill. Sometimes it happened 2 years after the thought, sometimes months. I have had these bad, compulsive thoughts about a lot of people and I always pray to God that I don't want these thoughts and that I don't want that bad things happen to these people. I have had a lot of these compulsive thoughts over the past 4 years so the chance is small that bad things happened to people because of my thoughts, but still I am very worried that people got an illness or passed away after bad thoughts about them popped up in my mind, and that it is my fault. I hope someone can help me and tell me if it is possible that it is my fault.

 

[pdudgeon]

Yes, you can fight it.
The minute the bad thought pops into your head, don't stand there and agree with it.
Instead pray to God on their behalf, and ask Him for something good for them.
You can be a channel of blessing if you choose to be, but it is a conscious habit that has to be formed within your heart.
And then let God use you, and follow up your prayer with a good word or a good deed for that person.
What you are doing is throwing a barrier in front of the pathway that Satan wants you to take.
And instead, you are making yourself available for God to use you for good!!!
And let me tell you, if you will try this, it will benefit you as well.

 

[subtlecollision]

Hi there, sorry for your struggles.

This really truly is just OCD. You aren't that powerful to cause all these things.

Probably the guilt of these things is perpetuating the fear which is causing you to continue to have these thoughts.

Please know that you are NOT guilty of causing these things, i.e. the illnesses.

You are FREE. You're just going to have to accept the fact that you may continue to have these thoughts for a while, but they don't mean anything! Once you accept them and realize they have ZERO power, you will slowly be able to move on from this. It will become less important to you. Maybe try to stay busy or get involved in new things? Sometimes distractions help.

I pray that God would heal you of this.

 

[tuliplane]

This is classic magical thinking with OCD and it's not unheard of for people to think their thoughts can cause things to happen.

The people you mentioned who were I'll or passed away...by any chance did they have a higher chance of becoming ill? Maybe they had health issues or were elderly? If that is the case, perhaps it wasn't so farfetched that you imagined something could happen and these people had greater probability of something happening.

You cannot put any of it on yourself! You don't cause things. God is in control. Pray for His strength and put all your trust in Him. God doesn't want us to feel overwhelmed with burdens out of our control, but instead to rely on Him.

 

[Tolworth John]

I have had a lot of these compulsive thoughts

Can I encourage you to look up the free wb site:- 25 tips to successfully treat your OCD, particularly point 4 which deals with intrusive thoughts.

 

[Mari17]

Hi all, I am having bad thoughts about other people for around 4 years now. These thoughts will sometimes pop up in my head when I see people and when I talk to people. I don't know exactly how to describe the thoughts but they are mostly thoughts about an illness or an accident. When I get these thoughts I am worried that something might happen to that person because of my thoughts. I get these thoughts quite often about numerous people. Some people I have had these thoughts about, became ill. Sometimes it happened 2 years after the thought, sometimes months. I have had these bad, compulsive thoughts about a lot of people and I always pray to God that I don't want these thoughts and that I don't want that bad things happen to these people. I have had a lot of these compulsive thoughts over the past 4 years so the chance is small that bad things happened to people because of my thoughts, but still I am very worried that people got an illness or passed away after bad thoughts about them popped up in my mind, and that it is my fault. I hope someone can help me and tell me if it is possible that it is my fault.

As Tolworth John said, these are intrusive thoughts and very common with OCD. Do you have any resources for dealing with OCD in your country? Any health professionals who treat OCD? ERP (exposure and response therapy) is considered to be a highly effective therapy for OCD; ACT (acceptance and commitment therapy) is also considered to be useful.