Why do our thoughts get stuck?

[Boxers1]

Why do our brains get stuck on mainly horrible obsessions with OCD? Is it the shot of anxiety that the body produces in response to the thoughts the very reason why they get "stuck" in our heads...is it that the anxiety or emotional response we have makes the thought or image more firmly imbedded in the brain and that much more difficult to move on from?

And I guess the goal of exposure therapy is not necessarily to make the thoughts disappear but to control the body's reaction to them so that they can be tolerated. And b/c the body's response to them goes down with exposure, so does the "appearance" of the obsessional thoughts.

I have been doing exposure therapy with my obsessions...Its really hard to expose yourself to the obsessional thoughts you fear the most, b/c your body naturally wants to fight them and get rid of them and peform the compulsion to negate it. Your brain is telling you to stop the thought anyway possible. You have to retrain your brain and body to not generate anxiety over the thoughts and to not perform the blocking ritual. This is so hard and painful, but can only be done through continual exposure and practice....and is the only way to freedom from this obsessional disorder.

Boxers1

 

[marcb]

Good work, Boxers! You have great insight into how it all works. Still not easy though, huh?

Today I was ready for all the in-your-face thoughts. What I got was scarier - just plain doubt. My radar was not ready for that. It was so "undercover," yet it shook me so hard. I had anxiety for hours afterward. I prayed for guidance and "decided" to go back on my meds tonight. Shortly after this, all was calm, I felt ok. I had a little anxiety separation anxiety (know what I mean?)

Thank God, this peace took over. This has never happened to my recollection. I usually have to go home, run, and pop a klonopin for this.

Sorry I "over-chimed in" in your thread.

Keeping the faith (because it's not mine to lose),

Marc

 

[PARCmd]

Hi! Does Exposure therapy necessitate the deliberate thought of the blasphemous/sacrilegious thoughts and not placing a "not" or whatever canceling device?

 

[seajoy]

Hi! Does Exposure therapy necessitate the deliberate thought of the blasphemous/sacrilegious thoughts and not placing a "not" or whatever canceling device?

Most of us don't have to deliberately think these things. When the thoughts pop up, just give them the old "Oh well." No "nots" allowed! No canceling required.

 

[PARCmd]

But for treating Mental Compulsions (as opposed to Intrusive Obsessions), you have do to them, right? I mean, you have to deliberately surface the thoughts...?!

 

[gracealone]

Why do our brains get stuck on mainly horrible obsessions with OCD? Is it the shot of anxiety that the body produces in response to the thoughts the very reason why they get "stuck" in our heads...is it that the anxiety or emotional response we have makes the thought or image more firmly imbedded in the brain and that much more difficult to move on from?

And I guess the goal of exposure therapy is not necessarily to make the thoughts disappear but to control the body's reaction to them so that they can be tolerated. And b/c the body's response to them goes down with exposure, so does the "appearance" of the obsessional thoughts.

I have been doing exposure therapy with my obsessions...Its really hard to expose yourself to the obsessional thoughts you fear the most, b/c your body naturally wants to fight them and get rid of them and peform the compulsion to negate it. Your brain is telling you to stop the thought anyway possible. You have to retrain your brain and body to not generate anxiety over the thoughts and to not perform the blocking ritual. This is so hard and painful, but can only be done through continual exposure and practice....and is the only way to freedom from this obsessional disorder.

Boxers1

HI Boxers,
Great post! Living with all that uneasiness and ignoring the urge to battle those thoughts is so hard but you are right on that it's the only way to get better.
My daughter is starting up allergy shots again. The Doctor is concerned that her intial reactions to the desensitizing shots will be pretty severe since her allergies are so severe. He has told her to expect this. Those of us who have severe OCD must also expect that when we begin to allow the thoughts to just be there that our brains anxiety response can get pretty extreme. But we also know that the only way to extinguish this fire of anxiety is to allow for a controlled burn. Instead of fighting the fire we just have to let it burn itself out.
Keep up the good work. It's so important to keep on looking at your OCD in a clinical way instead of thinking of it as a character flaw or a spiritual problem.
You really get it!!!
God Bless,
Mitzi

 

[gracealone]

Good work, Boxers! You have great insight into how it all works. Still not easy though, huh?

Today I was ready for all the in-your-face thoughts. What I got was scarier - just plain doubt. My radar was not ready for that. It was so "undercover," yet it shook me so hard. I had anxiety for hours afterward. I prayed for guidance and "decided" to go back on my meds tonight. Shortly after this, all was calm, I felt ok. I had a little anxiety separation anxiety (know what I mean?)

Thank God, this peace took over. This has never happened to my recollection. I usually have to go home, run, and pop a klonopin for this.

Sorry I "over-chimed in" in your thread.

Keeping the faith (because it's not mine to lose),

Marc

HI Marc,
There are days where I just have this ever present nagging sort of doubt or free floating anxiety that hasn't attached itself to one specific thought.
And oh, yes... the old.."The fact that I feel calm about all of this surely must be an indication that I've accepted these horrific thoughts, which surely must mean that I'm a lost cause... blah..blah.. blah." So the fact that I'm not experiencing anxiety is still being employed by my OCD to bring me right back to the same old theme. It's just a different tactic.
I see the anxiety center of brain as being addicted to the spikes... as needing them so it has something to expend all that adrenalin on, something to chew on. (rumination) It's very hard to let the spike be there without beginning the rumination process. My brain can throw a pretty big tantrum when I won't give into it's demands.
We certainly have to have an attitude of patience and longsuffering in this process and we have to expect setbacks but not dwell on them.
Just keep putting one foot in front of the other... praying for you.
Mitzi

 

[seajoy]

But for treating Mental Compulsions (as opposed to Intrusive Obsessions), you have do to them, right? I mean, you have to deliberately surface the thoughts...?!

Do what your doctor tells you is best. Though I have done the exposure/respose therapy...I am not a doctor. You should go by what he/she tells you is best in if you should bring on the thoughts at first, or just wait until they happen. I don't know how long you have been doing the program. I didn't bring on the thoughts until I had been in therapy for a couple of months. Everyone is different. My doctor used to say, "slow and steady wins the race." But I was very bad off when I came to him. Too much for me at first could have thrown me into too much anxiety.

Hope this makes sense.

 

[gracealone]

Do what your doctor tells you is best. Though I have done the exposure/respose therapy...I am not a doctor. You should go by what he/she tells you is best in if you should bring on the thoughts at first, or just wait until they happen. I don't know how long you have been doing the program. I didn't bring on the thoughts until I had been in therapy for a couple of months. Everyone is different. My doctor used to say, "slow and steady wins the race." But I was very bad off when I came to him. Too much for me at first could have thrown me into too much anxiety.

Hope this makes sense.

Yes... exactly Seajoy. I couldn't do the flooding activities,(encouraging the spikes), until I was in a much calmer state of mind. At first I could only just allow the thoughts to be there without attending to them.
I think that flooding would have been impossible for me in the beginning and made me very discouraged at my inability to handle the intense anxiety.
I agree, professional advice from a therapist trained in exposure response is the best for severe cases.
For me, my therapist tried traditional cognitive behavior and talk therapy which did nothing but in some ways make me feel worse because it gave the spikes way too much importance.
I have read and re-read and am still reading numerous articles and books on exposure/response and I've employed the techniques on my own.. but I know that I would have been better off with a Doctor who did exposure/response.
Mitzi