Practical Advice Unwanted thoughts
- Thread starter dying_inside
- Start date
I'm a broken record when it comes to acupuncture and traditional Chinese herbal medicine, but I think those things would be worth a try.
Chinese Herbal Medicine and Acupuncture, World's Second Largest Medical System
The long acupressure self-massage in this link might help:
https://www.suicideforum.com/commun...-insomnia-and-anxiety-updated-5-12-17.133822/
There's also this book from the reading-well.org.uk booklist:
Break Free from OCD: Overcoming Obsessive Compulsive Disorder with CBT
Fiona Challacombe, Victoria Bream Oldfield, Paul M. Salkovskis
I haven't read this, but I think all of the books there have been recommended by at least one healthcare professional.
I hope something can help.
Chinese Herbal Medicine and Acupuncture, World's Second Largest Medical System
The long acupressure self-massage in this link might help:
https://www.suicideforum.com/commun...-insomnia-and-anxiety-updated-5-12-17.133822/
There's also this book from the reading-well.org.uk booklist:
Break Free from OCD: Overcoming Obsessive Compulsive Disorder with CBT
Fiona Challacombe, Victoria Bream Oldfield, Paul M. Salkovskis
I haven't read this, but I think all of the books there have been recommended by at least one healthcare professional.
I hope something can help.
Sorry to hear you are suffering from unwanted intrusive thoughts.
Its a tough thing to deal with. My therapist told me that the more you try to push away the thoughts or try not to think of it, the stronger the thoughts become. I was told that its better to observe the thoughts and try to let it just flow and eventually dissipate instead of fighting it.
As for distractions, I feel they don't offer a long term solution, but they might work to a small extent. Meditation helps a lot, and taking deep breaths.
Or if you have any one you can talk about it to, that helps too
Its a tough thing to deal with. My therapist told me that the more you try to push away the thoughts or try not to think of it, the stronger the thoughts become. I was told that its better to observe the thoughts and try to let it just flow and eventually dissipate instead of fighting it.
As for distractions, I feel they don't offer a long term solution, but they might work to a small extent. Meditation helps a lot, and taking deep breaths.
Or if you have any one you can talk about it to, that helps too
I had... still sometimes have this problem too. Here are two quotes about I've saved from some forum long ago:
"I forced myself out of it with an idea from my counselor - he was speaking metaphorically, but it works for me literally.
"If the memory is a videotape and you want to stop it from playing, you have to eject the tape."
Well, that did the trick! When the intrusive memory comes to mind, I quite literally imagine a VCR or DVD player EJECTING the cassette/DVD! The TV screen going blank, and the memory-video stopping.
It stops the memory and puts something in its place. I've been so negative, these memories were eating me up and making my personality downright acidic! I'm slowly becoming more pleasant company by improving my disposition and outlook. Negativity's a killer!"
"What I'd do is I'd set aside some time, maybe before I went to sleep. Then I'd pick out a bad memory and I'd let it in. I'd then study how it made me feel, what was my physical reaction to it, did it make me sick, nauseous (usually, yes) and how did I move because of it (usually I'd flinch or have a little shock or something). Then I'd study it again, replay the memory and try to pin down each and every reaction to it I could catalogue and study it with scientific interest. I'd remove all emotion from it once I'd found every emotional reflex associated with the memory and I could also study how the impact would lessen as I played it again and again."
I listened to an audio book long ago called "The Mind Power Training Home Study Program". What I learned is that you should not resist or agree with negative thoughts, instead observe them from a neutral point of view, like 'from above'. Slowly the thoughts will lose their hold over you. Here are some notes i wrote down from what was said in that audio book:
Good luck my friend.
"I forced myself out of it with an idea from my counselor - he was speaking metaphorically, but it works for me literally.
"If the memory is a videotape and you want to stop it from playing, you have to eject the tape."
Well, that did the trick! When the intrusive memory comes to mind, I quite literally imagine a VCR or DVD player EJECTING the cassette/DVD! The TV screen going blank, and the memory-video stopping.
It stops the memory and puts something in its place. I've been so negative, these memories were eating me up and making my personality downright acidic! I'm slowly becoming more pleasant company by improving my disposition and outlook. Negativity's a killer!"
"What I'd do is I'd set aside some time, maybe before I went to sleep. Then I'd pick out a bad memory and I'd let it in. I'd then study how it made me feel, what was my physical reaction to it, did it make me sick, nauseous (usually, yes) and how did I move because of it (usually I'd flinch or have a little shock or something). Then I'd study it again, replay the memory and try to pin down each and every reaction to it I could catalogue and study it with scientific interest. I'd remove all emotion from it once I'd found every emotional reflex associated with the memory and I could also study how the impact would lessen as I played it again and again."
I listened to an audio book long ago called "The Mind Power Training Home Study Program". What I learned is that you should not resist or agree with negative thoughts, instead observe them from a neutral point of view, like 'from above'. Slowly the thoughts will lose their hold over you. Here are some notes i wrote down from what was said in that audio book:
- Cut it off technique. The instant you recognize that you’re thinking negative thoughts you immediately cut it off and insert a totally different thought into your mind.
- Don’t argue with it, don’t analyze it, don’t defend yourself against it. Just cut it off and insert a different thought.
- The key is: the instant you recognize the negative you cut it off. - Observe the negative. Label it: What is happening inside of me now is that I’m experiencing “…” a negative thought. But you don’t get caught up into it.
- Keep reminding yourself that this is only a negative thought.
- When for example you think OMG how am I gonna react to that; it means it got you. - Whatever the negative is exaggerate it into ridiculousness.
- By a little bit of exaggeration you make it worse. The key is into ridiculousness.
- Example: A negative tells you I’m gonna lose my job, what am I gonna do. Then you say I am gonna lose my job, not only that I’m gonna lose my wife, house, children, and die too.
- Negatives don’t come with a warning or disclaimer, they tell you bluntly OMG look at what’s gonna happen or happened, OMG! - Counteract the negative with the exact opposite.
- Example: When the thought comes to you that you did something wrong, counteract it with the thought that no did not.
- Example: I’m a worthless person; No I’m a fabulous person.
- The mind can only think one thought at a time. One thought after another.
Good luck my friend.
