Scary Thoughts

Are obsessive scary thoughts ruling your life? Do these thoughts seem beyond your control? Here’s how you can quickly address them and begin to feel better.
fitz350z
Posts: 1
Joined: Wed Mar 15, 2006 9:59 pm

Post by fitz350z » Wed Mar 15, 2006 3:05 pm

for about a year and a half now, ive had enourmous anxiety about that i am going to hurt or even kill somebody. I have never ever hurt someone in my entire life and i dont wanna ever hurt anyone. I try my best to tell myself that these thoughts are stupid and i should just forget them, but they keep perpetuating. It seems like my mind is so into what i am thinking, that im having a constant out of body experience and enourmous depersonalization. I tried ignoring the problem thinking it would go away, but that just made it worse. What should i do?

Guest

Post by Guest » Wed Mar 15, 2006 8:33 pm

is it kind of like you're so scared you might lose your sanity enough to go crazy and hurt someone? or do you think you have the urge to hurt someone? i was talking about this with someone the other night... two people who couldn't watch scary movies - one of them because they were scared they could get killed- and one that was freaked out they would go crazy enough to hurt someone.

maybe you should try realizing thats something you wouldn't do, and that the thought isn't real.

in a post i made someone gave me really great advice... to remember we are not our thoughts.

i hope that helps a little bit!

Guest

Post by Guest » Wed Mar 15, 2006 11:24 pm

Hi,

I too had scary thoughts about 2 years ago and they are very hard to get rid of and take time. YOu will not do what you are scared you will. The fact that your don't enjoy the thought lets you know that its repulsive to you. So when the thought comes don't add danger to it "like oh no maybe I am gonna do that" Just let them come through your head and say to yourself most people have thoughts they don't like go through their head just like me except I hang on to them by worrying about them. See they would leave like they came if you didn't pick it out as something to be concerned about. So try to think of them as an univited guest who if you ignore will turn around and leave. You then will have victory over the thoughts as I have. And also listen to tape #10 every time you start letting it bother you and that will help also.
Sandra

Guest

Post by Guest » Wed Mar 22, 2006 12:31 pm

ive tried everything, i feel so hopeless, my mind is against me, im constantly thinking negative and i dont know how to stop

Guest

Post by Guest » Wed Mar 22, 2006 1:08 pm

Hey Fitz. I just wanted to let you know I have had the same scary thought as well . Lots of us have its very common. I know how scary it is but you know you would never act on it because you find it so distressing. I try to not overreact to the thought , just let it be there , dont think oh-no , or what if ,or try to rationalize it just let it be there and sAy to your self what is true ,ITS JUST ANXIETY. its just apart of it, just like the depersonalization. Thats a big one for me , when I dont feel like myself it makes it hard to belive what you tell yoURself , but you need to tell your self whats true, ITS JUST ANXIETY. Keep working at it.

Take care Jackie

Guest

Post by Guest » Wed Mar 22, 2006 3:12 pm

Hi Fitz!
Im new to this program and have had a lot of the same scary thoughts too. Its taken some time but they eventually diminish in how they effect you. theres a great article by Dr. steven Phillipson called thinking the unthinkable. It talks about his experience in dealing with these thoughts that most people who experience anxiety go through. The first time I became obsessed with a scary thought was about the same time I started experiencing anxiety(didnt know what was going on) One night the thought just popped into my head and wham! I went with it. Of course your frustrated, Trust me I understand, but, you will get better and letting it go. Go to lesson ten, and try the article I recomended, its really informative for people who are really obssesed with scary thoughts. sending you energy!!!

Guest

Post by Guest » Thu Mar 23, 2006 9:04 am

Dear Fitz 350Z,

I too had the same scary thoughts or symptoms of anxiety. I can totally relate to where you are now. I have experience with guiding others in eliminating/insignificizing these thoughts....lets review what we know about scary thoughts:
1) The fact that you allowed yourself to be anxious as a result of having these thoughts is pure evidence that you are the least likely individual to act on them. Individuals who act on these thoughts find comfort in these thoughts are diagnosed as pathological. They certainly would not be posting on this website concerned about having these thoughts.

2) The brain is an organ in our body which digests everything...i.e. scary movies, disturbing news reports, disturbing news articles, ect.... This being said individuals who are prone to anxiety are very analytical and sensitive. These are great charecteristics however, sometimes we get into the habit of using these in a counterproductive manner.We are very sensitive to negative stimuli thus tend to overanalyze.

3) Our brains were created in that a feeling follows a thought. Every human has irrational thoughts that "pop up" in their brain. These are referred to as "automatic thoughts". What you are doing now is following an irrational automatic thought with lots of irrational "what if's". For example, you have a thought similair to "Hurt/kill ect...."..you follow this thought up with "Oh my God, am I capable of this?" "I must be going crazy!!"..."What if I realy act on these thoughts?"...ect...
You are in turn creating a circle of anxiety and depression because we were created that a feeling follows a thought. What we need to do now is break that cycle by implementing "rational responses" that will follow an irrational thought....For example, you have a thought that say "Kill/hurt, ect.." You follow this up with (in writing) "Reality is I am incapable of acting on this thought. The fact that I initially became anxious is pure evidence that I am incapable acting on this thought." Through this program and a good Cognitive Behavioral Therapist, it is not a matter of if you recover, but a matter of when you recover...

Fitz..remember..be very patient with yourself..it took you a certain time period to get to this point. Naturally, it will take you a certain time to recover. "Through hard work and sustained effort it is not a matter of when you recover but a matter of when you recover". God Bless you in this wonderful empowering road of recovery. Pleas e-mail anytime for support.....

Guest

Post by Guest » Sun Mar 26, 2006 4:09 pm

Hi Michael- Thank you for your above post. Your posts and the info and support you offer in them, have always helped me a lot. :)

Guest

Post by Guest » Wed Mar 29, 2006 2:47 am

I am on lesson 5 in the program but I as well have these EXACT same scary thoughts! I thought I wass the only one! I have freaked out for the last two months about hurting r killing myself or others. Its so freaky!
But I did tell my doctor about this and she said the same thing that was mentioned before. "Lisa there is a difference between someone who has these thoughts and isn;t scared of them and someone , like you, who has these thoughts and is really freaked out about it"
I love my doctor becasue I can tell her anything and after she explained this to me it made sense. I do have to admit I forget about what she said sometimes and still freak out! like just now, I woke up and decided to check out the forum, (which I discovered yesterday adn have been checking frequently, which I am not sure is so good) anyways, I went online and of course I started to read someone's story that said they had scary thoughts about suicide once they started an antideppresant. Well that FREAKED me out becasue I started taking Lexapro 10 mg three weeks ago and that has been one of my fears. WHat if i take this medication and it makes me have more of these thoughts and I actually hurt or kill myself?
WEll then That is when I have to do some rationilizing. I took Lexapro 10mg before for anxiety and It helped me greatly. i went off of it and I was just fine. I decided to take it again , this time in conjunttion with the forum. WHY AM I STILL SO SCARED Of takiing it then?? WEll that is what went through my mind constantly while taking then for the first two weeks. I have to keep telling myself that Its me that is creating the anxiety about this!
If I would have never read the SIDE EFFECTS on the bottle this time I would of probably never thought tice about it, escpecially since I had luck with it before!
SO anyways that is my story!
I just wanted to share my thoughts with everyone! I too have these same scary obssesive thoughts about killing myself or other loved ones! Its silly I know but it is scary!
I havent; gotten to lesson 10 although I have been tempeted many times to listen to it! I just keep telling mysef that i will get there in due time!
Keep up all the good work everyone! I am so HAPPY that I am not the only one with these same thoughts!

Guest

Post by Guest » Sat Apr 01, 2006 1:22 am

wow thanx everyone, that helped a lot. Its still really hard to get through it but i know i will. God Bless

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