Scary thoughts

loretta5555 · Post by **loretta5555** » Tue May 12, 2009 6:39 am

For years I have suffered from Anxiety and Scary thoughts. I have the anxiety under control. There are times, but I have not had a full blown attack in years. My problem scary thoughts. I go searching for them. I was doing fantastic until recently. I had one that really scared me and now, guess what, I am back in that mode again. Any suggestions on how to get back on track.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue May 12, 2009 7:15 am

Loretta,

From what i can gather about scarry thoughts is that the're what your brain creats to distract from what is really going on, and what you don't want to deal with. Now, I had them very bad just 4 or 5 months ago, and they seemed so real that it kind of put me in a panic state. I think i was dealing with not wanting to be alone and i recently found someone and i haven't had a scarry thought since. So maybe you need to deal with something that you've been neglectling to deal with. It may take a while, but try and see.

Bill

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed May 13, 2009 8:20 am

Thanks Bill, I do listen to Tape 10 How to stop Obsessive Scary thoughts. The real problem with the thoughts is when I have them I get very upset about having them. How can you have a scary thought about something you love more than life itself???

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed May 13, 2009 8:52 am

Most of my scarry thoughts where about my kids getting hurt. It would happen in many ways, if i where on a balcony, i would think about them climbing on the railing and falling off. Or one of them running in front an on coming car. It was all because i was divorced and alone, and it was very difficult for me. It's hard to explain, but i think you need a distraction from your distraction, if that makes sense to you! But first you have to figure out what's been bothering you, then you can understand what you need to do.

Bill

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue May 19, 2009 4:09 am

I also have scary thoughts about hurting people and what's hard for me is that when I try to decipher what's really bothering me, I realize that it's several different things all at once and I get overwhelmed. Although I do have control over some of these things, most of what's bothering me is stuff that I have no control over like things going on with my siblings, etc. Because these are real, serious situations I have a hard time getting them out of my mind even though I know I can't do anything about them.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue May 19, 2009 9:20 am

Deepthinker - Don't dig to find what you may be distracting yourself from. Very often with obsessive scary thinking there is nothing you are distracting yourself from. It's just the nature of the disorder to scare yourself with things you love. It's just the way it is. Accept that. It becomes a habit after awhile and you need to change that habit. You'll drive yourself nuts if you don't stop to realize this.

Stop!!!! Use your breath. Cortical shift. Get your attention on other things. Learn about ocd from Lee Baer, Howard Liebgold and so many others. There is help out there for this. You are safe and so are your loved ones. You will not hurt anyone and you need to prove this to yourself. "Freedom from Fear" by Howard Liebgold, MD is a wonderful tool to help you see this and to help you to overcome this.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu May 28, 2009 8:37 am

Thanks everyone for all you information. Keep it coming. I really appreciate. I know I just need to get a hold of myself and stop this scary thinking. And it is always about the same thing. Oh god make it go away.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Jun 16, 2009 5:33 am

Can anyone just answer me 1 question? Why is there days, that I am just fine and then there are days when I am horrible. I also had scarry thoughts about hurting people, especially the ones I love the most. I am afraid to be alone with them for fear of that happening. I listen to tape 10 all the time. I know it is just a side effect of anxiety but why do I keep doing this to myself. I pray every day that this would just go away. It did for a very very long time but now it is back again. Sometimes I feel that this is like a cancer, it just eats at you, the only thing it won't do is kill you.
Any suggestion?

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Jun 16, 2009 8:13 am

You have done this to yourself over a period of months, even years. You can't expect to wake up one morning and be okay. It will take a while to recover, if you practice the RIGHT WAY. You can't undo something overnight that has happened over a long period of time. Instead of adding to it, you should defuse it with acceptance.

Scary thoughts about hurting people, yourself, whoever. Those mean about as much as any other sensitized thought. Absolutely nothing. It's you that's stoking the fire, adding more fear to the first fear. This is what sensitizes and brings the symptoms back. This is a habit you'll have to practice breaking. PRACTICE!! Don't test yourself! Just practice. Stop the constant testing to see if the thoughts and feelings bother you, digging deep to see if you could possibly hurt someone. You're picking at this scab and you have to stop it.

Take a deep breath, loosen your body, let it out. Calm acceptance. Move forward with the feelings, don't stand against them. Ever tried to pull a dog on a leash that's not willing to walk with it? Go about your work.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Jun 17, 2009 7:06 am

Hi Loretta,

You will have good days and you will have bad days UNTIL you stop giving energy to the thoughts. It is your reaction. When you no longer care one way or the other if you have these thoughts (acceptance), you will dismiss them without any emotional attachment to them. They will come back less and less. Try to see this, Loretta. Just see it for now. Practice allowing the thoughts to come and go. Breathe into the discomfort you feel with them. Those feelings won't hurt you. If you didn't fear the feelings (resistance) they would cease to exist or at least be minimal in your life.

Practice allowing the thoughts and feelings to come and go. Stay with this for as long as it takes. Do not talk back to these thoughts. Never. Don't argue with them. Don't haggle with them. Don't try to make things better.

Another approach is to shout STOP in your head or out loud. Then cortical shift. Bring your attention to things you are doing in the present moment. Don't talk back to these thoughts anymore.

This is a habit you can break.