In a sense, all OCD type thinking is obsessive, by definition. Moreover, most issues covered by this web site involve the thinking of thoughts that the person doesn't want to think (and therefore having the feelings the person doesn't want to feel) This page focuses on more of these obsessive thoughts that the person wishes they weren't thinking, but can't seem to get it out of their mind. For the general page on OCD CLICK HERE
Categories Of Obsessive Thinking
There is a huge range of unwanted automated thoughts that aren't covered elsewhere on this web site. For example:
- Spending most of your time when you aren't at work thinking about work issues.
- Not being able to get an incident or a conversation out of your mind.
- Continually thinking about other people's bodies. For example, a heterosexual male who keeps on thinking about other men's genitals, keeps finding himself looking at other males in what he considers to be inappropriate ways and wants to stop, but can't.
- Thinking endlessly about relationships that are over.
- Focusing on a hobby or interest to the extent that it has a detrimental effect on your life
How Can You Help Me To Stop My Obsessive Thoughts?
Well, you can't directly 'not think' something, your brain doesn't work like that. For example, if we ask you not to think of the colour blue, or not to focus on the sounds coming from your computer, or not to think about the room you are in, or not to be aware of the soles of your feet, or your fingertips, the only response you can have, initially, is to think of these things.
The direct approaches that we use, both hypnotherapeutic and Neuro-Linguistic, work to train your mind to massively lessen the 'importance' of unwanted thoughts. When you gain enough perspective, and find it easier to think calmly and dispassionately about the things that have been bothering you, they won't. The effect of lessening the impact obsessive thoughts is that you will find yourself thinking more resourcefully, and in a more balanced way.
