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Home » obsessions

What Are Intrusive Thoughts?

November 14, 2022 by Dr. Paul Greene

Many people experience intrusive thoughts, often in the context of obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, or anxiety disorders. They can be very disturbing. Read on to learn about the different types of intrusive thoughts and some helpful strategies.

There Are Multiple Types of Unwanted Thoughts

Intrusive thoughts are thoughts that you wish you didn’t have. They’re unwanted and disturbing. They can happen to any of us but happen most often for survivors of trauma, those with anxiety, and those with OCD.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Anxiety, OCD Tagged With: intrusive thoughts, obsessions, ocd

How to Deal With the Torment of Relationship Obsessions

February 15, 2017 by Justin Arocho, Ph.D.

“How do I know if I’m in the right relationship?” “What if my partner isn’t the right one for me?”

relationship obsession - couple

Many people in romantic relationships consider questions like these from time to time. After all, such questions can be helpful to consider, even if anxiety-provoking. Evaluating a relationship can help us to notice how it is or isn’t meeting our expectations or emotional needs.  It can also make it easier to tackle relationship obstacles and to identify ways of keeping relationship satisfaction strong.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: OCD Tagged With: exposure, obsessions

How to Understand the Secret Suffering of “Pure O” OCD

December 27, 2013 by Jennifer Chen, Psy.D.

Obsessive compulsive disorder can have widely varying symptoms. If compulsions are absent, the condition is sometimes called “pure O” OCD. For those that suffer from sexual, violent, blasphemous or racist intrusive thoughts, it can feel unimaginable to tell anyone about their obsessions.

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The “Pure O” Variant of OCD

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) affects 1 to 2% of the population. That means in the U.S. alone, somewhere between three and seven million people have it. That’s a big group! OCD can look very different from one person in this group to the next.

What all these people have in common is that they experience obsessions and/or compulsions. Most have both. Those that experience only obsessions are sometimes said to have “pure O” OCD. This is not a formal category of OCD, but it’s a useful construct. Why? Because when most people think of OCD, they think of someone washing their hands constantly or fastidiously rearranging their desk. People with “pure O” OCD do not do anything outwardly that gives away their condition. But what are these obsessions, exactly?

What Are Obsessions?

Obsessions are thoughts that cause immediate anxiety. They are often described as intrusive and repetitive by those who have them.

We’ve touched upon violent obsessions that might be common for those with OCD in a previous post about fears of stabbing someone. I want to take some time to address other “bad” thoughts that people sometimes have but feel they must keep to themselves.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: OCD Tagged With: exposure, obsessions

What Are Harm OCD Urges?

July 24, 2011 by Dr. Paul Greene

Could I really stab someone with a knife? What if I lost control? Thoughts and urges about hurting someone – against your will – characterize harm OCD.

harm OCD urges - stabbing knife
[Read more…]

Filed Under: OCD Tagged With: obsessions, ocd

Three HOCD Stories: Case Examples of Sexual Orientation Obsessions

December 5, 2010 by Dr. Paul Greene

Distraught man wondering, "Am I gay?"

OCD comes in many varieties. HOCD is one of them — and it involves obsessive thoughts about one’s sexual orientation. Read on for three stories of HOCD and recovery.

How Do Obsessive Thoughts Work?

Obsessive thoughts come in several varieties. Among the most popular themes for these thoughts are blasphemy, violence, and sex. Obsessions typically consist of a thought (e.g., “I want to pick up that knife and stab myself”) followed by intense anxiety at having had that thought. “Am I Gay?” is an obsessive thought that can create intense anxiety for some people.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: OCD Tagged With: exposure, obsessions

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