Dealing with Obsessions

Hi all,

I came across some useful information about how to deal with obsessions, while I was reading a book.

I wanted to share it with everyone.

Hope it helps.

The bibliography is listed below.

You try to resist your obsessions, but that only makes them worse. Because obsessional thoughts or images provoke so much distress or fear, you want to get rid of them. When a thought is terrifying, naturally you do all you can to suppress it. But by fighting the thought, you end up encouraging its persistence.

The more you fight an obsession, the more frequent and intense it becomes.

So even though you need to accept that your obsessions are unrealistic, you need to simultaneously accept that you are having them. When you master this challenge, you’ll be surprised at the results!

The more you resist your obsessions, the longer they remain in your mind and the more frequently they return. It is as though your attempts to solve your problem actually worsen it. If this is true, then by accepting your obsessions, they should diminish. That is what often happens when people choose to face their worries directly, even to encourage them: The painful thoughts begin to fade away.

It’s like cutting off the fuel to a fire. Your obsessions will continue to be powerful as long as you remain afraid of them and fight them. When you stop resisting, they will no longer persist.

Anytime you begin to obsess, permit the obsession to exist at that moment. Work toward not fighting the obsession and not being critical of yourself for having it. Your basic stance should be “It’s OK to have that thought.”

Foa, Edna B.. Stop Obsessing!: How to Overcome Your Obsessions and Compulsions . Random House Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.