Introduction:
Peace be upon you, and God’s mercy and blessings. Have you ever thought of a harmful and evil idea that you didn’t know where it came from or how, and then felt guilty for thinking about it? Ideas like that have passed through all of our minds throughout our lives, starting from a mischievous childhood where we had devilish thoughts, the least of which was to splash water on people from the balcony. Then, through adolescence and young adulthood, where ideas evolve and reach a very high level.
Usually, when such thoughts occur to us, we chastise ourselves and continue the rest of our day normally. However, sometimes ignoring them causes them to return stronger. So, what’s the reason for these strange ideas that suddenly appear in our minds without any introduction, and what could make a sane adult think of harming themselves or those around them without any logical reason? For example, why, when standing in front of the stove, do you think about what would happen if you put your hand in the fire, or while standing on the balcony, what would happen if you jumped from there?
Intrusive Thoughts Explained:
God, the strange ideas that suddenly appear in our minds without any introduction, doctors and psychologists call them intrusive thoughts. The reason they are named so is that they don’t have a specific pattern or a particular reason, and most of them are fundamentally illogical and far removed from the personality of the person thinking the idea. For example, one day you might be watching something and find yourself daydreaming about jumping off a building. You don’t want to commit suicide or anything; you just want to experience the feeling of flying in the air or even just to see what would happen.
You find yourself lost in thought, considering the dimensions of the jump, even though deep down you know you definitely won’t do it. Or, for instance, you might daydream about something you’re actually afraid of, like being scared that you will fail an exam. The topic of the exam appears in your mind and remains dominant in your thoughts, and you can’t get rid of it no matter how hard you try.
Intrusive Thoughts: A Natural Phenomenon:
I initially tried so that none of you would be anxious about thinking of ideas in this way. I would like to tell you to rest assured, it’s natural for this to happen to everyone at least once in their lifetime. In a study conducted in 2014, a group of people were tested for the frequency of these intrusive thoughts. It was found that the vast majority of participants in the study had intrusive thoughts during the past three months, with a percentage reaching 94%.
Most of the thoughts that came to the participants in the study were due to doubt or lack of self-confidence, or their fear that they would not succeed in something specific. So, the question here is, where do these thoughts come from? What causes them? Are they due to a psychological or mental illness? In reality, the answer is no.
PTSD and Memory Attacks:
Intrusive or alien thoughts can very well attack a normal person who has no problems. However, it can be said that they mostly appear when a person is suffering from anxiety, stress, or nervous pressure. Additionally, they can occur due to biological problems such as the hormonal changes that happen to mothers after childbirth. Women in this situation often have many unnecessary negative thoughts, a condition so common that doctors call it postpartum depression. In some cases, these thoughts come to people who have problems with eating or weight, meaning they are related to their body shape, like wanting to lose weight or eat less but being unable to.
Then, it can turn into a continuous feeling of guilt, which may eventually lead to depression. But still, this does not mean that intrusive thoughts always have natural and ordinary reasons. Sometimes, these thoughts appear due to disorders or psychological traumas that a person may have experienced, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which affects individuals who have gone through unfortunate incidents or are shocked by the death of a loved one.
The most famous group affected by PTSD are survivors of wars, famines, and natural disasters because, in their case, intrusive thoughts come in the form of constant attacks of memories that remind them of what happened, the decisions they made, or situations they could have handled better. Then they wonder what could have happened if events had changed. Now, a question arises: do these intrusive thoughts that come to us pose any danger?
Intrusive Thoughts: Harmful or Not?
Are the intrusive thoughts that come to us dangerous? The answer to this question is a bit complicated. If the thoughts coming to you are the result of a specific mental issue, they can mostly affect your psychological health or change your behavior, causing you to do things that are completely out of character. Additionally, some doctors consider that their frequent recurrence and long durations are indicative of other problems and diseases, such as brain injuries, dementia, or even Parkinson’s disease.
Generally, if you want to determine whether the intrusive thoughts that come to you are truly harmful or not, pay attention to a few things: First, do they come and go immediately at the moment, or do they persist with you for a long time? Second, is it the same thought that keeps coming to you repeatedly and doesn’t go away no matter how much you try, or is it a new thought every time? Third, does their recurrence cause you distress and psychological pressure, or is it normal? And fourth, finally, does their recurrence make you want to act on them and follow through, or do they remain just a thought in your heart? The answers to the above questions will determine whether the matter is normal or not, and whether at that time, you need to see a doctor or not.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for Intrusive Thoughts:
In the end, we must understand that the **thoughts** that come to mind do not necessarily mean that you are a bad person or incapable. Everyone experiences these **strange** and distant **thoughts** that are completely different from their personality or upbringing. The real lesson is in who acts on these **strange thoughts** and makes them a reality, and who simply considers them passing whims. The idea that these **thoughts** are just **thoughts**, not an indicator of evil or anything else, is the first step in gaining control over them and ensuring that they do not develop into chronic problems or lead to feelings of guilt or depression. It is important to understand that no one can stop their brain from thinking, as our minds are constantly active, even when we are idle or asleep.
Finally, is there anything that can be done to stop or minimize these **thoughts**? Yes, one of the treatment methods is **Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)**, which involves sessions with a mental health professional to help you avoid dwelling on these **thoughts** and reduce their impact over time. They teach you different ways of **thinking** about the issue or looking at it from other perspectives. Sometimes, they may expose you to pressures that make you **think** about these foreign **thoughts** differently until you overcome them.
In some cases, treatments and medications may be necessary, such as **selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)**, particularly when the condition is associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder or post-traumatic stress disorder. There are also other non-pharmacological treatment methods that are easy enough for the patient to practice on their own.
For example, the patient may try to understand the **thoughts** that come to mind while alone in a quiet place in order to comprehend the consequences of executing these foreign **thoughts**, or look at the **thoughts** from a positive perspective and reassure themselves that they will not occur. However, the most important treatment of all is for the individual to believe that these are just **thoughts** and they do not define their life or behavior, and that no one can control them except themselves. That's all for now.
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