View Full Version : Random thought pops and music in head
Hi guys,
I'm new to this forum but I've been reading lots and lots of your posts and replies from other threads. I though it's time to start my own thread as I'm freaking out at the moment.
I'm a 34 year old female and have been GAD (and probably OCD) but I'm terrified of developing schizophrenia. The fear is so intense at the moment that I can't eat, sleep, or work.
The problem is that I get mind pops. They mostly occur when I'm in bed at night, it's really crazy. I don't hear it as an outside voice, it's more my internal own voice which throws random words at me such as "orange", "Video", "I know who your uncle is", really nonsense stuff like that. The thing, it sometimes also happens during the day. Like I was taking a shower the other day and all over sudden the word "refrigerator" pops into my head. The problem is whenever it happens I almost immediately feel huge anxiety which sometimes leads into a panic attack that leaves me like a mess for the rest of the day. I then spend the rest of the day kind of zooming in on my own mind waiting for other thought pops to occur, which then usually happens. When I'm out with friends or talking to somebody or getting involved into work it goes away completely and I feel like a normal person. But when I'm alone it comes back. I'm super scared.
Sometimes, and this is really distressing, the thought pops occur as my first name. So I do get my first name into my head, with no trigger whatsoever. It's inside my head. But it terrifies me.
The other problem is that I get songs stuck in my head. Again, I don't hear songs from the outside of my head, it's more like an earworm. This is also drowned out when I engage into activity, but it immediately comes back when I'm by myself doing nothing.
However, the mind pops still stress me out more than the stuck songs. :weep:
Especially since the words are always so random and unrelated to what I'm orignially thinking about.
I started citalopram a couple days ago as I heard it would work. Also, I'm having an appointment with a psychologist next week.
Please can anyone relate? I'm terrified.
nomorepanic
01-02-18, 14:28
Hi
This is just a courtesy reply to let you know that your post was moved from its original place to a sub-forum that is more relevant to your issue.
This is nothing personal - it just enables us to keep posts about the same problems in the relevant forums so other members with any experience with the issues can find them more easily.
Please also read this post:
http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=213239
Everyone gets earworms. Sometimes I have them and have no idea why, and can sometimes work out something has made me very tangentially think of the song. For example earlier this week I had "The Way It Is" by Run DMC and Jason Nevins in my head. I worked out it was because I'd emailed someone whose name very vaguely sounds like "Jason Nevins". Just enjoy your internal radio station (unless it plays something rubbish of course!).
The rest, yeah I get this too sometimes. Probably everyone does. Just as when you have health anxiety and you start being hypersensitive to pain or weird sensations, if you're over focusing on thoughts you'll notice the odd brainfart much more than you normally would. Just try and let thoughts pass without engaging with them. None of this is signs of anything sinister.
Thanks for you reply, really appreciate it. Yeah, you're probably right about everyone gets them. But in my case they seem to be much worse lately. Like I know I used to get maybe one thought pop every couple weeks, but now I'm getting them like 5 times a day.
Also, I sometimes can feel my mind chattering and racing in the backround if that makes sense. Sometimes when I talk to somebody I really have to focus hard on the conversation because it feels like the mind chatter won't stop. It then reminds me of psychosis, which makes me panic, which then turns into an anxiety attack, and then the mind chatter and random thoughts get even worse. Like a vicious circle.
Uugh, this is so tough, I want my old life back:wacko:
I get absolutely the same thing. Thoughts that pop into my mind with my own inner voice (actually sometimes I might feel it as if it was the "voice" of someone I know etc). It's not a voice, it's a thought, but still, it makes me feel as if I will go crazy.
I talked to a psychiatrist and she said that this has nothing to do with schizophrenia, or at least for people with GAD.
I get absolutely the same thing. Thoughts that pop into my mind with my own inner voice (actually sometimes I might feel it as if it was the "voice" of someone I know etc). It's not a voice, it's a thought, but still, it makes me feel as if I will go crazy.
I talked to a psychiatrist and she said that this has nothing to do with schizophrenia, or at least for people with GAD.
So glad to read this!!! I get it too that sometimes it sounds like a friend's voice within my thought, but usually it's my own inner voice. It freaks me out though.
So if your psychiatrist says it's not schizo, what is it then?
She said it is because of anxiety :)
MyNameIsTerry
02-02-18, 17:23
I get them too. I've also been through intrusive thoughts themes and beaten them with a slant on a theme coming back a couple of years later which I've gotten rid of again after a much shorter period of reapplying the same.
Despite this I still have intrusive thoughts but they no longer bother me. They are instantly dismissed intuitively and tend to come with a rider that they are nothing.
Since I've been through al the racing thoughts I've realised how busy the mind is. The anxious mind is even busier. So, there is so much you can do to reduce what is behind overstimulation but if you find you still notice them more, I think that's quite normal as long as you have learned to not let them bother you.
In short, Mind Pops are part of normal brain functioning. They are a concern for schizophrenics because they have issues with them turning into hallucinations but we don't. It's just having a theme in your anxiety that worries about schizophrenia means it will look at these as possible evidence to validate the fear but it's not since all humans have these thoughts.
Anxiety being a biological chemical thing means there are neurotransmitters which cause stimulation. We end up over stimulated and the mind races. OCD behaviours intensify under these conditions.
I get them too. I've also been through intrusive thoughts themes and beaten them with a slant on a theme coming back a couple of years later which I've gotten rid of again after a much shorter period of reapplying the same.
Thanks. What do you mean you've beatem them with a slant on a theme? Could you elaborate?
I've noticed that I don't get them if I really stay focused all the time, e.g. always focus on what I'm doing at the moment or focus on a specific thought. They do occur though whenever I let my thoughts kind of float around thinking of nothing particular.
What bothers me a lot is though that sometimes my thought pop will be my first name. This is really distressing as it makes me feel really schizo.
I just moved this thread from the GAD forum to this one. I would really appreciate if more people (especially those with OCD as I'm assuming I have it) could reply. I'm curious to find out if you guys get random words pop in your mind in your own inner voice, when falling asleep but also during the day. Thanks!
Juustopallo
14-02-18, 10:18
I've learned that my brain does all types of weird shit when it is really anxious. At one point I was so intensely afraid of developing hallucinations, I imagined scary images all the time. Every time I closed my eyes my mind was racing with totally random images. Also those mind pops... you get them more if you concentrate on them. They are nothing serious or to be afraid of. You have random thought - so what! Everybody gets them but only a small percentage starts to obsess about them. Let them happen and move on with your life. Externalize your senses to real life. There's a real world outside of your head :)
I've learned that my brain does all types of weird shit when it is really anxious. At one point I was so intensely afraid of developing hallucinations, I imagined scary images all the time. Every time I closed my eyes my mind was racing with totally random images. Also those mind pops... you get them more if you concentrate on them. They are nothing serious or to be afraid of. You have random thought - so what! Everybody gets them but only a small percentage starts to obsess about them. Let them happen and move on with your life. Externalize your senses to real life. There's a real world outside of your head :)
How did you get over them? Do you think they would disappear if I just ignore them?
Juustopallo
14-02-18, 19:36
It's hard to describe :D when having ocd, you can experience uncertainty about anything. You happen to obsess about mind pops because you're afraid they arw a sign of an upcoming catastrophe. Someone else might obsess over his/her breath, blinking etc in a same way. The mind pops, breath, blinking etc itself is not the problem but the fact that we get stuck on them. We can't handle the uncertainty. When we learn to handle uncertainty better, the previously scary thoughts start to become totally irrelevant. You have mind pops and it's totally ok. They are not dangerous. You are uncertain whether or not they are dangerous. That's okay too. Accept the fact that they might be a sign of the scariest possible outcome... or they might be just your mind doing it's normal thing. When you experience this uncertainty, you might start doing all types of compulsions like searching online for answers, rationalizing about the mind pops in your head, ask for reassurance, try to get these same mind pops by your own will etc. This is compulsive behavior. You must stop doing it. Instead focus on the real world. You can have any thought or image in your head and still function normally. Learn to accept all the stuff in your head while focusing on real stuff like relationships, going to grocery store etc. Soon these mind pops feel totally irrelevant to your being. Just leave thr battlefoeld. You don't have to solve your mind pop-problem or any other ocd-obsession.
Juustopallo
15-02-18, 10:53
And one more thing! When you catch yourself obsessing, realize that it's totally ok to obsess. The obsessing won't hurt you. What is not ok is the compulsive behaviors you do to control, cope and check to find relief to your uncertainties. For example you have a mind pop and react to it with anxiety - that's ok! No problem. You can carry the random image to any situation and have any thought in your head while living a normal life. But the key is to stop reacting in a compulsive manner. For example I used to be afraid of all these solipsism ideas and all that. The world would feel very unreal and I was sure this was an early sign of schizophrenia. As long as I kept checking "does this scene feel unreal? Do I feel unreal? I must feel grounded at all times!" the feeling of dp stayed. But even when having that feeling and all those thoughts, I refocused my attention to what was actually happening. I engaged in conversations, daily tasks etc and soon found out those feelings and thoughts were just self suggestion. Nothing harmful. Same with thought pops. As long as you keep checking, coping and controlling, you'll obsess about them. Having them and obsessing is not the problem. The compulsive behavior is the problem.
I just googled hypnagogia and learned that this is more common in people with schizophrenia. :scared15:
---------- Post added at 13:51 ---------- Previous post was at 13:50 ----------
And one more thing! When you catch yourself obsessing, realize that it's totally ok to obsess. The obsessing won't hurt you. What is not ok is the compulsive behaviors you do to control, cope and check to find relief to your uncertainties. For example you have a mind pop and react to it with anxiety - that's ok! No problem. You can carry the random image to any situation and have any thought in your head while living a normal life. But the key is to stop reacting in a compulsive manner. For example I used to be afraid of all these solipsism ideas and all that. The world would feel very unreal and I was sure this was an early sign of schizophrenia. As long as I kept checking "does this scene feel unreal? Do I feel unreal? I must feel grounded at all times!" the feeling of dp stayed. But even when having that feeling and all those thoughts, I refocused my attention to what was actually happening. I engaged in conversations, daily tasks etc and soon found out those feelings and thoughts were just self suggestion. Nothing harmful. Same with thought pops. As long as you keep checking, coping and controlling, you'll obsess about them. Having them and obsessing is not the problem. The compulsive behavior is the problem.
Thanks again. It is so difficult to quit the compulsions... But I'll try my best.
MyNameIsTerry
15-02-18, 16:30
Hypnagogia is also more common in people with anxiety. Anxiety isn't a cause but a known catalyst.
Juustopallo
16-02-18, 16:35
I just googled hypnagogia and learned that this is more common in people with schizophrenia. :scared15:
---------- Post added at 13:51 ---------- Previous post was at 13:50 ----------
Thanks again. It is so difficult to quit the compulsions... But I'll try my best.
Believe me my friend I've experienced it all. You name it. When falling to sleep every single one of us has all kinds of random shit happening in our minds. It's ok, just focus on falling asleep, not in your every thought. Remember you can have any image, thought, urge, sensation etc and it don't mean shit. Focus on reality. Just let it happen. It will make you anxious and uncertain about lot of things but that's a good sign. You are exposing yourself to this uncertainty and teaching your brain that it doesn't have to react to every uncertainty with fear and obsessing. This is called exposure and response prevention therapy.
I get absolutely the same thing. Thoughts that pop into my mind with my own inner voice (actually sometimes I might feel it as if it was the "voice" of someone I know etc). It's not a voice, it's a thought, but still, it makes me feel as if I will go crazy.
I talked to a psychiatrist and she said that this has nothing to do with schizophrenia, or at least for people with GAD.
This helped me so much, I've been going through this the last couple years when my anxiety started, it happened at night and then I was thinking about it which made it happen during the day, my psychiatrist said it was anxiety but glad a can relate to you !
I just moved this thread from the GAD forum to this one. I would really appreciate if more people (especially those with OCD as I'm assuming I have it) could reply. I'm curious to find out if you guys get random words pop in your mind in your own inner voice, when falling asleep but also during the day. Thanks!
Hey i literally made a thread about this because I was freaking out, I was told I s anxiety
MyNameIsTerry
19-02-18, 02:22
Thanks. What do you mean you've beatem them with a slant on a theme? Could you elaborate?
I've noticed that I don't get them if I really stay focused all the time, e.g. always focus on what I'm doing at the moment or focus on a specific thought. They do occur though whenever I let my thoughts kind of float around thinking of nothing particular.
What bothers me a lot is though that sometimes my thought pop will be my first name. This is really distressing as it makes me feel really schizo.
I meant I beat my intrusive thoughts but a couple of years later experienced a slightly different theme which didn't last long as I employed the same things I had learnt in beating them before. It was just a difficult time and they made a play to come back.
Yes, if you are busy with things the conscious mind is less open to experiencing them because you are using all your energy. The subconscious is constantly busy with stimulus so it's also more distracted by what you are doing.
I just had a Mind Pop with my name from reading what you wrote there! And that's how they can be, it's just the mind blurting things out that it thinks are relevant. You can choose what is & isn't, and it's intuitive, but your anxiety has started building core beliefs around them being an issue for a fear of schizophrenia hence you just notice them even more.
This is why it's so important to change how we react so that the subconscious learns they aren't important and dismantles these negative core beliefs in favour or more positive/neutral ones.
In schizophrenia the concern seems to be that Mind Pops can lead to hallucinations. But all human beings have Mind Pops so it's about learning to accept they are as natural to you being a human as having 4 limbs.
Im a 32 year old male and suffer from the exact same issue's. And, I also have an huge fear of developing schizophrenia. I haven't been officially diagnosed with GAD but I know i have it, with some OCD and health anxiety to boot.
As I fall asleep , I also get random sentences/words that pop into my head , which jolts me out of my sleep , thus causing me to have a very poor sleep regiment. I also get music stuck in my head almost every time I awake up, which is odd. And then threw out the day I would get random songs at random times.
All this stresses me out and makes me worry about developing schizophrenia, but I am gald Im not the only one who has these issues.
I
At night it's normal sometimes to hear voices. it's a hypnagogic hallucination. Sometimes it sounds like a cafe to me - so many random voices and conversations!
I know right! It does sound like a crowd talking.
---------- Post added at 15:21 ---------- Previous post was at 15:19 ----------
Im a 32 year old male and suffer from the exact same issue's. And, I also have an huge fear of developing schizophrenia. I haven't been officially diagnosed with GAD but I know i have it, with some OCD and health anxiety to boot.
As I fall asleep , I also get random sentences/words that pop into my head , which jolts me out of my sleep , thus causing me to have a very poor sleep regiment. I also get music stuck in my head almost every time I awake up, which is odd. And then threw out the day I would get random songs at random times.
All this stresses me out and makes me worry about developing schizophrenia, but I am gald Im not the only one who has these issues.
I
You will find many people on this forum who have that issue. It is mostly related to anxiety, stress, and OCD.
Check out this article which deals with stuck song syndrome in OCD:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4723199/
I too have the exact same symptoms that multiple people in the thread are talking about. It all started with an overwhelming fear of developing Schizophrenia and has gone on from there and taken many different forms over the last year. The similarities i see between peoples posts are uncanny.
For the last few months its been this issue of waking up in the night, panicking and having all sorts of mumbo jumbo going on in my head when i try to get back to sleep. It sets of a vicious cycle as the harder you try to sleep the worse it gets. I'll have periods where im pretty good for a while but it always seems to come back. Talking in my head but in thought form, nothing audible, odd images etc. I end up so alert that im actively "looking" for these things to happen. It can happen in the day sometimes but only really when im doing something boring that doesnt take any focus like taking a shower for example. It's so hard to overcome
I just wanted to let everyone who follows this thread know that my intrusive thoughts, mind pops and hypnagogic hallucinations have almost completely disappeared, no kidding.
I think it's due to Citalopram which I started about 6 weeks ago and it is slowly starting to kick in. They say it takes about 4-6 weeks to start working. Since Citalopram is known to help with depression and OCD, I am now pretty sure that all these problems have been due to depression/OCD.
Also this forum has helped me so much!!
I feel like my normal old self again.
Hope it's gone for good and not only a good phase. Fingers crossed.
I often get stuck in "dialogs", especially if I have an important meeting next day or random songs. Those two things have cost me a lot of lost sleep.
As long as what I am thinking has words - just can't fall asleep.
The only thing that helps is switching focus to non-verbal activity. I try to imagine that I am traveling or something...
It can happen in the day sometimes but only really when im doing something boring that doesnt take any focus like taking a shower for example. It's so hard to overcome
Exactly, me and pretty much everyone here says this. It seems to be about focusing or not focusing. Like our brain going wild when it doesn't have anything to do. Maybe everyone's brain does this and we're just hyperaware of it.
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