scary intrusive thoughts

[Audi]

hi, i have recently posted a few thread in this forum, i am having intrusive thought again, this thoughts are mainly my fears in life. i am feeling very high in anxiety running thoughts as well.......
i have watch a documentary about ghost, and i started to wonder if there are any ghost in this world... suddenly an intrusive thought struck my mind ...telling me to go and die in order to know whether ghost really exist !!!!! i am so scare of my thought it feel so real... i dont know whether its really my intrusive thought or my real feeling ... i am so scare i dont wanna to leave this world... i still have a cute son and a loving wife...... please advise ...

[TomT]

Hello Audi,

The answer to your question is within the post, you said it yourself. You don't want to die, ergo you won't kill yourself, you love your son and wife, remember this worries are just that. Nothing else.

I have thought myself "What is in the afterlife? Well then when I die I will know" but is just that a thought.

Last but not least, anxiety can make it very real and scary due to the release of cortisol and adrenaline in the body even if the sensation is completely real the thoughts have now power, but to spook the shit out of you. Try laughing about the thoughts you have for example I am obsessed with something and I see it on the streets and I say to myself "ohh here comes that spooky number again " It is silly I know but it helps

Many Blessings and have a nice week

[Zeldagirl]

I have had thoughts just like this. My ocd has taken me to so many places and I know how you feel. The thoughts will fade once your anxiety calms down. Try not to let yourself get worked up over it. I know this can be impossible but trust me it will get easier. OCD latches on to things that bother you the most because it goes against how you actually feel. That's why it's so tortorous. It's hard to understand that in the moment but it's just part of ocd. Hope you feel better soon

[MyNameIsTerry]

Intrusive thoughts in OCD are known to be "ego dystonic", the opposite of your true character and beliefs. It's easy to work out if thats correct by asking if the thoughts caused you to react with negatives like fear, anxiety, shame, guilt, etc.

You have a wife and son who you clearly love so you know this is not some inner true character coming out because the true character is the husband & father who does everything for those he loves.

People with these thoughts make the common mistake when they think "perhaps this is the real me". They don't realise that people who want to harm people just do it and they don't care about who they hurt until they need to use it in court to reduce their sentence - belief me, I've known people like this and they don't care who they hurt and you wouldn't find them on here asking about it, they would be too busy laughing & bragging about what they did.

As said, reacting with negative emotions will feed the disorder & reinforce it. This is hard to stop at first but as you work on it, it does come. Don't interact with it by engaging the analysis over whether this is the "true you", challenge it the CBT way by applying counter evidence against it. Learn to accept that these thoughts are just thoughts and your reaction will become neutral or positive and you will see them reduce significantly.

Remember, a good person like you wouldn't be on here asking.

We get many strange thoughts, I still do, but by letting them pass through without interaction, they just go. Yes, some thoughts are odd but thats just our subconscious trying to find what to do, giving up and shouting "conscious brain, I don't know what to do so here is all the stuff you need, tell me whhat to do". Thats all it is. Your subconscious knows it can't find an answer to this strange question about ghosts, realises to find proof you need to do X and then passes it to the conscious to ask if it is appropriate. It will give up sending all this garbage when it sees conscious brain doesn't care.

[Zeldagirl]

Terry your response is great. As always the last part of it is peticularly helpful to me and I hope it will be to Audi and others as well. Which im sure it will. Thanks for your knowledge.

[MyNameIsTerry]

Thanks Zeldagirl, I really appreciate that.

[TomT]

Damnit terry you did it again! You and your awesome replies lol

[MyNameIsTerry]

Damnit terry you did it again! You and your awesome replies lol

You too, Tom, you've been helping people out loads on here and I think they will be very grateful to you for it.