Normal thoughts VS Intrusive Thoughts: How To Tell The Difference

So you think you might be experiencing intrusive thoughts? In this video, I'm going to show you the difference between normal thoughts and intrusive thoughts how your normal thoughts can develop into intrusive thoughts. I will also show you how you can take the power out of them and make them less intrusive.

WANT TO START IN THERAPY? Here’s a convenient and affordable option with my sponsor BetterHelp

For a monthly fee, you get a REAL licensed therapist with whom you can meet weekly by phone, video or chat. You can also send daily messages.

Disclaimer: All of the information on this channel is for educational purposes and not intended to be specific/personal medical advice from me to you. Watching the videos or getting answers to comments/question, does not establish a doctor-patient relationship. If you have your own doctor, perhaps these videos can help prepare you for your discussion with your doctor.

[msbgr]

As someone who suffers from OCD and GAD, I always thought intrusive thoughts were exclusive to me; that I was a horrible person. I remember my first therapy session where I was actually honest about my thoughts and the relief I felt when my therapist validated my thoughts and assured me there was hope. I am so thankful that I have tools to not be so rigid in my expectations and welcome uncertainty...no matter how hard that is.

[shrimpquesadilla]

I have intrusive thoughts many times a day, particularly relating to violence/aggression. Ex: when I was holding my puppy the other day I suddenly had an intrusive thought of throwing her against the wall. I was, of course, beyond horrified my mind could think of such things. My therapist told me to think of those kinds of thoughts as your mind giving you tutorials on what not to do. That actually made sense, as I have GAD and my mind always thinks of what to do, what not to do, what would happen if I did something etc.

[zachydrogeo]

I was 12 years old and it was the first time I was picking up my baby brother in the hospital. It occurred to me that I could easily drop him out the 4th story window. I remember thinking to myself “what the f is wrong with me??”. Thought I was a horrible person for years until I later realized I’m not the only one who experiences this.

[thetaureanmisanthrope]

Dr. Tracey, you are a godsend. I'm serious. No one on YouTube speaks to my feelings the way that you do. I hide my feelings from my partner and children because I don't want to put them in a state of distress, but you make me feel like I'm not alone in my thoughts and feelings. I've been struggling mentally and emotionally since the death of my children's grandmother, and I try to ward off intrusive thoughts by keeping myself busy and taking care of my family. I can't deny that I struggle the most when my children and partner are sound asleep, and I am left alone with my thoughts and memories of her late at night. I can't describe the feeling. It just feels like a piece of me is missing, and no one cares or understands because of the age that she was when she passed away. I feel so broken, and I don't want to stress my family out with how I am feeling, but I feel so...lost. I can't explain it . Please keep me in y'all's thoughts and have hope that I can overcome this overwhelming feeling of grief because I can't stop myself from feeling so heartbroken as the days go on. It's been close to three months, and the heartache just won't let up. I don't even feel like myself.

[pickelsvonbrine]

I have OCD, Bipolar and ADHD. Before treatment I was tortured by my intrusive thoughts and I began to believe I was a bad person or a threat to society. After a lot of work and understanding I was able to finally be free from them. They still come and go but it is no where as bad as it use to be

[jayluis]

Reading these comments makes me feel definitely better. Makes me feel like there's other people going through the same shit. Thanks for sharing your situation, everyone! Pretty sure others feel the same.

[Metayi]

these thoughts have DESTROYED my mental health, it's become hard to sleep and my mind feels totally charged. I can not take it anymore

[Vegitobluuuuu]

I’m not religious or anything but once I started praying it really started to make me feel better and minimize those thoughts

[jordancurrie]

I literally developed sever OCD Intrusive thoughts, depression, and anxiety out of the blue 6 weeks after recovering from covid. Intrusive thoughts are with out a doubt the worst thing in this world. I wouldn't wish them on my worst enemy.

[stevenspmd]

Learning to ignore intrusive thoughts is the trick. This is where meditation really helps. Any and all thought stopping/rituals just reinforce the intrusive thoughts. I personally suffer from GAD, OCD, intrusive thoughts so I understand the pain. I might add it is also possible for sexuality to get wrapped up in these types of thoughts too; the short story is that intrusive thoughts pick the topic that will bother you the most; and for me that varies depending on whatever is going on in my life.

[yukizuki]

I've been having intrusive thoughts for months now. Recently i started having doubts about whether if i had acted according to my intrusive thoughts. I know i didn't but my mind keeps saying otherwise. When it happens, i wish i could just press the replay button and check it. I can't talk about it to others because even i know i'm being ridiculous. My day starts and ends with me fighting against these thoughts and frightening myself with "what if"s. Sometimes, the line between my imagination and reality gets blurry. I don't how to trust myself. I just get really scared that i might do something harmful to the people whom i love most. All of my intrusive thoughts are based on my biggest fears. Sometimes, it is really exhausting being alive . I just tell myself giving up doesn't solve any problems. So it's either to try to get better or to keep drowning in my own fears. I saw your video about mind wandering and decided to dedicate myself to meditate on daily basis. Thank you for sharing your knowledge. It really helps. 🙏

[luvrnhatr]

I have OCPD and experience intrusive thoughts. What I do that helps me is when I get one, before i start giving too much attention to the thought, I tell myself in my head “hey no that’s an intrusive thought and you don’t mean it” that has helped when it comes to the guilt and anxiety when they come up. Just something to try if you’re struggling with those.

[PsychoBible]

As a therapist, it's just good to know we're saying the same things. I'll be sharing this video with clients for sure!

[layna-heyhey]

i had a problem with religious intrusive thoughts (I didn't know such thoughts were a thing at the time). IT seriously ruined my 20s for me. I prayed to God, and just waited on him. Praise God it got better, then I was able to get help with other mental illness things. I'm glad videos like these exist that could possibly point people towards the help they need, by putting a name and definition to the experience.

[fearfulpixel]

Every single point was spot on, oh my god, even down to the examples you described. I was diagnosed with OCD in 2020 (my therapist described it as “pure OCD” or scrupulosity, where I tried to fight for control over my thoughts). It’s still bad at times, but I do know that my thoughts aren’t always concrete representations of my morals or who I am as a person

[uniquemystique]

I’ve been having these lately! It’s so weird. I’m not a violent person and I’ll be sitting there, anxious and talking to someone and suddenly a thought to hit or punch them appears in my mind and it makes me upset.

[MiscellaneousOpal]

I've had anxiety for years now, and I've struggled with intrusive thoughts for nearly as long. They got significantly worse in 2018-2021, but now in 2022 I've been able to reduce them by visually confronting the thoughts through art. Since then, I've been doing a little better mentally :)

[tonjo]

I started having intrusive thoughts about 2 to 3 years ago. Back then, I didn't know anything about anxiety and psychology in general, so if let's say I had an intrusive thought of stabbing someone, I just hid all knives I saw to not harm someone. Now, 3 years later I had one intrusive self harm thought. At first I panicked but then I realised that it's the same thought I used to have when I was younger.
Basically, what I'm trying to say is that you shouldn't run away from these thoughts. Just face them, maybe expose yourself to them and pretend to agree with them
Good luck 💜

[iamvoicelessmusic]

OCD and ADHD here! My goodness, this explains intrusive thoughts so well. For me, my intrusive thoughts often revolve around religious topics, as I myself am a Christian. As a teenager I went on a 5-month long tangent questioning things like salvation and eternity. It was terrifying, but thankfully got through that time with counseling and support. How I wish I knew how to deal with such thoughts earlier! I still struggle with intrusive thoughts on various subjects, but I've learned how to cope with them and how to fight back! Thank you for your videos!

[egg]

this was such a good video, i feel like the really disturbing persistent intrusive thoughts are so hard to describe to people who don't have them, because sometimes you don't want to get that specific ya know, so having the examples in this video be on that level is nice