How To Stop Intrusive And Obsessive Thoughts

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Published 2018-05-21
In this video, author and depression counselor Douglas Bloch shares four tips on how you can respond to unwanted thoughts and obsessions.

To learn about Douglas's long-distance mental health coaching for depression and anxiety, click on this link: healingfromdepression.com/mental-health-coaching/

To visit my personal website which contains links to all of my books, websites, and newsletters, go to douglasbloch.com/

To visit my depression recovery website, go to healingfromdepression.com/

To visit my website on suicide prevention, go to www.overcomingsuicidalpain.com/

To contribute to this channel so that its healing information can reach more people, visit patreon.com/douglasbloch

To sign up for a free newsletter that provides valuable e-tips for healing from depression, click here: forms.aweber.com/form/75/2116152175.htm

All Comments (21)
  • @user-cb7ux6ky2d
    Hello friend Yes, that’s you You scrolling in the comments Hello Just take a deep breath Everything’s ok Right now In this moment Everything is ok In this moment You are safe Upsetting thoughts don’t define Who you are They don’t make you A bad person You might not be able To entirely stop them But you can tame them You are special You are gifted You’ll get better You are beautiful You are loved I love you Peace my friend
  • i used to get a lot of intrusive thoughts. i learned to stop reacting to them emotionally and when i got them i replaced the thought with "I Love You". this helped me a lot. i rarely get the thoughts now.
  • Sometimes my thoughts really hurt me and make me believe that I’m a horrible person not worthy of love ,and some kind of hypocrite
  • @williama7124
    I have OCD, with violent, sexual, blasphemous intrusive thoughts. which led to a period of depersonalisation, in recovery now as result of Exposure Response Prevention therapy (and 20mg of Fluoxetine). Honestly I tried all of those tips but they only thing that worked for me was to embrace the thoughts head on, non resistance by giving them total approval and acceptance which turned off the fight or flight switch in my brain every time a thought popped up, which allowed the thoughts no matter how disturbing to just float in and out with ease and non attachment and allowed me to see the truth that I don't want to hurt anyone, and just because you have dark thoughts doesn't mean you are a dark person.
  • @Nurse_mici83
    To everyone here, I love you all..you are not alone..we are in this together..doesn’t matter who u are or where u are from stay on the path to get to where you need to be ♥️
  • @jessicalam2277
    I’ve been having intrusive thoughts because of quarantine and from watching so much true crime & scary stuff that triggered it. This video was so helpful, I kept thinking I was the only one and felt crazy for having these thoughts but now I know I’m not alone and now an awful person my mind makes me out to be. Thank you!
  • @Skyehye3113
    I hate my intrusive thoughts they make me think about stuff that make me feel nauseated and upset on a daily basis and it really bothers me
  • @trevforesta
    I have dealt with obsessive, intrusive thoughts ever since I was a child. My thoughts would torture me and I would have no recourse, until I eventually discovered the thought substitution method on my own. I was surprised to see in this video that I even used the same word, I would say "Cancel!" and picture a red "X". I am still using it to this day and it is so ingrained a habit in me that for the most part I no longer suffer from the dreadful thoughts, I just have slight impulses of anxiety, which I have been getting better and better at tucking away.
  • I am a Christian that is dealing w thoughts of hating the God I love and serve daily...it is a nightmare...but thank you for addressing these problems as they effect all of us in some way
  • @whoami3021
    1. Mindfulness Meditation 2. Replace the unwanted thought 3. Ask yourself: Is this true 4. Distract yourself from the unwanted thought
  • @bridgetcox3888
    I have so many intrusive thoughts when I try to sleep I end up having a panic attack and can't get to sleep
  • @bignoknow
    Struggling daily with this and was happy to watch and learn. 👍🏼
  • @upstatenewyork
    I appreciate this as my negative thoughts send me into a deep spiral of wishing i was dead
  • @jaytrivedi7874
    The answer- For anyone reading this, I want to tell you I have suffered from every kind of intrusive thought that you can imagine but let me tell you the solution is much easier than what our mind makes it look like. The simple fact of this world is that thoughts cannot be controlled and our over sensitive brains are now NOT OKAY with the idea of “bad” thoughts. But the idea of them being bad and us pushing them away is what is keeping them alive. So now what do we do? Just observe them. Just simply observe them. Read the book the Power Of Now if you want some clarity regarding the idea of it but its that simple. The tags of good and bad have become so strong in your mind that now you cannot handle certain thoughts. Its really simple. Dont worry. Godspeed
  • @Jboxing1
    The best way to help yourself get rid of these thoughts is to do something active like hangout with family or friends or go outside and get some fresh air or play a game or maybe do some meditation. Anyone who reads this you are not a bad person or anything like that, your thoughts don’t affect who you are and I hope for anyone who is going through this, I hope you guys get better and stay safe!
  • @gninja92
    I have had intrusive thoughts on past suffered trauma and extreme violence. I am not ashamed of who I am but I do regret many choices.
  • @PossibleBat
    Because of these thoughts I struggle with feeling like less of a worthy human being...
  • I am an ocd sufferer for most of my life, almost as far back as I can remember, this video was a breath of fresh air! Who cares about the negative intrusive thoughts? They aren't my identity, they're not my desire. I know who I am, I'm a child of God, a good Christian Catholic
  • The best way to deal with these intrusive thoughts is just simply ignore them, don't pay attention to them it's difficult but trust me with time they will get vanished like they were never existed