What are intrusive thoughts?

Intrusive thoughts are, as the name implies, intruders. They are thoughts that appear suddenly, with no reason to be there, and everyone is subject to them. They appear with a little more force than a common automatic thought. Some people can get too attached to these thoughts, generating a discomfort and suffering, being difficult to "get rid" of them.

Usually, intrusive thoughts are related to anxiety disorder, but this is not a determining factor for these thoughts to appear. In general, they are connected to a trauma, a fear, or a past event. In this article, you will learn what the meanings of intrusive thoughts are and what the types are. Check them out below!

Meaning of intrusive thinking

It may seem complex to understand about the subject of intrusive thoughts, so to help you understand more about it, we will list some circumstances in which this type of thinking is inserted. See below!

Relationship with fear

One of the origins of intrusive thoughts, in most cases, is linked to some kind of fear. Even though fear is something totally natural to every human being, it's a feeling linked to our survival instinct.

Generally, the fear caused by these types of thoughts are normal, representing a wrong assessment that the person has made of the situation and giving the feeling that something bad might happen.

When it happens

Having intrusive thoughts is more common than you might think. They can arise during any daily task we're performing or simply during a moment of rest and quiet - in other words, there's no time for them to happen.

Because the human brain is a "machine" capable of processing millions of thoughts, the mind, while processing automatic thoughts, is in the "background" processing these intrusive thoughts.

With whom it happens

Intrusive thinking happens to anyone because it is part of the human experience to have it. But this type of intrusive thinking is more common in people who have OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder), post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety disorder, depression, and postpartum depression.

The origin of these thoughts will vary from person to person, as our bodies react in a very individual and unique way, and each person feels differently. However, these types of thoughts can happen to any individual at any age.

Intrusive "good" thoughts

If you understand that intrusive thoughts are just bad thoughts, you are sorely mistaken. These types of thoughts can arise as ideas or moments of reflection throughout the days. Often, they are the misplaced ideas that appear out of nowhere and end up lasting in the mind for a while.

Generally, they are thoughts in which the themes are quite varied, but the important thing to know is that they are, yes, capable of generating feelings of joy and happiness, causing a well-being. To have more contact with the good intrusive thoughts, it is important to be in environments that stimulate this, whether traveling, in meetings with friends or simply doing activities that you enjoy.

Intrusive thoughts of the "bad"

When you have your quality of life affected, then your mind will also be impacted. With this, the rise of intrusive "bad" thoughts become more present. If negative intrusive thoughts persist, it is always good to seek the help of a professional to help you understand them.

Many times, these thoughts may be connected to some fear or a past trauma and, therefore, deserve the attention of a specialist. Therefore, this type of thought becomes bad when it is fixed and your life starts to be organized from what is not true

Intrusive thoughts and obsessive thoughts

It is possible to classify as a human need to want to have control of everything and everyone. However life proves us the opposite, bringing aspects that are uncontrollable, as is the case of some thoughts. When we try to control intrusive thoughts, we are giving a margin for them to become obsessive thoughts.

For intrusive thoughts to be considered obsessive, they must be intrusive, constant, unpleasant and undesirable. Thus, obsessive thoughts are differentiated from intrusive ones when they become more frequent and we can't dissociate them from daily life, bringing uncommon levels of disorder to life and mainly to mental health.

Intrusive thoughts and reality

Perhaps, this is one of the most important aspects to understand: intrusive thoughts and reality. The fact that we have intrusive thoughts does not mean that the reality they bring is true. These, like any other, are just thoughts.

By understanding that we have no absolute control over what we think or what goes on in our mind, we can say that the boundaries between thinking and acting are set by us. Therefore, we should be less concerned about the content of those thoughts.

Examples of intrusive thoughts

In our daily lives, we are surrounded by external stimuli. These stimuli are often able to increase the presence of intrusive thoughts, as these arise through our relationship with the world.

To better illustrate and help you understand what intrusive thoughts are, it's important to talk more about some of them.

Thus, thoughts such as "throwing yourself from a moving vehicle", "assaulting an unknown person", "willingly doing harm to a person you care about", "pushing someone off a balcony" are some of the examples that we can have as being intrusive thoughts.

Types of intrusive thoughts

Now, to understand more about intrusive thoughts, it is interesting to know what are their types. Check below what they are and their main characteristics!

Sexual

Intrusive thoughts are often related to erotic thoughts, with the source of the thought being a desire for relationships with people or situations that are often unthinkable. Wishing to have a relationship with a family member or a co-worker, or perhaps a person who is very close and friendly to you, can be classified as types of sexual intrusive thoughts.

Violent

Sometimes the intruders end up being the thoughts that suggest acts of violence against someone you love, someone in your family, or an unknown person.

Just the act of having this desire for a violent attitude can be understood as a type of violent intrusive thought. Often, this thought arises in moments of anger and lack of control over a certain situation.

Obsessives

Obsessive intrusive thoughts are unpleasant, often constant and insistent. A very present characteristic of this type is the fact that it is unwanted every time it comes up.

The person who has this type of thought feels a lot of guilt in having it because they do not agree with what is presented, seeking not to do what it suggests to do. It is a type of thought in which the individual tends to fight against his own thoughts, doing everything possible to control them and push them away, even knowing that this is practically impossible.

So the more he wishes he didn't have that thought, the more he fixes it in his head - that is, it causes the opposite effect.

Self-esteem

We live in a world where comparison reigns strong when we talk about self-esteem. The virtual world tends to potentiate intrusive thoughts of self-esteem, due to excessive content of comparisons and easy access to the lives of famous people and major opinion leaders.

So, thoughts like "I look very ugly today", "I don't look good in any clothes", "my body doesn't suit me, I'm too fat" are some examples of those that are related to self-esteem - which is fundamental for every human being. It is possible to affirm that this kind of thought can be related to some kind of anxiety, for example.

Relationships

When we receive a hug, a caress or a compliment from someone, it's common to get that feeling that we don't deserve this moment. This is the kind of intrusive thought that is related to relationship aspects.

These thoughts, when they arise, bring the idea that we are not worthy of the love we are receiving, creating a sense of unworthiness, when potentiated.

Religious

Sometimes in the mind there are ideas related to the feeling that some acts performed are against God's will. This is a type of intrusive thought that refers to the feeling or perception of being committing some type of sin or infraction, which in God's eyes is very wrong and punishable.

So this kind of thinking tends to judge our actions and our values according to what is right or wrong, geared towards religious thoughts, something more moralistic.

How to deal with intrusive thoughts

In the topics below, you will learn how to deal with intrusive thoughts in a more practical and effective way. These aspects will help you in your relationship with your thoughts, bringing more quality in your mental health. Check it out below!

They're just thoughts

The first step we've listed is extremely important to heed: accepting that intrusive thoughts are just thoughts and that they don't are or define you helps you distance yourself from what's real to what your own mind is creating.

What these thoughts usually convey, when bad, does not mean that something, in fact, will happen. They are just ideas and therefore do not present a true reality, they are just an idealization of it.

Accepting intrusive thoughts

Accepting intrusive thoughts is a fundamental attitude in order to be able to better deal with them. Whether they are good or bad thoughts, many people try to repress or expel them, as if it were something negative, but failing to find the result they expected.

With this attitude, the tendency is that the feelings in front of this experience will be strengthened.

Moreover, acceptance does not mean that you should be held hostage to this kind of thinking and not have any attitude about it. Quite the contrary, in fact, this acceptance should be accompanied by the ability to realize that we can, whenever we want, take back the course of our mind.

Dialoguing with intrusive thoughts

When the intrusive thought appears, an attitude that will help you overcome it is to simply dialogue with it. By doing this, you help to lessen the weight of the thought, also lessening the suffering caused by it.

When you notice that you are immersed in these thoughts, try to dialogue and name it with the following phrase "I notice I have a thought." Thus, speak the thought that is going through your head. By practicing this, you will help get back to the center of your attention, escaping the tide of intrusive thoughts. It is worth a try.

Challenging intrusive thoughts

Challenging intrusive thoughts, i.e. questioning them, will help you to better understand where they are coming from and also help you to name them. Often, we suffer a lot from negative intrusive thoughts by letting them take hold in our minds. When we try to question them, we are doing our best to investigate and perhaps understand their origin.

So, by facing them head on and going for some good reflections, we can get more in touch with the type of thinking and often be able to identify whether they actually represent reality or are just deductions created by our mind.

Therefore, the challenges end up diminishing some fears and breaking some stigmas - allowing us to look at this experience in a more holistic way.

Are intrusive thoughts dangerous?

As you have understood, intrusive thoughts are natural and are part of the human experience. They can exist as either bad thoughts or good thoughts, taking into consideration that, in each person, this intensity can change.

Therefore, having negative intrusive thoughts too often, which make you unable to associate what is reality and what is just deduction, can be dangerous for the health of your mind. However, there are ways to treat intrusive thoughts, and one alternative is through psychoanalysis.

By seeking to identify who we are, through the process of self-knowledge, we can better deal with these thoughts. Therefore, professional and psychological help is very welcome if you suffer a lot with intrusive thoughts.

Finally, it is fundamental that we understand that, even though they are negative thoughts that often generate bad feelings and sensations, they are still part of any human being!