Everyone experiences Intrusive thoughts at some degree. However not everyone has the ability or decision to control such thoughts. Those who are unable to control end up hurting themselves or even the people they love.
Four out of five people experience intrusive thoughts, according to IntrusiveThoughts.org. One out of fifty finds it hard to dismiss so they compulsively try to eliminate the fear while the other forty nine people just ignore the intrusive thoughts that they encounter.
The thoughts can come in different shades: "killing someone", "killing yourself", "Identity confusion", "meeting an accident", and so forth. Most of these thoughts get into someone's mind over and over again and tend to intensify, making the person so anxious and seem helpless. Some experts see this as a symptom for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).
Jonathan Abramowitz, professor and associate chair of psychology at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, said that Intrusive thoughts are often unpleasant or disturbing but they do not have to be. "Intrusive thoughts escalate into clinical problems when the person responds to them in maladaptive ways,". It is therefore normal to have intrusive thoughts and just ignore them. When the person gives more emphasis and concern to it by troubleshooting the imaginary problem, then that will give way to some psychological disorders.
Some of the intrusive thoughts are influenced by three basic roots according to Calmclinic: Unwanted memories, Violent thoughts and Sexual Thoughts. People with phobias normally encounter intrusive thoughts. If the attack persists, the person should seek immediate help, otherwise, he or she can manage to calm himself or herself and be able to meditate properly to eliminate the unwanted reactions on the intrusive thoughts.
One should understand that intrusive thoughts are very much normal with people. What is not normal is the weird ways of reacting to these thoughts. In case you are or if you know someone experiencing the uncontrollable stimulus to intrusive thoughts in the brain, you should seek help immediately to avoid much serious consequences.
