Fast Forward Thoughts??

[joyfulc]

Hello Everyone!

I've learned so much on here and although I would prefer that one one would have to go through anything that an anxiety disorder offers, I definitely am happy to know that I am not alone.

I have learned that a lot of symptoms that many of you are experiencing are things that I have been suffering from since March of this year.

What I wanted to know is if any of you feel like your thoughts are on fast forward. What I mean by this is when I am going through racing thoughts or maybe in a calm state. I will all of sudden get this image in my mind of me either screaming or a vision (nothing in particular but usually displaying aggression).

It's kind of like a scene in a movie where you see someone in a stressful situation and they see themselves in a vision and the scene is moving really fast like someone hit the fast forward button.

This part of my symptoms really scare me because its usually a display of some sort of aggression on my part. The one that constantly repeats itself when I am really having a bad attack is the image of me screaming. It's like my brain is screaming to get out of my head because I have always been a very happy and outgoing person until March of this year. Now life is all about dealing with this disorder.

Just need to know if this is part of the stress my brain is going through or is this another mental illness I need to be worried about.

So sorry for the very long post but all of my symptoms have been verified but this very one.

Thanks so much in advanced : )

(I've also posted this on another anxiety community, just in case you think that you are seeing double)

[leenasmommy1]

Hi, I'm having the same thing happen to me. I'll have it hit out of nowhere, don't really even have a "trigger" for it. It's like my "inner voice" is on fast forward and it just keeps speeding up till its on a jumble. I'm actually having it happen right now and it's freaking me out, which is why I looked up stuff and came across this forum. It's been going on for a good 4 minutes now, finally starting to slow down a bit which is a relief. If anyone can help answer what could be causing this, it would be a major help. I want to talk to my doctor but I don't even know how to describe what happens. Please, anyone who can help, I would truly appreciate it. Thank you in advance.

[Littleosh]

I struggled with this for years. Assuming I was crazy. I hated it and would cry after the episode. Eventually got the courage to tell my mum who took me to a doctor who changed my life! I am on medication that although has a large stigma on it - I wouldn't live without. This is the only symptom of ADHD I thought I had - I am 4 years into a law degree and am in the top 10 of my year at ANU not Ur typical ADHD kid! But it makes sense, Ur mind is over stimulated ADHD is also an internal hyperactivity hence the feeling of fast forward an Ur internal voice getting more intense. Some say it's louder some more frantic mine personally is loud but more an extremely worried loud like they r running away from something horrible. So basicly ADHD medication helped a lot for me as it slows me down - since taking it I have had 2 episodes only because I didn't take my medication for a week. Hope this helps! Dont be embarrassed it's normal, doctors refer to it as internal static!ADHD - me again. I would like to add that I don't get the out of body experience or the changing visuals/sizes. It's far more internal - despite the racing heart. I do not watch tv or listen to music, I wonder could this be all part and parcel? There is also a strong link with anxiety and adhd

Just to add there also seems to be a lot of family relations commenting. ADHD is strongly linked to genetics - my dad, brother, grandfather and I all have it! 

Hope it helps to put a name on it but more than that I realized other areas of improvement with the diagnosis - my short term memory, my interrupting. ADHD kids don't have to be dumb, throw chairs, be violent - or even kids! I was just a chatty active kid that had a bad memory and scary episodes that I didnt tell anyone about.  

[fsl]

I also have the same symptoms as Nikki, it starts when I am in a quiet room, and all of a sudden my thoughts are in a fast forward, and my surroundings also seems like on a rush

[JGF25]

I had the exact same problem years ago.  For me I was told to go into a room and actually close my eyes and visualize myself acting out those irrational thoughts.  What I found was that they are ridiculous actions that I would never do in real life. Sometimes I had to visualize them multiple times because they would resurface.   The brain is amusing and amazing at the same time.  I think that with the right cognitive behavioral therapy, you will get over this aspect of OCD that you are experiencing.  All the best.  

[NikkiR_21]

Wishing u the best joyfulc

[joyfulc]

Thanks for the replies! It's so funny. The day I posted this. I did a search on what was going on with me and found this website/forum and there was a post about the same thing but a little different. This poster posted something that just rang true to me and every since then. I have been able to control the racing thoughts. It's like my brain just clicked. I still am having panic attacks, racing and irrational thoughts but some of the harder symptoms are going away.

I'm going to try to rephrase what she said because I can not find the forum I found the comment on. Just in case this just may click for you as well.

This was really just based on irrational thoughts.

The poster stated that she spoke to a therapist and she asked her why is it that when she thinks about a loved one and them being in danger that she can actually see herself doing that same thing that she fears for them to them.

The therapist told her that your mind is only visualizing what you are scared of happening to your loved one. For example she said that she was scared that her pregnant cousin was going to get hit in her stomach, so she would all of sudden she herself kick her in her cousin in her stomach.

Based off of what the therapist was saying is that she didn't really want to kick her cousin in her stomach, her anxiety just was making her think that because that is what she feared.

What I took out of the whole situation is that you will start to visualize things in your head or you doing things to loved ones or yourself because those are things that you are scared of happening. Not that you are actually going to do these things.

So now when I have an irrational thought that I know is nothing I would ever act on, I am able to shut it down quite quickly. My stomach doesn't knot up like it usually does and I am able to cope with that fear right away.

I'm still having anxiety and panic issues here and there. I will be seeing a therapist this week and have been working with a naturopath. So with a combo of all three (therapist, naturopath and my will to get better), I think that things will start to look much better : )

[NikkiR_21]

I dont have the image of me screaming but it seems as if my mind is always moving fast I can b calm but my mind is racing feels like im thinking abt a million things at once & I cant control any of it. I also feel n a daze alot like lifes not real or Im living a dream does either one of u have this symptom? I just started zoloft 5days ago Im hoping it helps but at the same time im terrified itll make me worse.

[Sissypants]

I have been thru the same thing at times and I think it is normal for people suffering with anxiety disorders...my mind sometimes can be like you are reading a story from a book....out of no where I think horrible thoughts and its like they are so real....I have learned when this starts to happen to me I get my mind on something else to distract me and it usually helps...I think when we have anxiety so bad we are always in a negative mode about things so we think negative about things...I know its hard to deal with and I hope you can cope with it...are you on any medications or going to therapy for your anxiety?  I know I wasnt much help but I pray things will get better for you and you can move on with your life..

God Bless,
Sissypants