Thought-Stopping

[gunit410]

Did anybody else notice that the defination of OCD on this website advocates "thought stopping"?

I thought this was antiquated?

To the best of my knowledge this is one of the absolute worst strategies to deal with OCD, pure-O in particular.

[yvette36]

Hi I am going through the same problem. I have really bad thoughts about weird things that I would never do but I can't seem to stop them from popping into my head.  It just happens anywhere at anytime.  Sometimes it is really scary and I start to panic.  Especially if it involves someone that I know like a family member.  I have not tried medications but am thinking about it. I have tried relaxation and breathing techniques  when the thought comes into my mind and this seems to be helping alot.  Or I try to focus on something else which does take alot of energy and practice.  I constantly tell myself  that its only a thought we would never really act on it.  

[blink1147]

Yeah, I pretty much can't remember not having OCD, but I agree with the constant thoughts.
Telling yourself you're a good person- well I don't agree that this helps. A lot of the obsessive thoughts I have are just pictures of family members and loved ones... well, I'll leave out the details. But the point is, it's not always ME hurting people, but just images of them already... hurt, for lack of a more descriptive word.
But  telling myself I'm a good person doesn't make these thoughts go away. Nor does it end the panic, or stop the compulsions from coming.
Most helpful thing that I've found is to just go along with the compulsions, lol, though I don't recommend this to anyone trying to overcome OCD, just people trying to deal with it with as little panic as possible.

[books33]

ya thoughts are constant. I think what it means is focusing your thoughts on more important things, finding an identity that you're comfortable with instead of letting obsessive thoughts be your identity. Sometimes it helps to tell yourself you're a good person and to try to remember what it is like when you weren't having obsessive thoughts. You can recreate your life. This life isn't easy for anyone. No one comes out unscathed.

Thanks.