First, I would like to say that you are not alone in this. I've been dealing with scary intrusive thoughts for basically as long as I can remember and there have been points when it's felt totally impossible to get them out of my head. But with practice, it can get a lot better! I think one of the most important things that I have learned is that trying to force yourself to not think about the thoughts actually makes you think about it more. For example, if I were to say "absolutely under no circumstances may you think about a banana for the next 60 seconds," chances are you would immediately think of a banana. So instead of trying to force thoughts away, it's much more effective to acknowledge the thought. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) have a lot of useful techniques for dealing with intrusive thoughts, and you can find a lot of these tips through a web search. ACT has been much more effective for me, but try out several techniques and see what works best for you. And if there is ever a moment when these techniques don't work, try to stimulate your senses to take you out of your mind for a bit -- take a cold shower, go for a run, listen to music, etc. Hang in there and remember that thoughts are just thoughts -- just a string of words and pictures! I know it's hard to remember when thoughts get scary, but keep working at it. All will be well :)

Thank you so much for this! I just looked it up and it seems it may be helpful for a lot of problems I have so I'm gonna do more research during the day time. But right now the thing that is scaring me isn't really a thought I came up with, it's a real life thing that is scary and I'm not sure how to go about it. It's not something I could even accept, it's that horrible. It's not affecting me but the thought of it happening to others is terrifying (sorry for being vague on it but I don't even want to repeat it) So idk how I'll deal with this specific thought but the advice you gave me is really good! I've never heard of act before but from what I just looked up it seems like something I need to try.

You are definitely not alone in this, Frogsoup. For what it's worth, I'm another who benefited mightily from ACT workshops in managing this symptom, as well as several other mean symptoms, both physical and mental, served daily on my psycho smorgasbord.

The harder I fight and/or work to deny those thought loops, whatever their content, the more thoroughly they take over my life. When I accept those psycho ticks and *simply* observe to see where they take me, they often lead me to spots where I can heal and/or improve my well-being across the board.

Easy does it, Frogsoup. Be gentle with yourself and patient with the process.

You are not alone.

Thanks arfie, you always have something good to say about everything. And I'm glad to hear the act thing is helpful. I'm gonna have to do more research on it today because from the little I read last night it seems like somethung I need to try.