I think it happens when the brain is desperate to find a safe place.

It would be perfectly normal to be scared if your father is in the ICU.

Do you feel comfortable sharing what the obsession is about? Sometimes it helps to explore it and then sometimes it's easier to make a connection between what is currently going on and what happened in the past.

I am obsessed on my therapist. It has happened in the past with other therapists...male and female. Once in awhile it is on a random stranger or has been on a celebrity. It would happen a lot when I was a kid. i would escape into my own world...deeply. This has been slowly building and is now in full force. I am also having panic attacks.

I chant Om...I keep whacking the obsessive thought with the chant until it goes away.

...I also talk to myself out loud to keep myself on task. Yes, in public.
Mainly because while my mind's acting like a hamster on a wheel, it becomes very hard to focus on basic tasks.
I figure this significantly lowers my chances of being followed and mugged in the parking lot anyway...

LOL...thanks hylierandom. I had a meltdown of epic proportions earlier and that made me smile. Of course when i am lost in my obsession and living in my own world I sometimes talk out loud anyway. I hate it when that happens...

Hi Cecil, I'm wondering if you can 'talk to the obsessive thoughts' ... Just saying things like: Hello - you're back ... and ... I know about you ... or ... you're not going to control me.

Somehow that can take the sting out of them! Sort of make friends with them. Does that make any sense???

Hugs, Daisymay

I have had a similar thing... so sorry this is plaguing you :(

I have found Bach Flower Remedies helpful for it. They are usually safe to take in any circumstances, but check with your doctor first, especially if you are on prescribed meds.

The White Chestnut Bach remedy is good for an unsettled mind with persistent unwanted thoughts.

The Honeysuckle Bach remedy is good for dwelling on the past and grief.

Hope this is helpful. There is info about these online, and they are available in many health stores.

Good luck xx

CecilBGreen,

I know very little about OCD but will share what I do know.

My understanding is that OCD is an anxiety disorder and that the exact cause is still being researched; at this point in the research it is thought that possible genetic susceptibility and environmental influences may be responsible for this brain disorder.

Two particular treatments appear to help OCD sufferers. 1) meds (serotonin reuptake inhibitors /SRIs/) including clomipramine, help 40-60% of patients.

And 2) Cognitive Behavioral Therapy helps 60-80% of those who suffer with OCD.

If you want to read where I found this information and want to investigate further, check out the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation at www.bbrfoundation.org

Wish I could offer more but hope you find this helpful and a place to start.

xx
SuzA

You are not alone

I was just thinking about this the past few days, and I've reached some conclusions about it.

I think that when we are under stress, we develop an array of symptoms...just like we do in response to a physical illness. For me this involves negative, unsettled thoughts and obsessions.

I feel like everything has to be in good order, because someone is coming to inspect things and I'll be in trouble if I don't pass muster. I feel like my neighbors are watching me and trying to catch me doing something illegal they can get me on.

When I start a project, I feel like the world will come crashing down if I don't get it done in good time...so I find myself desperate to get it all done quickly.

I know logically that this is all garbage, I really do. But the feelings still plague me, sometimes they're almost overwhelming. But what's important is that these feelings and thoughts coincide with stress in my life. When I'm calmer and have less to worry about, the symptoms subside.

So if possible go for the cause, not the symptoms...the symptoms go away when a disease goes into remission. At least that's my theory on this.

I obsess on people too. I find myself hanging on every word that Lady Gaga utters, and I think about her a lot. I have pictures of her that I found with Google images. Seems like I'm not alone in that, she has said in interviews that she feels responsible for all her fans who look to her for inspiration and guidance in their lives. So maybe this is something that's part our human nature to do this.

I've had two breakdowns and they usually start with me having a sexual obsession with an unobtainable guy. I hope I never act on those kinds of feelings again. ouch, I was burned so bad.

I asked my husband's friend/ godfather of one of my kids to have sex with me in 2006. yes, I was having a weird reaction to an antidepressant. yes, having an attractive man giving gifts to the kids was confusing for me as an incest victim. what happened? he yelled at me and quit being our friend. he told mutual friends about it and it was humiliating. when I overdosed and was in the psych ward I thought it was sweet that he came to visit me (even though he brought his gf who was weirdly silent)... it was not till I was better that I found out, 2009. that he came to "visit" really to tell my husband about me coming on to him. boy, that cured me of ever wanting to see him again.

let me tell you, I never want to be obsessed with anyone ever again. I have learned that lust is not right. I thought my crush on this man was "harmless" but when I had a breakdown, it wasn't. what we call OCD used to be called sin. there is a mental illness side to it, but some of it is sin.

For the thoughtful replies thank you all. Dsf95, That sounds like an awful experience. I am sorry it happened to you.

My obsession is actually NOT sexual. Most times it isn't. It is a matter of me slipping into an imaginary world with such intensity that it makes it difficult for me to live in the real world. Usually there will be a person or sometimes 2 or 3 that are the main focus. I lived in my own world quite a bit as a child. As an adult I have gone years without my own world and been fine. Then there are times when it creeps up on me and I am sucked it. I'm not sure if it is the anxiety causing it or if it causes the anxiety or maybe both. I just find it very embarrassing and intrusive and a complication I don't need.

I thought I would express my feelings on this subject, which differ from some of the postings. I do understand that we all come to things from different cultural backgrounds.

I still think crushes and fixations are harmless aspects of our human nature. If others react to these things with personal attacks and censure, that is their shameful behavior. We should be celebrating our humanity, not calling things sinful just because they don't fit some unrealistic and silly code of conduct.

I can't imagine getting angry just because someone got a crush on me. What ever happened to common sense?

If you don't agree with me, that's OK. I understand. We all live within the guidelines of our own experience and education, so you may see things in a different light.

I definitely think it's common to have a fantasy world when a person is raised in such a confusing and unsafe environment.

I think you cleared up how I feel about my own obsessions! You said "It is a matter of me slipping into an imaginary world with such intensity that it makes it difficult for me to live in the real world. "

Sometimes the real world is just so unbelievably hard.

Cecil,

I too suffer with OCD, Now Obsession is a bit different. We tend to attach ourselves to safe places or people. Your therapist serves as a safe place, here is a person that listens to your every thought, emotion, joy and pain. Here is a person that doesn't judge you negatively. A constant, a help. It is natural for one to become obsessed with there therapist, because it is in there care we learn to let go and begin to trust even if it is only them that we trust. I too once became obsessed with my therapist, but for me things were a little different so it was very easy for me to talk myself out of it. I have changed to different therapist, not because of my obsession but because I travel a lot so I have to always find a new therapist. I have learned to channel my safety issues to other things, my OCD. You will continue to process in this life, because we lost so much in our youths due to our struggles. You will find a way to channel this, trying music, writing, journaling your life and struggles.