One Practice to Overcome Obsessive Thoughts
Most people who get stuck with obsessive thoughts, or people who have an anxiety condition (where their brain is constantly thinking anxious thoughts), fail to realize that this condition is a “symptom” and not the problem itself. They keep trying to treat the symptom without acknowledging the real problem. They look to try to solve […]
Link back to full article: https://www.calmdownmind.com/overcoming-obsessive-thoughts/
Hi sen,
I have been feeling good from past one week after allowing myself to all the fears that i have. But i m stuck in one kind of fear which is not sleeping. When i got anxiety prob 5 years back, my sleep was highly affected which continue to do so. This has created alot of fear in me that i will not get sleep. I m ok & doing usual stuff whole day but as soon as i go home that fear comes in & i be awake till 2 or 3am till the time my mind gets fully tired thinking. When i go to bed all my past memories starts comings in n i get angry on why people have treated me the way they have. Can you please help me to overcome this. Now all my physical symptoms have gone like nausea, not feeling hungry or fever (Though my body temperature fluctuates sometimes during night). i m not facing any anxiety prob now, but sen how can i be assured that i will not go through the same again in future.
Dipti, during the process of finding balance there are bound to be releases of the past-momentum (in the form of emotions, thoughts, memories arising) and these releases can disrupt some aspects of “normal” functioning of a body for a while, however these disruptions are still within the realm of the body’s wisdom in that the body knows how to compensate for these disruptions in its own way. You will have to let go of trying to “control” your body’s reactions, and just let it find its own balance over time. You may have some nights when you may not be able to sleep on time owing to increased mind/emotional activity induced by the “releases” (even when you try to suppress these emotions, they are bound to keep coming up until they are released – so using some suppressive technique is basically pointless), and you will just have to allow this aspect without trying to control your sleep patterns. When you start worrying about your sleep you are simply “adding” further resistance to the release, and through your fear-based control you may add to the stress of the body – instead, just let the body find its balance over time, on its own, and let go of worrying about sleep. There are some people who seem to lose their appetite during a cycle of release, and they start worrying about their health, and this worrying simply adds to the fear-based patterns in the mind – instead, if they would simply allow this small phase of disharmony without getting stressed about it, the body will easily find its balance back on its own.
Dipti,
One practical tip for better sleep: avoid white light (use yellow night lamp in the evenings and decrease your computer screen brightness to a minimum). I used to have a sleep disorder for years (I was not able to sleep before 5-6 am in the morning). Together with the release process , avoiding white light saved my life. I sleep like a baby now….
Thanks sen…u know one good thing has happened that i dont fear of my anxiety & depression anymore..before this whenever i had anxiety attacks i used to run to a psychatrist n take his medicines…now i dont believe him anymore & i kno u w i have to fight this…the only prob is letting go (i mean total allowing), wanted to ask u when the release starts happening does.it happen whole day or anytime..also i have noticed my appetite has gone dowb which seems normal to me as i used to.eat alot before this or just keep thinking abt food whole day to distract my mind may be unconsciously..also when i m with my family or friends i keep comparing my life with them in everu aspects which i m aware fully n i feel bad for.it…should i let go of this also..can u elaborate on total allwong as i m fully aware of whats happening in my mind n why it happened..
Hi Sen,
I’ve had obsessive thoughts for several years. After recently discovering your site, your articles have helped me a lot. And through “allowing” I started to feel better. But for these several years my mind has had a very unpleasant tendency. When I start something new or just do some certain things, and if during that process a negative thought arises, my mind remembers that thought and then associates that certain thing with that thought. For example, when I’m installing a new program on my computer my mind tries to remember some certain negative thought that may arise during the installation process and then when I use that program or just think about it, my mind keeps repeating that thought. Or when I take a photo of something, my mind may try to remember a negative thought arising at that moment, and then keeps repeating that thought when I think or look at that photo. So, what my mind tries to do is associate different objects with a certain negative thought that may arise during my interaction with those objects. Usually it happens during my initial interaction with a new object (buying, installing, downloading from the internet, or creating it in some way). And from that moment on when I think about that object, that same negative thought keeps arising in my mind. It’s especially irritating if that thought was about someone being hurt. Because it doesn’t feel good when such a thought keeps arising whenever I interact with the object that my mind associated that thought with. Moreover, it gives me the feeling as though that object receives some negative energy from the associated negative thought.
Please, give me your advice.
Thank you.
Love your post! Very helpful right now. I have had anxiety/panic attacks for 13 years, but havent had a panick attack in 5 years due to dealing with life and being in a high maintenence/emotionally jacked relationship. So I’ve been out of the relationship for a year, healing myself and I have been meditating for over a year now. In the past month, I’ve felt completely empty, free and flowy. Just like a vessel savoring this life we have. Everything is so simple. It’s been amazing and unlike any state I’ve felt before. I connect to my body space of flow quite often and can flow most things out of me, even if my brain attaches for a little bit. Im even a reiki master, so I work with energy that way as well. Well, a week ago, I didnt feel too well from being sick, and woke up in the middle of the night and was fine. Well all of a sudden out of nowhere my mind took a dive and I actually watched it say “Let’s think the worst scariest thoughts ever! Ready go!” I guess bc i was sick and fatigued i was at a weak state, so I couldnt allow and look through it. And I had a full blown panic attack. Now I can’t get those scary thoughts out of my head, wondering why that happened. Thankfully, I just read your article, and so that is helping me to go back to that allowing state. It’s just the fear it created is insane. I am wondering if this part of releasing. Did my cellular memory say, okay you’re doing great, you’ve released alot, now lets hit you with a HUGE possible release via insane fear filled panic attack? Just trying to see if you have any insight into this. Thank you for your brilliance!
Hi Sen,
I’ve been doing great with my allowing/releasing, and when you do not fear these thoughts, they have no power over you.
I find that I do this well for 3 weeks every month, then BAM, I have a week of just pure anxiety and feeling a bit down. I think this is part of my release phase, but this has happened every month for the past 8 months since I started this.
Hope you can help 🙂
L1111,
You can think of your past month of free flowing simplicity and connection as a sort of sabbatical from the mind. This is a common milestone for beings who are growing in spiritual awareness and their own spiritual power. And this state is more often than not catalyzed by a state of deep suffering, trauma or prolonged confusion. Your 13 years of anxiety and 5 year dysfunctional relationship was exactly that catalyst.
Its almost as if the human psyche has a critical mass of how much suffering it can endure. And at a certain point the suffering load just becomes too much to bear and the circuit blows a fuse. When this happens, the ego becomes temporarily disabled and in its stead you are clearly able to sense the presence of your own inner self, or your soul self. In the absence of the ego, this inner presence comes to the forefront, just like the light from the movie projector clearly shines while the film reel is removed.
In spiritual jargon, this experience is sometimes referred to as an Awakening or Satori (I used to use the zen term No-Mind, because it literally felt like my mind had just suddenly vanished). When the psyche with its layers of inter-weaving habits and conditioning is temporarily put out of commission, you are brought face to face with the reality of your deeper self beneath all those layers. And that experience is one of simplicity, effortless flow and a sense of connectedness with all around you.
The mistaken assumption most people make is that this is some permanent state of enlightenment they have reached. And now that they have arrived, nothing can ever make them go back to the dysfunction they once experienced. Unfortunately, this is rarely ever the case.
The reason I call it a ‘sabbatical’ from the mind is because it is precisely meant to be that. A sabbatical by definition is “a period of rest where one has an opportunity to reflect and acquire new skills”. A sabbatical is NOT the same as retirement.
The purpose of Awakening is not to put you in some permanent state of effortless bliss for the rest of your life so you will never have to struggle another day in your life. That would be a sort of retirement. Rather, much like going on sabbatical, it is a chance for you to rest and see yourself and reality in a whole new perspective. You are given the opportunity to develop the skills of wisdom (from your awareness of simplicity and flow) and love (from your experience of interconnectedness).
Once you have had sufficient time to rest and regroup, the psyche which has been doing its own regrouping and reconstruction then reintegrates. This reintegration may happen gradually a little bit at a time over many days, or happen suddenly in one moment as it seems to have been in your case. Either way, this is just a signal that you are back to work!
You may be resistant and unhappy about it for a little while. Nobody likes coming back from a vacation, let alone a sabbatical. But with the right attitude and perspective, you can approach it with enthusiasm rather than distaste. In fact, how you approach it is a reflection of your spiritual maturity.
This psyche, this body and these circumstances that you have incarnated into – this is your life’s work. Although, it may seem romantic and even inspiring to want to remain in some perpetual state of ease and bliss, that is not your soul’s purpose. Your soul chose to incarnate exactly for the reasons you are attempting to avoid – to feel anxiety, to experience panic, to suffer a dysfunctional relationship and ultimately to learn from them.
As long as there is still a lesson to be learnt, the experience will recur in your life. However, now that you have deepened in experience, insight and wisdom, you will be given the opportunity to approach these experiences with a whole new perspective and to apply your new found skills.
The purpose is not to banish these negative experiences, but to become even more skillful at working with them and transforming them. A goldsmith who works with bright and supple metals is not a greater artist than a blacksmith who works with dark and unyielding metals. Each has chosen his trade guided by their own inner wisdom.
Hi Shiv,
Your replies are very simple and very very profound. I have gained a lot from your replies.
I would like to know more about this enlightenment that people like Adya, Tolle and the others talk about so much. It sort of creates a surreal feeling when people use poetic words to describe this experience. I would love ur take on this. After reading their experiences it makes me feel that it is some sort of a magical moment. In the beginning of my journey I had one of these moments that lasted for an hour. A ‘Satori’ moment when I felt my being looking at things in a new light. All colors got accentuated. Ordinary things like a broom or a mop suddenly became noticeable and I saw symmetry in their shapes.
Ordinary people suddenly appeared different as if they their being were smiling at me. I never got around to experiencing those moments again.
Ahlan – Instead of Enlightenment, consider Love for a second. There have been more poems and books written on this topic than any other. “Falling in love” is often portrayed as some sort of magical moment. The image of a lover on his knees serenading his beloved in the balcony above is a very archetypal and romantic image that we have culturally ingrained into our minds.
But the reality is that love is quite ordinary. That is not to say that it is boring or mundane, but rather that it is not the domain of some lucky and entitled few. Each and everyone of us has the capacity to love, to fall in love, to be in love etc. The poets will always do what the poets do best: inspire us with their words. The human mind is not inspired by the mundane, but by the surreal. And so by cloaking the experience in lofty and fantastical words, poetry inspires us to crave a greater depth of experience.
Anyone who has been in love and is in a loving relationship knows that the “falling in love” phase although romantic and exhilarating rarely sustains for long. However, if the relationship is a truly loving one, then the infatuation and childish excitement slowly gives way to mutual admiration, a deepening desire for the other’s well-being and a foundation of trust. This is how love matures and though it may lack the obvious fireworks of the beginning, it is made of more substance.
Enlightenment is much the same. Adya, Eckhart and other teachers out there are like Shakespeares and Wordsworth. Their job is to inspire. And they do so with their poetic words and larger-than-life personas. When you think of the picture of an “enlightened man” your mind will automatically conjure the image of some scantily robed monk silently meditating on some mountain top with a slight knowing smile on his face. Is this any different than the star crossed lover serenading his beloved below the balcony? Both are archetypal images.
In order to be a public figure, one unfortunately has to cultivate an image that matches the archetypes that people expect. You will be taken more seriously if you talk about enlightenment in a soft gentle voice, wearing flowing robes and speaking in mystical riddles. That’s just what people want. Just like if you were to talk about love it would help if you looked like Antonio Banderas and spoke in a husky Spanish accent.
That is the archetype, not reality. The reality is that Enlightenment is ordinary. There is of course the “falling in love” phase which is the Satori or Awakening, the first glimpse, which can be exhilarating and euphoric. But that doesn’t sustain itself. What follows however, is a spiritual maturity, a deepening clarity of perspective and a finer balance in your approach to life.
You may have intense moments of clarity again. And when you do, enjoy them. But let them pass when they will rather than holding onto them. Enlightenment has nothing to do with a momentary experience. You can be Enlightened and still have an absolutely shitty day. Just like you can be in a deeply loving relationship and still have an argument with your spouse.
Sen, thanks again for your valuable message and your reply to my comment. Because of your wisdom im learning how to be open minded to whatever happens,happens. I realized there is no way right way of doing this. I also realized I was fighting my mind and my mind’s resistance. I can’t believe this but my mind had built its own resistance of thoughts without me even trying Thats what I was able to learn when I was being opeN. It Is now day 4 or 5 and Im able to read better, listen better and function better because im more aware of my minds resistance and im trying to be friends with my fee mind instead of fighting it.Thank you
Thanks for this great article , Can the technique you suggested Be
Applied to the excessive thoughts about other people . Or it is only
For self excessive thoughts only .
Thanks a lot for your kind reply.
Ameen
Hey Sen and others,
I have been suffering from intrusive thoughts for about 4 months now, ever since I left my job at a mental hospital. I think I took there energy in and have had trouble releasing it in a positive way. It started with thoughts of hurting others, and now it has dwindled down to hurting myself. It has been a painful process and I hope that I will have peace of mind soon. Any advice in not letting these thoughts overpower me? I feel like I’m stuck in a loop and fear everyday that something bad will happen or that i will “crack”. I have no history or reason to be depressed either.
Thank you!
Hi, I have now about two months obsession thoughts like I obsess my own cast shadow. I need advise how can overcome this kind of obsession. Thank you.
Adile,
This article should helpful to release these thoughts.
http://www.calmdownmind.com/overcoming-obsessive-thoughts/
Hi there….really interesting..need some guidance please. My mind was working normally until 6 months ago when I felt a shift and noticed that my mind went somewhere else. I would call this a nervous breakdown..Is this what is meant by release??.my mind is very loud, and literally thinks about thinking…cannot sleep, had to give up my job…cannot function. Found this site after looking at many others. everything I see seems to register in my mind and then I find myself thinking about what I have just read. For example..now I have read about momentum and releasing and allowing..I go to sit down or whatever I am doing now..and the mind talks to me and says…ok so now you are relaxing..allowing anything that comes in to your mind to just come up …watch it and step into awareness…like I am giving instructions to myself…and even this is annoying as again…the thoughts are so loud and I am aware that I am creating them….I keep telling myself that these thoughts will pass..but those thoughts are also so loud…all I know is the thoughts I am thinking are not what I used to think about…I was unaware about what I was thinking before but much preferred it that way as I was a fully functioning person.I had a normal mind…how can I get back to that state please? I feel like I am going crazy..my mind even says…OK so lets see how crazy I can make you? sometimes I sit there and I label it as ‘this is a symptom’..but once again. this thought is also horrible..because I am aware that I am having this thought. How can I get back to functioning again..I get frightened that I read about this release could take lifetimes…I don’t think I could bear having this stuff for the rest of my life..Please HELP…
Hi blue, I think you are telling yourself some very good things like “these thoughts will pass” you are spot on they will pass but you have to keep reminding yourself that these are thoughts not facts, not all thoughts are facts ,it’s true to think that a bus is red if it is red but negative thoughts are not facts. My advice to you would be to meditate even for 5 mins every day and in this meditation just notice what is a fact and what isn’t . We make it all up, all of the time, we are not our thoughts . I know you would of heard this many times, but this is the key, the main point, look no further, You Are Not Your Thoughts, once you understand this, you become the observer, you choose what’s real and what is not, choose love it’s the only worthwhile choice.
Hey Blue, I’m having the same “issues” (its not even an issue as everything that happens is natural. Un-ordinary is just a concept) I created a thought pattern of literally someone screaming. And I got so deluded in the loud and intenseness of these thoughts that I began to believe I had a demon within me. And then my mind would jump in and be like “You do have Demons J” And you can imagine what effect that had on my psyche haha.
I just kept telling myself “I’m creating this, I’m creating this. Nothing happens unless I wish it” Then I felt the doubt at the back of my head and I was lost.
But really I was just in denial of myself. I even had some images pop up here and there. Its all just getting released of the mind. You need to look at your mind not as an enemy, not as some kind of entity with personality, because its actually just a tool. That’s all it is. Your lack of understanding makes it seem like its really talking to you. But that’s just how the mind works. It takes your fears and doubts and makes connections, reacting to your reactions. Once you realise you are the problem, not your mind you take your freedom back. And now you just sit back, see the repetitive thought patterns and watch them drift away into thin air. Don’t over think this man, its simple.
The intensity will always go away, the only factor that will determine how well it goes and the speed at which it takes place is your willingness to be faithful and to follow what Sen says.
Thank u for this information, it helps a lot. But i want to ask you something. My mother died on january because she was deppressed. Im 23 years old and i do not have anymore negative thoughts but i have fear and thought of my daily life. My friend that is a psikolog helped me a lot, but i am getting obbsessed of this fear. Can you please tell me what should i do, because i have days that im very happy and i do not have fear and thoughts, but there are days that im angry, sad. I want to get free of this emotions. I want to be happy, to help my father and brother. I am working in two different places only to keep the mind away of this fear. Thank u again
@Brandon & @Blue, What you are suffering from is obsessing over what you are going to think about next. The one thing I recommend you do is raise your awareness. I highly recommend you lay down on your bed, relax, and close your eyes. When you do this you will watch and feel your mind trying to think. You will feel the energy your mind has due to your resistance of your negative thoughts. I suggest you find a very comfortable place to sit or lay on and most importantly “CLOSE YOUR EYES”. Your awareness increases because your attention is nowhere else but on your mind. I suggest you practice anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour or better so you can have an understanding of your mind. When your done raising your awareness, don’t worry about doing it the right way. Your recovery process can take days or weeks depending on how long you’ve been suffering from the anxiety. Just to let you know you obsess over what you are thinking about. You worry about what is your next thought going to be. Practice what I suggest and I guarantee you will get results.
Abraham says emotional energy isn’t stored. Energy is always in motion it cannot be stored. We have “vibrational triggers” that we “emanate”. I think they mean habits of thought response. Tolle speaks of “the pain-body” (energy accumulation) Adyashanti speaks of “karmic load” (energy accumulation), and you speak of the same stuff. My question is where’s the linkage between what you guys are experiencing? Or is there none and all truths true because thought is creative and I can bypass detox with 1 creative thought that goes “i have reached inner wholeness” and repeat until it’s ingrained? Am i missing something lol?
I found your article to be very insightful. I currently struggle with obsessive thoughts of anything that bothers me pretty much. From obsessing over thoughts of my husband’s sexual past to tormenting images. I want to release this negative energy. When I am alone thinking I cannot handle the thoughts that come to rise. How do I practice awareness and let them release?