Hi Jen,

I am so sorry to hear that you are still suffering with these rotten symptoms.

I agree with Lex that it is possible to tune out the intrusive thoughts, but we all get them at different intensities and we can't say how it is for someone else. I have had them really badly at times,and it's gone on for months.

I have gained relief by letting the thoughts do their thing, a bit like having tinnitus, and then carrying on with what I am doing. For me, the secret was to depersonalise the thoughts (which were always self attacking) and regard them as an annoyance rather than a personal attack.

I found this very important. If I imagine that my deceased father is saying hurtful things to me, then to have them repeated over and over again would be excruciating. But, If I imagine that my neighbour is hurling abuse at me, I could laugh it off, because my neighbour doesn't know me. It's not personal.

For me, the turning point came when I realised that my intrusive thoughts were like the neighbour, they were just a noise in my head, or a noise next door, nothing more than that.

It was the realisation that the intrusive thoughts couldn't hurt me any more than I'd already been hurt that made them stop hurting me. Then slowly they started to fade away. None of us know how long a recovery will last, but it feels like I've achieved something.

Having intrusive thoughts is like having a bully inside your own mind. It is one of the most challenging experiences I have ever had to deal with, but I came through it and I know that you will come through it as well. You are a strong person, and I've known you long enough to have faith in your strength.

Good luck Jen, we are all with you.

Myzen