Intrusive Thoughts in Dreams

I was having a perfectly normal "action movie" type dream, that was pretty kewl, until it suddenly got weird, having matched a typical intrusive thought of mine; I actually got woken up by it, and here I am, at 2:30am-ish, trying not to panic. Anyone else have this? I've wrote it out on my task sheet my psychologist game me, lit an incense, freshened myself up, and here I am on the PC. I found myself looking on the mobile, right after I woke up, looking for reassurance. :| I don't get how it's bad to do that, when it was that, that (thatthatthat!) made me feel a lil better, because it looks to be normal.

I have had that happen to me actually. Not infrequently. I use my husband as physical reality and comfort or I say the Our Father over and over to put me back to sleep. It calms me, but I am religious.

Funny you should say that, as I have a religious mantra, which I've had for years, but it's really not so much a religious thing, now, as it purely an action to negate the intrusion.

well, the praying does help me...it's a prayer I can say in my sleep so I have the repetitiveness, the familiarity, the comfort of God, and I don't have to concentrate.

That sounds good, but unfortunately, not something that would work for me, and I'd feel that would only serve to further enforce the thoughts, which I keep getting told is a bad thing, hard as that is to believe.

Do you get any therapy or counseling for your OCD?

I think part of my religious mantra, is a little link to when I was a young teen, before my faith hit the fan - I used to feel like God had my back - like, yeh, I was screwing up, things weren't going well, but God would understand, it was OK, he was there, watching, keeping me on the right track, but he wasn't, and that's life, things happen, no matter who's up in the clouds watching you. Silly stuff happened, and my faith went right out the window, as my eyes were open to the cold harsh reality. The thing is, what I lost was much more than just faith: I lost hope, and that was more important to me, than religion, I just didn't realise it at the time. Now that I'm older, I always appreciate that religion = hope, and I miss the hope it gave me. Anywho, self-analysis over. xD I guess the point is, I use my religious mantra, because maybe part of me is trying to claw its way to some hope. I'd say the mantra, but it's nonsensical jargon, contrived of random religious words or phrases, but somehow it meant something to me, and I guess still does.

There's been times in my life, when I've been desperate, particularly for family. Whenever I pray, on the such a very rare occasion, it's always a sense of "If there is anyone out there...", on the off-chance, kind of thing. Desperation can make your mind branch out to all sorts. I'm confident that if a God exists, he (or she) is wise enough to understand my train of thought, and can see (figuratively speaking) the logic I use, without being offended or feeling like condemning me to hell - I am, afterall, only human, in his image.

I quite like the idea that a God - a wise and superior entity, worthy of appropriate reverence and demanding respect - is out there in the form of life that we have yet to discover, as what we call "extraterrestrials" - far-out to some, but logical and intriguing to others.

Anywho, sorry for the ramble - I'm tired, and my thoughts just went crazy.

(BTW, absolutely no offense is intended - while I don't entirely agree with some religious stuff, that doesn't mean to say I don't respect, appreciate, and welcome it - we all need hope, guidance, morals, etc, and I'm jealous of those that have that)

You know, I could give you my reasons for believing in God, but i'm worried of getting scolded lol. I can pm you what I think? I do not do therapy. This is my safe place and I keep some things to myself despite it being "anonymous". I am on Zoloft (sertraline), which is serotonin. It is something you can take for the rest of your life, and for me it is the best thing that's ever come into mine. I practice a LOT of self control. honestly I don't know how good I am at that . I do what I can, and that's all I can do...that helps too.

I don't think you'd get scolded. For a start, this is my thread, so you can say what you like. :P As I said, I might not agree, but that doesn't mean I don't respect and appreciate your beliefs. I'm afraid nothing can make me believe, with certainty, that there is a God, so if that's your aim, you'd be fighting a losing battle. :P Curious to know your logic, though. Serotonin, eh? The happy chemical. Is it an "over the counter" thing? What this thread is currently leaning to, seems to be how religion interacts with mental health issues, in this case, OCD, which I find interesting, TBH. xD OCD, particularly intrusive thoughts, challenge what religion can make an abomination, in your mind, so the dynamic between the two, is pretty heated! You are welcome to PM, if you would prefer.

It is not over the counter. I just went to my regular doctor, he's really good and moderate, worked with me. My "logic" may not be logic at all I do think religion is a good thing for mental health....depending. I think i'll pm you sense i'd rather make a fool of myself to one, than many lol

Lol. Fair enough. I'll gladly read it. I'll check your PM, tomorrow, as I'm absolutely shattered and must sleep - it's 10pm.

If anyone else reads this and gets thrown off by the religious turn this thread has taken, fear not! ...it's all good. xD Nobody will smite you, ... *giggles maniacally*