[odonalive]

hi does anyone have thoughts of wanting to harm others

[-Astral-]

yes i have them my thoughts are to hit and kill people i also hear voices etc

Yes, I used to struggle with intrusive homicidal thoughts. These thoughts haunted me constantly and caused my first 4 psychiatric hospitalizations.

I met a lovely psychologist who did exposure therapy with me, and I learned to truly accept that thoughts are just thoughts, and it is OK to experience them in a non-judgemental way. I no longer struggle with this, but I totally understand it.

[Skeezyks]

Hi there odonalive: I think everyone has these sorts of thoughts. I certainly do. But they're just thoughts... sort-of like little trolls come to aggravate us. They have no power over us beyond what we cede them. So when I have these sorts of thoughts I breathe into them, smile to them, perhaps even place a hand over my heart as a sign of compassion for them, & then allow them to fade at their own pace. As the 11th century yogini Machig Labrön said: "In other traditions demons are expelled externally. But in my tradition demons are accepted with compassion."

[88Butterfly88]

I get these kinds of thoughts too.

[leejosepho]

Originally Posted by odonalive

hi does anyone have thoughts of wanting to harm others

Not in quite a while now, but those kinds of thoughts really used to plague me as if harming others could somehow make my life better -- putting others out of my misery -- or at least satisfy my anger.

[PumpkinPieHead]

Possible trigger:

I developed battered wife syndrome and had thoughts that I would have to kill my abusers or myself to end the torment.