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Intrusive Thoughts

Old 08-26-2015, 02:46 PM
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Intrusive Thoughts

I thought I put this post up, maybe I didnt?

Anyone have experience with these horrible OCD-like intrusive thoughts after quitting?

Did they get better for anyone?

People I've talked to say yeah you grow out of them eventually, I just wonder how long that "eventually" will be.
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Old 08-27-2015, 02:17 PM
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This is an excellent link posted by Morning Glory, our Administrator. It's a bit long, but well worth the read:

http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...anagement.html
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Old 08-30-2015, 11:41 AM
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I'm going to print that off thanks Anna
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Old 08-31-2015, 01:00 AM
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Originally Posted by Holds1325 View Post
I thought I put this post up, maybe I didnt?

Anyone have experience with these horrible OCD-like intrusive thoughts after quitting?

Did they get better for anyone?

People I've talked to say yeah you grow out of them eventually, I just wonder how long that "eventually" will be.
Dear Holds,
although it varies with each person,
the common factor I have found in all methods of letting go is
FORGIVENESS. The more you forgive and "don't fear" the process then it goes smoother. The more worried you are about the ups and downs, and how long it takes, well, it can take longer that way. Like relaxing at the dentist office vs. freaking out and fighting the whole way. There is nothing fun about pulling teeth, but each patient has a different way of dealing with it to make it through as fast and smooth as possible.

I recommend a bit of "reverse psychology" and accepting/forgiving
the fact there are going to be some wild trips along the way, and it will be easier as you decide not to be afraid of however way this works out. The good news is that once the garbage is gone it is gone, the bad days become fewer and farther between, and you can start to predict them or get used to dealing with them so you are less wary of them.

I also recommend keeping a calendar of when you have those bad days or attacks, and make a point to SPOIL yourself when your worst days hit. Again, some reverse psychology. If you can even start looking forward to the next bad trip because you get to go spoil yourself to something you really want, this might speed up the process of deprogramming whatever fears or anxieties or attached.

Whatever works for you to not attach more fear to these bad days or trips that are going to happen along the way. Whatever makes it easier on you to prepare for and handle.

I even consulted with a hypnotherapist on how that method work, it is like replacing all the negative memories and associations with POSITIVE focus instead, but these are in layers. So it takes a while to undo all the past conditioned layered on, when working in reverse to let go of those.

If you really don't want to consciously ride out the negative symptoms along the way to full recovery, maybe a good hypnotherapist can help you replace the negative scary thoughts with a positive focus, and make the process a little easier on you.

Ellen Degeneres used hypnotherapy to quit smoking with no withdrawals, so some people might find that helpful to 'retrain' your brain to replace with positive programming.

Dr. Daniel Amen has books on how to reprogram your thinking yourself "Change Your Brain Change Your Life"

Again, whatever works for you. I have friends who have used Buddhist Meditation mixed with or in place of AA to remove the negative thoughts and emotions getting in the way. I have other friends who have used spiritual healing to break out of negative patterns of addiction or abuse. some of the reputable free resources in spiritual healing are referred at spiritual-healing.us

The common key in all the methods I have looked into is forgiveness: whether in the form of healing prayer, letting go, radical acceptance, committing to overcome fear and unforgiveness, and/or replacing scarcity mentality with abundance mentality, these all speak to the same process of forgiving so that positive healing and energy is circulated instead of a negative cycle. The key to rebooting is forgiveness though the different methods call this different things.
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Old 09-02-2015, 03:19 AM
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Originally Posted by emilynghiem View Post
Ellen Degeneres used hypnotherapy to quit smoking with no withdrawals, so some people might find that helpful to 'retrain' your brain to replace with positive programming.
Just another idea along the lines of "retraining" the brain:

http://brentdarnell.com/wp-content/u...n_Fall2011.pdf

It's a summary of what's offered in the book. The four steps have been helpful for me to redirect from negative and anxiety-producing thoughts, as long as I commit to regularly practicing those steps (as is emphasized in the text) when the thoughts arise.

Good luck
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