Are you suffering with Intrusive Distressing Thoughts or Pure O? Here is a guide to help you?
What are Intrusive Thoughts?
Intrusive thoughts are unwanted, distressing thoughts that occur in people’s minds and repeat or worsen over time. Intrusive thoughts can often be disturbing, causing anxiety and fear. It is very common to have them when around or about loved ones. People often have intrusive thoughts about violence or sexual acts, which can keep people stuck in a vicious cycle. Intrusive thoughts are sudden and stressful. They can “come out of nowhere”. Almost always the thoughts are in direct contrast to people’s value systems and what they really want to be thinking about.
Intrusive thoughts can be mistaken for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). OCD can cause intrusive thoughts but following a Programme of OCD targeted CBT Therapy can really help.
Of course, people without OCD can suffer from intrusive thoughts that do not disappear quickly. These thoughts can have lasting detrimental psychological effects usually due to their upsetting and distressing nature.
Are Intrusive Thoughts Normal?
Invasive thoughts are normal. Everyone has random, intrusive thoughts that have no bearing on what they’re doing or thinking. However, persistent, anxiety-inducing negative intrusive thoughts can be distressing and may affect your health and happiness. Seeking professional help will help.
What are the Most Common Intrusive Thoughts?
Intrusions do vary. Some people have disturbing thoughts about hurting themselves, while others worry about hurting others. Intrusive thoughts can hinder happiness, health, and fulfilment. They can cause severe stress, anxiety, and create career disruption if left untreated.
Some of the most common intrusive thoughts:
- Thoughts about hurting yourself, others, or violent scenarios
- Sexual acts or distressing sexual situations (like being attracted to children, family members, or rape)
- Your relationship (overanalysing innocent behaviour, paranoia about infidelity, finding faults in your partner)
- Religion
- Poisoning
- Self-criticism
- Sexuality
Pure O Specialists at the CBT Clinic London
Our specialists have decades of experience diagnosing and treating intrusive thoughts in top UK and international institutions. We know that the right treatment combination can transform lives, so our experts stay up to date on the latest psychological developments to provide you with the best care.
These are some of the most common intrusive thoughts, but the brain is a complex think tank, so you may have intrusive thoughts about personal events and situations that are not listed here. If you want to discuss any aspect of your intrusions please contact us here.
How are Intrusive Thoughts Treated?
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT Therapy), Mindfulness Meditation and Medication can all be used to treat intrusive thoughts. We’ll tailor a plan to your circumstances, medical history, and underlying conditions to help you live a balanced life free of intrusions.
The CBT Clinic London understands intrusive thoughts and can help. After assessing your symptoms, medical history, and frequency and duration, we can diagnose intrusive thoughts and help you live without them.
Schedule an appointment today to learn how you can master your intrusive thoughts. Your consultation will reveal your diagnosis and a customised treatment plan.
Book online with our intrusive thoughts treatment specialists. Register via our new patient form.
Online intrusive thoughts evaluation and diagnosis.
Prefer flexible payments? We offer payment plans.
How does The CBT Clinic London Treat Intrusive Thoughts?
The CBT Clinic London treats intrusive thoughts holistically. We’ll customise a treatment plan using Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT Therapy), Mindfulness Meditation and Medication (when indicated).
We will first conduct a thorough assessment to determine the cause of your invasive thoughts. After a professional diagnosis, we will create a customised treatment plan to ensure the best therapeutic results. Medication may be part of your treatment.
Intrusive thoughts can make you feel out of control, so a good treatment plan can change your life.
What is the process?
1 -We start with a professional intrusive thoughts diagnosis and a personalised assessment report, which you can share with your GP, to ensure a perfect treatment plan.
2. – Our specialists will tailor a treatment plan to your therapy and medication needs. We know the benefits of each treatment and medication and can explain them to you during your appointment.
3. – We recommend follow-up appointments to review progress, discuss concerns and adjust medication doses to help intrusive thought patients recover.
Intrusive Thought Treatment London
After our thorough assessment and intrusive thoughts diagnosis, you’ll receive a tailored, balanced treatment plan to manage your symptoms and reduce the condition’s impact on your life.
Learn More
Pure O – All The Facts You Need To Know
Pure O – All The Facts You Need To Know
Purely Obsessional OCD, or Pure O as it’s more commonly referred to, is a form of OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) characterised by intrusive, uncontrollable thoughts or obsessions. Although someone experiencing Pure O may not display the more obvious behaviours associated with OCD such as hand-washing, arranging, cleaning and counting, the disorder is instead accompanied by hidden mental rituals.
Pure O is often seen as a less severe form of OCD however that is far from correct. For those experiencing the symptoms of Pure O, the intrusive thoughts that present can be extremely disruptive and distressing.
How Does Pure O differ from OCD?
Those with Puro O experience obsessions without any obvious behavioural compulsions however, they do still engage in mental and unseen rituals. By therapists and mental health professionals understanding these rituals and how they affect sufferers, they can then ask patients about these symptoms.
Often patients with these intrusive thoughts may be reluctant to discuss this and may not actually be aware that by acknowledging them, they can begin to take control of them.
What Are the Symptoms of Pure O?
The nature of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder means having recurring obsessions and displaying compulsive behaviours e.g having uncontrollable thoughts of germs and cleanliness which results in a com[pulsion to wash their hands repeatedly.
Those who experience OCD in a purely obsessional form still encounter a range of OCD symptoms however the outwardly obvious compulsions aren’t displayed. By definition, OCD is characterised by obsessions and compulsions. With Pure O these can be identified in the image below.
What Are Obsessions?
Obsessions can be described as recurring, persistent, intrusive and unwanted thoughts, images or urges which cause distress and anxiety. Obsessions often focus on somatic (related to the body), sexual, religious or aggressive thoughts. Concerns with symmetry, order and contamination can also be present.
What Are Compulsions?
Compulsions are repetitive behaviours or mental acts those with OCD are compelled to perform as a response to an obsession or perhaps, to satisfy a set of rules that govern their thoughts. Compulsions are excessive in comparison to typical reactions to thoughts and not connected realistically to the issue they’re intended to solve.
What Compulsions Are Associated with Pure O?
Intrusive thoughts may also be described as “unacceptable thoughts” or “taboo thoughts” which lead to obsessions and therefore compulsions. Individuals who experience Pure O obsessions engage in mental rituals in order to manage their distress and anxiety. These rituals could include:
- Mentally repeating certain words
- Mentally reviewing memories or information
- Mentally un-doing certain actions
As an example, a simple interaction at a supermarket with a stranger where the patient has mispronounced a word may be played out over and over mentally, with those experiencing this thought, thinking of how the situation would have gone differently if they hadn’t misspoken.
Those in distress by intrusive thoughts may then compulsively seek reassurance, most usually without realising that they are doing this or recognising it as a compulsion. Reassurance-seeking behaviour could look like:
- Researching online
- Seeking self-assurance
- Asking others for assurance
- Avoiding anxiety-provoking situations
Types of OCD
It’s thought that there may be three to six subtypes of OCD including Pure O. When it was first spoken of in a 1994 article (Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, Pure O was described as being composed of “sexual, aggressive and religious obsession that were not accompanied by compulsions”. However, later research went on to further divide aggressive obsession into fears of impulsive harm and unintentional harm. These thoughts of impulsive harm are often related to sex, religion and aggression.
Some common types of OCD experienced by patients with Pure O could include:
Harm OCD: Fears of causing harm to oneself or another including physical harm such as aggression towards or killing oneself or others and sexual harm including sexual harm towards children.
Intrusions about children OCD: Unwanted thoughts of a sexual nature and urges related to children. These can be accompanied by compulsive rituals for example washing or praying to neutralise the thoughts and urges.
Relationship OCD: Intrusive and unwanted thoughts which cause people to doubt their feelings within the relationship including the level of attraction and love for the partner as well as question their sexual desirability or compatibility.
Sexual Orientation obsession in OCD: This can also be called HODC or homosexual OCD Extreme anxiety about sexual orientation.
Treatment for Pure O and OCD
Treatment for OCD, including pure O, can include the use of medication in combination with psychotherapy, which can include cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and support groups as well as psychological education.
It has been discovered that CBT therapy can be an extremely effective treatment for Pure O. It is vital that therapists address the underlying mental rituals that characterise Pure O, if the therapist believes that the patient only suffers from obsessions and does not also treat the mental rituals that accompany these thoughts, the treatment will not be as effective.
Although successful treatment of OCD should entail consulting with a qualified mental health professional, there are a number of self-help strategies that you can start using before you start professional treatment to help you or someone you love to cope with pure O symptoms.
Relaxation strategies: As stress is a major trigger of pure O symptoms, one of the best ways to cope is to learn and practise relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, mindfulness meditation, or progressive muscle relaxation.
Exercise: There is growing evidence that engaging in aerobic exercise can reduce the symptoms of OCD. Exercise helps to release endorphins which are our happy hormones so is an important aspect of our daily mental health, exercising outdoors can be even more beneficial.
Support groups: Both online and in-person support groups can be of enormous benefit to people with pure O and their loved ones by providing resources, information, or simply a compassionate, listening ear.
If you or a loved one are suffering from Pure O, contact your healthcare provider and seek advice. They will provide you with a treatment plan as well as ongoing support and resources.
CBT Therapy London
Alistair Bond is principal practitioner at CBT Clinic London. As well as being an expert in CBT therapy and Mindfulness Meditation he specialises in OCD and helping people overcome distressing and upsetting Intrusive Thoughts- what is referred to in the media now as “Pure O”
The CBT Clinic London offers both online and face-to-face CBT Therapy. Just tell us which you’d prefer at your FREE consultation. If you’d like to mix the types of sessions you have, we also have that option. If you choose one type of session and decide you’d like to try another format, you have the freedom to change. Your therapy should be your way and led by you.
Contact us today to arrange your FREE Consultation. Call our friendly reception on 0207 157 9924 or fill out this form:
Learn More
Online CBT Therapy – Everything You Need To Know
Online CBT Therapy – Everything You Need To Know
Online CBT Therapy is the new era of mental health help. Many of us that shied away from technology, especially video calling, are now opting to conduct the majority of our meetings via an online conferencing platform from the comfort of our own homes.
Armed with new skills and increased confidence in this area of modern technology we can now access therapy much more easily and fit it into our daily lives much more efficiently. But just what are the other benefits of online CBT therapy and how does it differ from face-to-face therapy?
The benefits of Online CBT Therapy Vs Face to Face
Can online CBT therapy really be as effective as traditional in-person therapy? In the past people have had reservations about receiving therapy purely online. Worries mostly surround not being able to form the same connection with their therapist and the overall effectiveness of the treatment. We find that actually our clients rate online CBT Therapy as highly as face-to-face therapy in the areas of therapeutic relationships and getting the results they need.
One of the biggest advantages of online CBT Therapy is the increased accessibility. You can access your session from anywhere you feel comfortable whether that’s at home, in the office or even sitting on a beach.
Often we find one of the biggest barriers for people accessing CBT Therapy is either transport to get to the appointment or time to fit it into busy schedules. As online CBT Therapy can be conducted wherever you are, these barriers are removed and more people can access the help they need.
Online CBT therapy can also be the ideal platform for those not wanting to seek a therapist in their local area due to anticipation of stigma or perhaps there are no services available locally.
When choosing a CBT therapist it’s vital that the person you connect with is right for you. If there’s little choice in your local area, you could end up with a therapist you don’t get the best from, not through the fault of you or the therapist, but quite simply, sometimes we connect with a person and sometimes we don’t. That’s okay.
As long as you feel comfortable, there’s no reason why the relationship between you and your therapist can’t be as strong if not stronger than one you could have by sitting in the same room. It’s all a personal choice and if your therapist is the right fit, online CBT therapy can be the perfect solution.
Online CBT Therapy
Getting the Most from Online CBT Therapy
There are a few basics to consider when getting ready for any therapy session, face-to-face or online but the main things to think about for online sessions are:
- Be on time
- Check all technology is working in advance and is charged
- Ensure you have privacy
- Turn off alerts and close other windows
- Wear comfortable clothes
- Have tissues and water nearby.
But what can you do to really get the most from your therapy sessions?
Be prepared
Being on time for your therapy session is a basic thing however being ready for it is totally different. This doesn’t mean knowing exactly what you will say, or feeling calm. It’s natural to be anxious before a session and not know what to talk about, your therapist will do the work and guide you along the way.
What we mean by being ready is not rushing from a work zoom call, becoming flustered when your mic suddenly won’t work or wasting the first ten minutes of your session getting settled into your chair.
Make sure you have privacy
Having a space to yourself for your session is ample, however, if there are still other people in the house, it can mean you hold back from discussing certain issues or going into depth for fear of being overheard or even distracted by noises.
It can be a good idea to talk to your partner to see if they can schedule a shopping trip or head to the gym for example to coincide with your session. If you have children, it can be helpful if someone trusted can take them out for a little while or at least keep them busy. We all remember the infamous interruptions by various children during TV interviews during the pandemic.
Don’t hold your phone
If you have no option but to use your phone make sure you stand it up rather than holding it in your hand. Holding your phone can distract your brain by trying to stay in frame or your arms aching after a while. Therapy sessions aren’t a 10-minute chat.
If you can use a larger screen it can help you get more from each session. This is especially useful if you often feel judged or not listened to. The more clearly you can see your therapist’s face, the more you can see that they are listening and accepting you as well as gauging their emotions more easily as they speak. A larger screen also allows us to share resources on screen such as Psychological Questionnaires, CBT Therapy Materials and the use Zoom Whiteboard facility.
Tell your therapist if you’re distracted
If your doorbell is ringing nonstop, the dog is barking, your children are shouting for you or you simply need the loo to the extent you can’t focus, simply be honest with your therapist. It’s much better for both you and your therapist if you’re honest and need to take a break. If you’re distracted you’ll have wasted the whole session rather than spending a few moments dealing with the distraction.
CBT Therapist London
Alistair Bond is principal practitioner at CBT Clinic London. As well as being an expert in CBT therapy and Mindfulness Meditation he specialises in OCD and helping people overcome distressing and upsetting Intrusive Thoughts- what is referred to in the media now as “Pure O”. Read more about Pure O here.
The CBT Clinic London offers both online and face-to-face CBT Therapy. Just tell us which you’d prefer at your FREE consultation. If you’d like to mix the types of sessions you have, we also have that option. If you choose one type of session and decide you’d like to try another format, you have the freedom to change. Your therapy should be your way and led by you.
Contact us today to arrange your FREE Consultation. Call our friendly reception on 0207 157 9924 or fill out this form:
The Outside World is Outside of Your Control
When you look out of your window what you are looking at is the next moment of the unfolding of the universe. What you are seeing is the direct result of all the moments that happened before. A mind – blowingly long time before.
The unfolding of the universe began 13.8 billion years ago at the time of “The Big Bang”. I’m guessing you’d agree that had absolutely nothing to do with you. So an interesting thing to ponder on is why does the moment you are looking at have anything to do with you? In CBT Therapy there is a thinking error called “personalisation”. This basically means that often we mistakeingly take things personally when in fact they aren’t personal in anyway.
It seems that because you are looking at the moment, that it has something to do with you, Even though at the same time you are experiencing the moment directly in front of you there are moments happening behind you , to the side of you, above and below you and everywhere else in the universe. There are moments occurring in Japan but you don’t care about those do you? You only really care about those moments that you see. What you call your life. As a result because what we think we see is ours, we naturally think we can and should change it. To bend it so that it is more how we want it to be.
However this is a huge error on our part. A mistake that can lead to dire consequences for our mental health. How can we change something that we did not create? Why and how are we responsible for something that is the direct result of 13.8 billion years in the making? What right do we have to do this? We are just visitors here. We are here for a miniscule amount of time compared to the universe itself.
Do you want to be responsible for the weather. Or the waves on the sea? Or making trees grow. Or whether a Polar bear and her three cubs in Antartica eats tonight. Or for making every heart beat?
Be careful because your Mind can make you think you can change things in the outside world and that you are responsible when the truth is you are not. It is just creation unfolding in front of your eyes. And you get to see and experience it. Lucky you! An article on gratitude.
If the dinosaurs had not roamed planet earth, the moment you are seeing right now would be entirely different. Everything had to happen exactly as it did for you to experience what you are seeing right now. This fact is uber relevant when it comes to our past and wishing some, most or all of it was different to what actually happenned. You see it `couldnt have been any other way. If it had there is no way you would be reading this right now. If one thing in your past had been different you are not here in the way you are now. In CBT Therapy we help people process and come to a deep acceptance of their past. And at the point where people can truly accept their past regardless of what terrible things happenned – healing occurs.
To put this in perspective the earth itself is only 4.5 billion years old. All the elements that are on this earth and are in everything that lives here were created in the big bang. The periodic table has in total 118 elements. 94 of those elements occur naturally on our earth and were created at the time of the Big Bang. That means that your nose is made of stuff that came into existence 13.8 billion years ago. Your face is literally made of stars.
Learn More
Super Human
It’s completely human to blame people, places and things in the outside world for the problems we have inside of us. Also most of us try to seek, get or change things in the outside world to try to feel better inside of us. It’s not wrong. It just doesn’t work.
It can’t work. The reason is that you didn’t make the outside world and therefore you don’t have control over it. Every time you attempt to control, manipulate or change someone or something in the outside world, you will experience a disturbed stress inside you. Why? Because you simply can’t change or influence what never was in your control to start with. If you want to read more about why you can’t change the”outside world” read this article.
Learn More
Getting Some Perspective on Your Life
The funny things about us human beings is that we are literally spinning around on a rock in the middle of nowhere and we are stressing out if we get ketchup on our new shirt! We live in just one of three trillion galaxies that make up the universe and we think our own personal problems are such a big deal. Boy have we lost perspective.
We can use our Mind to get some perspective back. It is the kindest thing to do. The act of doing this. Using your Mind to wrestle back the perspective you have lost. Forcing your Mind to see the reality of your life and thinking about things differently is CBT Therapy.
The minute we start to think differently about our lives and our problems, we are putting much more useful thoughts inside our heads. This can’t help but create a nicer experience inside of us. Give it a go and see for yourself.
Learn More
Mantra. What’s playing in your head?
Ever had a catchy, repetitive pop song stuck in your head for days? Annoying isn’t it. But the fact that our Minds have the ability to do this, means we can create and have playing in our minds much more useful things. “I can handle it”…”I can handle it”…”I can handle it”… for instance. Now wouldn’t that be a much more useful thing for your Mind to be automatically saying to you? A phrase like that. Something you purposefully put in your Mind and repeat over and over until it “sticks” is a Mantra.
The truth is that I can have my Mind saying all the negative automatic junk it usually says or I can literally tune in and listen to my Mantra. Now I’m sure you’ll agree that having “I can handle it” or ” I can learn to like it” are much more useful and hugely less problematic for me as opposed to my Mind saying “I’m a terrible writer”, “no one will read this article” “why am I bothering” etc etc . The Mind , if we let it, will literally bombard us with this negative crap all day long won’t it?
A Mantra is literally any word or phrase that you purposefully repeat in your Mind over and over again until it eventually “sticks” in your Minds. At this point it just starts playing all by itself in the back of our Mind, all day long. Check it out for yourself and you will see this is much nicer to have going on in there than the alternative. The predominantly negative stuff.
A Mantra can be one “meaningless” word or a “phrase” that you believe and can get behind. The only thing to be mindful of though is that the “word” or particularly the phrase you pick needs to be quite neutral so that the automatic Mind doesn’t get hooked into it and start thinking about too much. If possible try to pick a word or phrase that your Mind is less interested in.
Now it takes a while to have a Mantra “stick”. First when we start the Mantra is weak. But through repetition of saying it over and over again, which will be a nicer thing to have going on in your head, rather than the usual negative automatic stuff, it will get stronger. Eventually it will create a layer in your mind and then just be there going on in the background whenever you need it. A strong Mantra becomes like a haven to go to when the other part of your Mind is driving you crazy, making you react to things or just creating a negative experience inside of you.
You may have first heard of Mantra in connection to spiritual and religious practices but the use of mantra in that way is NOT what I am talking about here. Here I am talking about how Mantras can help us with our mental health.
Having a Mantra that works for you, embedded in your head, rather than listening to the usual junk your Mind spews out is just sensible isn’t it? And with a little bit of hard work, effort and persistence creating a Mantra can be a complete game changer and is another way to “Get to Grips with the Mind”.
It’s a good idea to work on your Mantra and keep strengthening it whenever you remember to do so or when you know you are going to have extended periods of “free time”. I often work on my Mantra when I take the dog out for a walk. Instead of listing to stuff on I Tunes (which I used to do) I now choose to work on repeating and strengthening my mantra. So while I am walking around or picking up Dog Pooh – I am actively repeating “I can handle it…I can handle it…I can handle it”.
Please let me know if you found this little article on Mantra’s useful. Your feedback is really useful.
I wish you and your Mantra well.
Learn More
Why do Bad Past Experiences stay in us?
There are two possible types of learning from painful or difficult experiences in our past. The first is a physical learning. If you put your hand on a hot kettle when you are a kid you learn not to do it again. It does not create any anxiety in you when you see a hot kettle the next time – does it? But if you have an emotionally difficult experience it’s a completely different story. When you have an experience that is emotionally upsetting, you simultaneously create a thought in your mind. This is mental learning.
Let’s say your emotionally difficult experience was around failing at something and that created sadness in you. The thought or thoughts now created in your mind by this experience are something like “Sadness is bad” ” I must not fail”. The difference between the kettle experience where there is no thought created is that experience just naturally stays in the past. Whereas the experience of failure has created thought formations in you that will live in you until you die. You therefore can not leave the difficult emotional experience in the past as those thought formations are now “stuck” in your mind.
The answer is to learn how to let go of the difficult past experiences stuck in our minds. If you would like to learn more about this process click here.
Learn More
Let Go of Your Blockages
Life will show us where we are blocked, if we allow it to do so.
Then it is a question of knowing two other things. Firstly that we can handle the disturbance, emotion inside of us that is blocked. You see eventually if we give it the space and room, it will leave us when it is ready not when we are.
And secondly, we see that releasing the blockages inside of us will dramatically improve the quality of our life and the lives of everybody around us. That it is without doubt the way forward and the kindest thing you could ever do for yourself in this lifetime.
Life is sooo kind. You don’t have to go looking for where you are blocked. You don’t have to ask where do I start? You just have to listen to when in your life as you go about your day you are disturbed inside of you. Something someone said or did. Something you hear or see. Something that someone didn’t do or didn’t say. What in CBT Therapy we call “an external trigger”. Meaning something happens in the outside world and you have a disturbance inside of you.
If you think this is vague or a bit general, it’s because any, literally any experience you have during the day can hit your stuff and show you where you are blocked. To illuminate in that moment what you have stored inside of you and what you therefore need to release. For your sake and everyone elses.
Most of the stuff we experience during the day just passes straight by (or more accurately) straight through us. But if you are willing to look you will see that some of what you experience during the day disturbs us. Creates ripples on the calm lake of our psyche. Creates a disturbance inside of us.
How do we leave the past where it belongs in the past? We need to remove the blockages inside of us. How do we remove them? We release them. We let go of them inside of us.
Learn More