Intrusive Thoughts. A few weeks ago, I had a client call me who was seeking counseling for her son, Bill. Bill was constantly overwhelmed with thoughts that at times completely immobilized him. The mother said that her son deals with Intrusive Thoughts almost all of the time. I thought about the words Intrusive Thoughts and learned they can be symptoms that shows up in a number of diagnosis, mainly Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Intrusive thoughts find themselves stuck to memories much more than others. They can occur rarely or frequently. These thoughts cause major distress that can become disconcerting. I only met with Bill once and also of mention is that Bill is 12 years old. So, Bill found it very challenging to elaborate on his thoughts. What I did understand from Bill is that he was bullied at school a few times and these events that happened torment him. Intrusive Thoughts.
Intrusive thoughts are just thoughts but what gives them some weight is when these thoughts threaten the person’s significance and they do not know how to cope with this thought whether it is real or not. Intrusive thoughts in themselves are not harmful but if they are interfering with how a person is taking care of themselves, it could potentially be problematic. An example would be the person who is scared to go to sleep because these thoughts will come over them.
In addition to having PTSD a person with intrusive thoughts can deal with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and even eating disorders. The intrusive thoughts interrupt a person’s control that they think they had. Medical conditions such as traumatic brain injury, dementia or Parkinson’s Disease can include having intrusive thoughts.
The best treatments for dealing with intrusive thoughts is talking with a counselor or therapist using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. CBT is a great way of looking at a person’s patterns and/or triggers that they find happen and do not realize.
If you are looking for a therapist near you and a Google search is a great way of finding one. I happen to be a therapist in Charlotte, NC but am licensed to counsel anyone in the state of North Carolina. In Google, try looking for “psychotherapist,” “find therapist,” “therapy near me,” or even “counseling charlotte, nc.” If you feel like you have hit a wall you are not able to get past, call me at (704) 458-6298 or email me at jeffhelms@clearerthoughtspllc.com.
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