Forums IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ Beyond Human ocd

I have a friend with OCD and it's really interesting how it can manifest itself in different people.

The issues you are dealing with might be helped with figuring out WHY you are having these images, instead of trying to get rid of them. I've been reading Win Wengers "Einstein Factor" book and it has some really interesting techniques for dealing with our mind and our thoughts.

For whatever reason, you are generating these images and seeing them. It might be worth the time to try and see if there is a reason for it ..

You might try some of the techniques for Image Streaming on Win's site, he also has a Yahoo group that he posts frequently on. (http://www.winwenger.com)

Hope this is useful.

Tracey

Try cognitive/behaviour therapy. I think they are known as cognitive/behaviour psychologists. Also, try several psychiatrists before you believe anyone's opinion about your current condition.

Heart

Ladies and Gentlemen, Look out.

O.k. check this out. I had this exact phenomenon going on with years back and it lasted 3 years. Because I didn't do anything about it. Tool, I KNOW EXACTLY what you are going through. I'm talking it was like cable TV channels flashing horrifying stuff at unstoppable rates, and WHATEVER you do, DO NOT TRY to control it, it makes it worse. What I can tell you is that you don't necessarily have OCD, don't buy into the scams of modern Psychology. I'm telling you that we all have an over active monkey mind sometimes, the only problem is that yours is out of control.
I look back and I now realize I didn't have OCD, I just had my focus in the wrong places, I didn't have focused goals, I had unresolved emotional conflicts and lack of self purpose and most of all not staying in the present moment. I now realize that I had huge genius abilities that were not being channeled in directions that benefited me.
I'll bet 100 dollars you're an extremely insightful, bright, emathatic, and creative individual. Why do you think artists get spontaneous ideas and constant flows of thought and abilities to look at things from all angles. You have a gift and not OCD. Hell even OCD folks don't have OCD. This modern medical industry wants to keep us hooked to their little theories, to the pills, and give us little pet names for our lack of focus and general imbalance(not that there aren't legitament mental diseases like Schzophrenia, anyways) so then we're instantly hypnotized by these sources of authority and we get locked in our own self limiting Trance.
Again you have a gift and when you channel properly you will be able to direct light speed thought towards any endeavor you venture upon. You have an out of control image stream. And for one of three reasons.
A. You could quite possibly have emotional conflicts that are related to specific events, persons, or past experiences. Or you may have been exposed to stimuli(pictures, film, everday life witnesses) that caused you emotional disturbance and because you haven't brought it into your awareness and let it go it continues to perpetuate just below your conscious awareness, manifesting itself as repetetive intrusive thoughts.
B. What I already mentioned your amazing lighting speed thought potential not channeled in more constructive directions. Thats why they say idleness is the devil's play. (in ancient puritan times)
C. Also you may be living an imbalanced lifestyle. Lack of sleep, lack of focus in the present(too much past-future focus), lack of goals that matter to YOU, poor eating habits, and just compulsiveness to constantly grab the next thought.
I'm telling what you are describing is EXACTLY what I had, that why I feel strongly about posting this and have written so much. And now guess what? My mind is quiet, but when I do put my mind to photo reading or taking large amounts of imformation it's like my mind had so much practice taking in those intense intrusive thoughts that flashed so incessantly that I now can just take in gobs of useful imformation all once very effortlessly, but I have to allow it. Fighting those thoughts will only make it worse.

Basically look at the content of the thoughts. EMOTION fuels THOUGHTS. If there's content that you can recognize in those thoughts that gives that uhhhgggg emotion then you could deal the issue itself and it's emotional component. If you do this your mind will quiet down. The event or concept that disturbs you was witnessed, and the thoughts themselves are simply emotionless mental recordings. But then if there is a negative emotional reaction to the mental recording then one tends to try run away from it, push it down, ignore, compulsively try to rid of it. The Physiology of the mind is that if you force yourself not to think of something then the opposite effect occurs to even greater degree(your mind will think it more). It may sound odd but you need(I'm not trying to sound like a know it all but you won't here this from a Psycho-therapist who only wants more money and to keep you convinced that you need YEARS of treatment, baah! a bunch of Crapp!) deal with the emotions associated with content of these thoughts. Try to remember when they started and what stimuli may have triggered it at any point before it "started up".
There is a thought wheel is spinning to fast, you need to "get out of your head" and focus on the "outside world" and the wheel will start slowing down. You'll see that if you simple get out, overtime when you go back in you'll have a supercharged mind that you can direct openly to anything you do. Lastly I what helped me. Anything you intuitively know will help you is best for you but since your problem is IDENTICAL to the one I had I tell what helped me. Think for yourself of course but here it is:
The Sedona method, Eckhart Tolle's book "The Power of NOW", Any energy therapy(EFT, www.emoclear.com), Natural Brilliance, and simple Mindfulness(Buddhist Tradition). Oh and learning percussion seems to open the mind I've noticed in ways that free up clogged thoughts. Really these things are simply a guide, once you discover how simple the solution to your problem is you'll kick yourself, likes it's been here all along. YOU'RE the one who does the actions and takes the steps fully realize yourself, not a book or information source. However I tell you from personal experience that if you "surrender" yourself to some of the above teachings and come to you're own conclusions yourself you'll start to notice this problem losing it's momentum until finally, there it goes! It's gone.

my reply got deleted
Tool (cool band btw), its wonderful that u posted!

what u are going through is real and does not mean a weakness of character or anything.
the type of ocd u may have ( if u have it) is called "pure obsessional". this type is hard to diagnose as most relate ocd with overt actions ie cleaning, washing etc.

Id like to recommend a few books:

"the imp of the mind" - probably most related to what u are going through.

"Brain Lock"
"stop obsessing"

also, a good website -http://www.ocdonline.com/faq.htm - might be seem like too much info , just give it a look. I wouldnt mind suggesting more things, if u ever want to exchange emails.

i think u might have an advantage when it comes to learning Photoreading. u seem bright and most people who experience this are very intelligent.

I wish u the best
Good luck!