Intrusive thoughts are REALLY common. These can be involuntary urges or impulses to do whatever it is you consider to be the most inappropriate, horrific or shameful thing.
Lee Baer, whose quote is this post’s title, adds: “These thoughts, urges, and images almost always fall into one of three categories: inappropriate aggressive thoughts, inappropriate sexual thoughts, or blasphemous religious thoughts.”
I’d really recommend Baer’s book, The Imp of the Mind, to anyone suffering in silence with tormenting intrusive thoughts. Baer, whose book is based on 20 years of experience supporting people with OCD, gives examples of his clients’ ‘bad thoughts’. These were, for that particular person, the most inappropriate or awful thing he/she could think of doing:
· The woman who worried she’d throw her grandchildren off a bridge
· The new mother who thought she’d poison her infant
· The woman tormented by thoughts of lesbian sex with her sister
· The man who feared he’d stab children with a knife
The content of unwanted violent, sexual or blasphemous thoughts fly in the face of societal norms – focusing on the very opposite of what we want to do. For some, they can be understandably upsetting. Baer explains that many of his clients first experiencing them believe they signify some evil part of them, “an evil murderer or molester, their ‘true’ self”.
What can help us understanding these kinds of thoughts as normal. YOU are normal.
Unwanted intrusive thoughts can pop up seemingly out of the blue for many reasons - and are completely normal for both adults and children (Cree, 2015).
Given that on average, we experience around 4,000 thoughts in a 16-hour day, is it any wonder that some mental intrusions are disturbing and peculiar.
Unwanted intrusive thoughts, images and urges related to harm coming to your baby are also VERY common. What’s your experience?
Art by @ohgigue