Obsessive, Intrusive, Magical Thinking

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Garcia-Montes JM, et al. (2014). The role of magical thinking in hallucinations. Comparisons of clinical and non-clinical groups. Individuals who engage in magical thinking have a mentality that causes them to be fearful and preoccupied with ensuring the safety and wellbeing of themselves and others through engaging in certain thoughts or behaviors that become associated with preserving safety. Overtime, you will see that nothing bad will happen (i.e., choking) when you do not perform the compulsion (i.e., counting), and your anxiety will decrease even without the compulsive response. Sources:

Engaging in behaviors around “good” numbers, colors, words, or dates, such as crossing a doorway a certain number of times Obsessions are often at the root of the OCD experience. An obsession is an intrusive and unwanted thoughtor urge that causes anxiety or distress for the person experiencing it. I would love to have a personal chef. But if I just think about it hard enough, in the right combination of numbers, or at the right times of day, a chef will not magically appear in my home. Telling people that their words, thoughts, or unrelated actions will cause positive or negative outcomes is harmful to those who have been so tortured by intrusive thoughts. The best course of treatment for magical thinking OCD, like all types of OCD, is exposure and response prevention (ERP) therapy. The idea behind ERP is that repeated exposure to obsessive thoughts, without engaging in compulsions, is the most effective way to treat OCD. When you continually reach out for the compulsions, it only strengthens your need to engage them. On the other hand, when you prevent yourself from engaging in your compulsions, you teach yourself a new way to respond and will very likely experience a noticeable reduction in your anxiety.Magical Thinking had an enormous impact on me as a child. I had to do a particular task x number of times or God would be disappointed in, me and punish me. Or, I had to be cool because my crush could be watching me from behind a window, bush, or something.” However, for those with OCD, this superstitious thinking can generate extreme anxiety, fear, and an overwhelming sense of responsibility.

Writer and journalist Marianne Eloise was born obsessive. What that means changes day to day, depending on what her brain latches onto: fixations with certain topics, intrusive violent thoughts, looping phrases. Some obsessions have lasted a lifetime, while others will be intense but only last a week or two. If I call my friend or answer the phone at 9:11 a.m. or p.m., something tragic will happen, and it will be my fault.Following specific routines or rituals. It is not uncommon for an individual to feel it necessary to repeat these rituals or routines multiple times until their OCD is satisfied (i.e., anxiety dissipated). Similarly, it is not uncommon for individuals to perform these rituals or routines at specific times of the day or days of the week. I allowed myself to imagine all the positive things 2022 could have in store for me, but I didn’t entertain the idea that I was jinxing it by being optimistic — that’s an irrational thought. swallowing/salivation, focussing on how frequently one swallows, the amount of salivation produced, or the sensation of swallowing itself. Having everything spotless, with no marks or smudges on windows and surfaces. Less about cleaning and contamination, more about just right and neatness

Unlike other OCD subtypes, Magical Thinking OCD is not a clinical diagnosis, but rather a manifestation of OCD. While it does have its own distinct characteristic, it can also occur within many other forms of OCD. If you have anxiety around this, you’re not alone. But remember that this, too, is an irrational thought. Catastrophizing: Taking a certain route to work in an effort to safeguard one’s family against being involved in a car accident. Intrusive bad thoughts that occur during prayer will contaminate and ruin or cancel out the value of these activities.As I write this, we’re not even 8% into 2022. Even if the year has been totally terrible up until now, you still have 92% of the year ahead. And, inevitably, there will be at least some good, despite a difficult start. I allowed myself to mark the end of the year with journaling, setting resolutions, and staying up until midnight, but I didn’t pin all my hopes for 2022 on doing New Year’s Eve “correctly.”