Why do I have negative obsessive thoughts

Our brain is an organ that, among many other properties, has two fundamentals for the life of any person: stores information on events that occurred in the past and is capable of generating a representation of events that may occur in the future. Both faculties allow bringing to the consciousness of the present moment (updating) the representation of past events through the memory, or futures through the imagination. It simulates the past and ventures into the future, two mental phenomena of vital relevance in the field of survival, as it allows avoiding mistakes made in the past and anticipate what could happen, and thus be able to choose the best way to act if finally happens.

The problem arises when some negative event from the past, or that may occur in the future, repeatedly emerges through our consciousness in thought form and causes a psychological disturbance, a distressing state of mind and suffering. In this Psychology-Online article, we will try to resolve the question of "Why do I have negative obsessive thoughts? "

Index

1. What Are Unpleasant Repetitive Thoughts
2. Negative recurring thoughts: how they work
3. Why disturbing thoughts arise

Any of us have memories of negative situations in the past or concern about a specific situation that may occur in the past. future, this can be considered as "normal", but if any of these assumptions spontaneously and continuously surface in our consciousness in any time and place without causing it, altering emotional stability and affecting the normal development of our daily life, constitutes a Actualizing Disruptive Thought (PPA), so called because invading our consciousness generates the same emotions and physical sensations unpleasant that if the disturbing event was happening at the time ("updates" them at the moment Present). An example of them are:

• "I made a fool of myself in that situation"
• "I could have done more in the illness or death of my loved one"
• "My action has caused harm to this person and I feel guilty for it"
• "I'm sure that I too will suffer from my father's illness"
• "I will not have sufficient financial resources when I retire"
• "my parents don't love me"
• "I will never find a partner"

PPAs can update a disruptive event that occurred in the past to the present: update by memory (the death of a relative, a romantic breakup, a traffic accident, a compromising or embarrassing situation, etc.); or update to the present a possible disturbing future situation: upgrade in advance of a possible unwanted event that would produce serious consequences (fear of death, not finding a job, a marital separation, the risk of suffering from a congenital disease, etc.).

PPAs are usually intrusive, recurring, annoying and disturbing, and are necessarily associated with one or more negative emotions (fear, anxiety, hatred, sadness, guilt, shame, frustration, etc.) that induce the physiological activation that causes the physical discomfort that accompanies. In addition, the PPA creates a psychocentrism about the disturbing event and its circumstances (it focuses attention and mental resources on the problem that represents), leaving aside other aspects of daily life (family, work, social) that offer positive and pleasant stimuli that generate satisfaction and psychological well-being.

If we are still wondering "why do i have negative obsessive thoughts"It is important to know where they come from and how they work. Actualizing disturbing thinking (PPA) arises because a past event negatively affected one of the factors that influence our mood (refers to the factors of psychological homeostasis proposed by W. Cannon): health, affection, self-esteem, interpersonal relationships, financial resources, self-realization, system values, etc., and caused such an intense psychological impact that it has been etched in the memory in the form of a engram (It is a psychological trace formed by a network of connections of neurons that form a specific neural network that represents it) that is configured as a emotional marker.

The same happens if, instead of a past event, it is the imagination of a possible future event that can activate any of the emotional markers.

These emotional markers they can remain "inactive" or "asleep" in memory and, in the face of certain stimuli or events in ordinary life, such as an image, a situation, a sound, etc. (although they also "wake up" automatically and for no apparent reason), they are activated and emerge into the consciousness of the present moment in form of memory or anticipation, and our mind accepts them as current events, thus activating the emotional system and causing the unpleasant physical sensations that cause discomfort in the person (mental disturbance, altered heart rhythm, discomfort stomach, anxiety crisis, etc.).

In this regard, it should be remembered that pain, both physical and psychological, is a natural factor in the biological system. human that serves as an alert to draw our attention to some aspect that is not working well and incite us to fix it. In this sense, PPAs fulfill this mission driven by our own mind: restore psychological balance and emotional stability, but, at times, they can become a recurring and uncontrolled obsession that generates pain and suffering.

This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.

If you want to read more articles similar to Why do I have negative obsessive thoughts, we recommend that you enter our category of Cognitive psychology.