What is an obsessive thought? My husband wakes up some mornings with annoying pop songs playing in his mind. Though he groans about how Carrie Underwood or Abba have hijacked his brain, this is quite minor compared to what many of my clients deal with on a daily basis. 

Obsessions are recurring thoughts that a person finds difficult or impossible to control. Unlike a catchy pop tune, these are typically doubts, worries, or horrible imaginings that cause significant anguish in those they plague. Sometimes they are related to traumatic memories, as in PTSD, but a person can have obsessions without ever having experienced a traumatic event. 

I have heard many obsessions in my professional career, often revealed sheepishly by the client. Most sufferers think their thought is the weirdest, most mentally-ill-sounding thought I will have ever heard, and they fear my response. Their fears are needless. I have heard everything from worry that one will abuse their own child, to overconcern that a person’s loved ones aren’t safe. I have had clients who worry about hearing a certain word, some who suffer prolonged overthinking about how they behaved in a social situation, and clients who obsess that they ran over something on the way to work. (The Anxiety and Depression Association of America has more here.)

What is important is that obsessive thoughts are treatable. They are part of anxiety and are manageable, once sufferers understand a little about how the anxious brain functions. Then, thought-based and action-based strategies are quite effective in managing and defeating obsessions. Medications can be helpful during this process as well.