Obsession

[Jazzy]

I was doing some journalling tonight, and got on the topic of obsession. I'm not sure where all this came from, but I thought I'd leave it here, in hopes it may help someone.

Please take it with a grain of salt though. This isn't a thesis, just the rantings of a madman. 



Is obsession not the mental equivalency of addiction? To push the train of thought further down the track, perhaps it is literally the same. As the usage of a chemical results in a positive emotion that is so desperately desired, so too does the thought of the object of obsession. Perhaps the root of the issue is an attempt of the subconscious mind to trigger the emotional response, and not that the idea of the object of obsession is "stuck" in the subconscious.

If this is correct, then it should be possible to treat obsession using methods similar to that of any other addiction. However, it will be significantly harder, as there is no possibility of keeping the desired thoughts out of the mind, like I would keep alcohol out of my body.

An option then may be to associate the thought with less pleasant emotions. Perhaps focusing on the object of obsession and then immediately applying some sort of discomfort would work. It must be carefully noted that the object of obsession does not make the tolerating of the discomfort easier, but the association between the discomfort and object of obsession is made. I fear that may be too drastic, as there may be nothing inherently wrong with the object of obsession, and it may even be positive. In such a case it would not be good to go so far as to turn the object of obsession in to a negative, when it was not such to begin with.

The only possible cure I can see at this time, would be to gain more regulation of emotion. I believe this is a matter of substitution, or transference. However, if the object of obsession is indeed a positive influence, then it would not be good to substitute or transfer the emotional response completely, but to find other positive triggers which illicit a similar emotional response. While these other triggers may result in an emotional response which is less drastic, it would at least help ease the contrast, and therefore reduce the addictive quality of "specialness" in the object of obsession.

[BlancaLap]

I think we all agree that out obsession is to avoid the abuse and make sure it doesn't happen again.

[Blueberry]

Oh there may well be other obsessions hidden in the minds of some of us on here...

[Jazzy]

Yup! It's a complex issue for me, and I expect for others as well.

Thank you for pointing that out Blanca. At first I disagreed, because I tend to obsess about certain people, but after thinking about it some more I can see how it all relates. Above all, I'd really love to heal, but it's hard to see that when my mind is focusing on other things sometimes.

I truly hope you avoid further abuse, you begin to feel safe, and your obsession calms. 

[BlancaLap]

Yup! It's a complex issue for me, and I expect for others as well.

Thank you for pointing that out Blanca. At first I disagreed, because I tend to obsess about certain people, but after thinking about it some more I can see how it all relates. Above all, I'd really love to heal, but it's hard to see that when my mind is focusing on other things sometimes.

I truly hope you avoid further abuse, you begin to feel safe, and your obsession calms. 

Thanks Jazzy. Hope you do it too.