Guest guest Posted January 26, 2004 Report Share Posted January 26, 2004 Jeanne, my youngest daughter used to have and sometimes still has what we call " Seeing Things. " She uses her thoughts to change them into something funny (she puts bunny ears on them) or melts them or blows them up (you're getting the idea) and they disappear. Sometimes reading helps too and she also talks back to them and tells them to get lost. It was frightening at first because when she was three or four and talked about people in the room we really wondered. She told us when she was seven that it was easier to just say that she " sees " them and she described the voices and sounds she hears as " really loud thoughts. " Sheesh--these kids are really tough. I have OCD too and don't really remember seeing things but I do remember the loud thoughts! Hang in there-- hardly ever has " Seeing Things anymore. They seem to pop up when she is stressed but have moved on for the most part. Yah! Kelley in NV Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 26, 2004 Report Share Posted January 26, 2004 > Sorry to be posting so many questions, but little things keep coming up > <sigh> > > Any insight on what to do about intrusive images. These are definitely > obsessions, but they aren't telling him to *do* or *not do* anything, > they just won't go away. Usually it is right around bedtime, and it is > almost always some type of monster. (I think they also bother him at > other times of the day, but he can lose the image by finding something > else to do). He also sometimes has intrusive sounds or music. > > He does do a lot of bossing them back: " This is my mind and I'm going > to think about what I want to think about. " But, it's a little bit > like telling someone not to think about a pink elephant in the corner. > Easy to say, almost impossible to do. There's no specific compulsion > that goes with them. It's not like when he couldn't get in his bed > because there might be glass in it. There's nothing in particular that > he avoids so that the images and sounds won't bother him, and there's > nothing that he tries to do to stop them. So I can't really come up > with a exposure type of thing to do with them. > > The good thing is he is coming and telling us right away. Before, he > used to lie awake in his bed for *hours* with a pretty long ritual > where he tried to " reclaim " his own thoughts. But, I don't have any > other really good strategies. He can sing to " drown out " the scary > music sounds by playing a CD and that seems to work OK. He also says > that watching TV helps get rid of the " pictures of the monsters. " And, > I'm sure that it does, but I really don't want him sitting up watching > TV all hours of the night. > > (And, they are definitely not hallucinations. He knows the sounds and > pictures aren't real. He just can't get rid of them. My son actually > calls them " brain tics " and that's a pretty good description.) > > > Jeanne > jwestpha@a... > NBCT - Exceptional Needs (2000) It sounds like your son may have primarily " obsessional " OCD and there is an effective way to treat this - I can personally attest to this. I had an abrupt onset of this type of OCD as an adult, which included intrusive, distressing images. After five years of improper diagnosis and much suffering, I finally received proper treatment with ENORMOUS success. The treatment was essentially imaginal exposure, conducted via audio tapes. My psychologist created audio tapes, while I was in his office, describing these intrustive thoughts in great and exaggerated detail. I then listened to these tapes until I became habituated. Each time I listened to one of the tapes, I had to stick with it until my anxiety went down (sometimes this took upwards of an hour). I did each tape for approximately two weeks (every day) and had probably three tapes total. This was about 11 years ago, and with a few booster sessions in the early years, I can honestly say I have not been bothered much at all since. (For the last several years, it's been barely noticeable). At the time, he called this technique " flooding " . I think in general this technique has been replaced with a more graduated exposure process (where you build up to more difficult images), which I think would probably be especially important for a child. The process was very difficult, requires considerable motivation and I'm sure would have to be adjusted for a child. But it was extremely effective. Best of luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 26, 2004 Report Share Posted January 26, 2004 Hi Jeanne, these are pretty common, stuck scary thoughts. They do seem to crop up more at bedtime I guess because all our kids' distracting techniques are off limits then (such as the TV you mention.) You are right he can't boss back these images and the more your son tries the more he ends up focusing on them. Some techniques that helped my daughter was to read to her, let her listen to a book on tape or music at a low level, or allow her to read all while tucked in bed. For a long while we actually backed bedtime up to an earlier time in order to have time for these relax and distract techniques. My child used to get so wound up and anxious toward bedtime, anticipating the sticky bad thoughts, and I think this actually helped guarantee she'd have trouble with them. Getting a routine that worked helped reduce her rising anxiety around bedtime, and in time she then began having less and less trouble with the sticky thoughts. Take care, Kathy R. in Indiana Intrusive Images > Sorry to be posting so many questions, but little things keep coming up > <sigh> > > Any insight on what to do about intrusive images. These are definitely > obsessions, but they aren't telling him to *do* or *not do* anything, > they just won't go away. Usually it is right around bedtime, and it is > almost always some type of monster. (I think they also bother him at > other times of the day, but he can lose the image by finding something > else to do). He also sometimes has intrusive sounds or music. > > He does do a lot of bossing them back: " This is my mind and I'm going > to think about what I want to think about. " But, it's a little bit > like telling someone not to think about a pink elephant in the corner. > Easy to say, almost impossible to do. There's no specific compulsion > that goes with them. It's not like when he couldn't get in his bed > because there might be glass in it. There's nothing in particular that > he avoids so that the images and sounds won't bother him, and there's > nothing that he tries to do to stop them. So I can't really come up > with a exposure type of thing to do with them. > > The good thing is he is coming and telling us right away. Before, he > used to lie awake in his bed for *hours* with a pretty long ritual > where he tried to " reclaim " his own thoughts. But, I don't have any > other really good strategies. He can sing to " drown out " the scary > music sounds by playing a CD and that seems to work OK. He also says > that watching TV helps get rid of the " pictures of the monsters. " And, > I'm sure that it does, but I really don't want him sitting up watching > TV all hours of the night. > > (And, they are definitely not hallucinations. He knows the sounds and > pictures aren't real. He just can't get rid of them. My son actually > calls them " brain tics " and that's a pretty good description.) > > > Jeanne > jwestpha@... > NBCT - Exceptional Needs (2000) > > > Our list archives, bookmarks, files, and chat feature may be accessed at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group// . > Our list advisors are Gail B. , Ed.D., Tamar Chansky, Ph.D., Aureen Pinto Wagner, Ph.D., and Dan Geller, M.D. Our list moderators are Birkhan, Castle, Fowler, Kathy Hammes, Joye, Kathy Mac, Gail Pesses, Kathy , Vivian Stembridge, and Jackie Stout. Subscription issues or suggestions may be addressed to Louis Harkins, list owner, at louisharkins@... , louisharkins@... , louisharkins@... . > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 28, 2004 Report Share Posted January 28, 2004 Hi Jeanne: The DSM IVR includes intrusive images as obsessions in its definition. And you are so right the usual things sufferers do to get rid of these images do not work. They are compulsions which give at most temporary relief followed shortly by worsening. To think about obsessions less it can be helpful to think about them more, i.e. keep the image at the forefront of his mind and wait until the anxiety this provokes subsides. This is a form of flooding and stops the suffer from avoiding the thought. This behavioral approach can be difficult at first. Using cognitive techniques where your son understands this is cruel error messages from OCD, junk mail in his brain, and does not mean anything about him, he is a wonderful person, with a cruel disorder which is tricking him. IT seems your son does a good job with the cognitive part of CBT. The compulsion part could be confessing to you that he is getting these intrusive images. Typically OCD sufferers tend to be very reluctant to share what is going on in their brains as they worry, even when they have insight this is not necessary, that they are going crazy and are embarrassed about the way their brains function. This is just speculation without talking to your son. I suggest you and he discuss this with his CBT therapist who will be able to help him do some good exposure and response prevention to boss back this bothersome symptom. GOod luck, please keep us posted on his successes. Take care, aloha, kathy (h) kathy.hi@... > Sorry to be posting so many questions, but little things keep coming up > <sigh> > > Any insight on what to do about intrusive images. These are definitely > obsessions, but they aren't telling him to *do* or *not do* anything, > they just won't go away. Usually it is right around bedtime, and it is > almost always some type of monster. (I think they also bother him at > other times of the day, but he can lose the image by finding something > else to do). He also sometimes has intrusive sounds or music. > > He does do a lot of bossing them back: " This is my mind and I'm going > to think about what I want to think about. " But, it's a little bit > like telling someone not to think about a pink elephant in the corner. > Easy to say, almost impossible to do. There's no specific compulsion > that goes with them. It's not like when he couldn't get in his bed > because there might be glass in it. There's nothing in particular that > he avoids so that the images and sounds won't bother him, and there's > nothing that he tries to do to stop them. So I can't really come up > with a exposure type of thing to do with them. > > The good thing is he is coming and telling us right away. Before, he > used to lie awake in his bed for *hours* with a pretty long ritual > where he tried to " reclaim " his own thoughts. But, I don't have any > other really good strategies. He can sing to " drown out " the scary > music sounds by playing a CD and that seems to work OK. He also says > that watching TV helps get rid of the " pictures of the monsters. " And, > I'm sure that it does, but I really don't want him sitting up watching > TV all hours of the night. > > (And, they are definitely not hallucinations. He knows the sounds and > pictures aren't real. He just can't get rid of them. My son actually > calls them " brain tics " and that's a pretty good description.) > > > Jeanne > jwestpha@a... > NBCT - Exceptional Needs (2000) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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