Intrusive thoughts

[LinE]

Struggling with addiction and intrusive thoughts, how do I seek and receive the Lord’s help? Where do I find strength to live in the Spirit and reduce the power the flesh has over me, over my life, my thoughts, and sometimes my actions?

I try to seek comfort in the Scripture as well in prayer, but I must be doing something wrong.

Am I selfish for wanting the Lord to cleanse me, to liberate me from thoughts’ control and power over me? Or am I looking in the wrong places?

 

[Petros2015]

Am I selfish for wanting the Lord to cleanse me, to liberate me from thoughts’ control and power over me? Or am I looking in the wrong places?

I don't know that you are looking in the wrong places, but 12 Step recovery programs (ideally) can help in that you are helping and being helped by others who have the same issues. Suddenly, it's less selfish and your tragedy becomes your resume'. Just another potentially "right" place for you to look for support if it's applicable to you.

 

[St_Worm2]

Hello @LinE, I suffered with a HORRIBLE/PAINFUL intrusive "thought-life" almost immediately after becoming believer (more than 35 years ago now). Like you, I was regularly practicing the basic Christian spiritual disciplines (Bible Study/Prayer/Fellowship/Witnessing), but the intrusive thoughts continued nevertheless

I'd like to ask you a couple of questions before I comment further (before I explain how things became so much better for me). First, do you consider your addiction to be the principal source of your intrusive thoughts (or perhaps a large part of why you are suffering from them), or do you consider the two (addiction/intrusive thoughts) to be mostly separate issues that both need to be remedied?

Also, did you have these intrusive thoughts when you were a non-Christian addict, or did they start after you became a believer?

Thanks

God bless you!!

--David

Psalms 37
4 Delight ~yourself~ in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.

Psalms 119
9 How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Thy word.
11 Thy word I have treasured [hidden] in my heart, that I may not sin against Thee.

Romans 12
2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
. ​

 

[LinE]

David, thank you for your reply. I really appreciate you taking the time.

These thoughts are a direct consequence, or symptom if you will, of the addiction and basically me being stuck in a loop of thoughts about how not to engage in the destructive behavior or obsessing about where the behavior has gotten me and how I need to act in order to remedy that, in combination with sinful thoughts like "is it really that bad, what would really happen if I just let myself go?" and so forth. And many times the thoughts are actually quite neutral, as if the pattern and/or neurological pathways have grown so deep that it is simply recurring thoughts that do not much more than just steal my focus.

Am I making any sense, whatsoever?

I believe my faith in Christ has given me a new perspective on my thoughts, behavior and approach overall, and also hope that there must be salvation, that I can be freed, but I don't know whether I am worse or better off after started walking with the Lord. Which is still very new to me.

 

[Frank Robert]

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[Frank Robert]

Struggling with addiction and intrusive thoughts, how do I seek and receive the Lord’s help? Where do I find strength to live in the Spirit and reduce the power the flesh has over me, over my life, my thoughts, and sometimes my actions?

I try to seek comfort in the Scripture as well in prayer, but I must be doing something wrong.

Am I selfish for wanting the Lord to cleanse me, to liberate me from thoughts’ control and power over me? Or am I looking in the wrong places?

I am a retired addictions psychologist and have run multiple drug/alcohol rehab programs for over 30 years.

The problem you outlined is due to obsessive thinking which is common. Before going into possible remedies you need to determine what type of person you are in regards to how you react or move towards others. It is easier than you might think.

There are only 3 ways we react to others. | Karen Horney | Our Inner Conflicts.

Some of my random thoughs

1. We can move towards others.
Motto: we are all in this together.
President: William Clinton -Famous line "I can feel your pain"
Typical career for this type: Administrator.

2. We can move against others
Motto: I am in control over myself and others.
President: Donald Trump
Typical Career goal: CEO, i.e. Steve Ballmer,
Trump's Reaction to Bush's “kinder, gentler America”
"I think if this country gets any kinder or gentler, it's literally going to cease to exist."

3. We can move away from others
Motto: I can do this myself.
Presiden: Richard Nixon
Typical Career goal: Analytical Thinker, i.e. Bill Gates.
Famous quote: I think it makes sense to believe in God, but exactly what decision in your life you make differently because of it, I don't know.​

Each of the three ways has its pluses and negatives. Becoming aware of how we react to others (in general) provides knowledge of our strengths and weaknesses.

For those interested you can download a free pdf or kindle copy of Our Inner Conflicts at
Queue PDF - Our Inner Conflicts - Karen Horney [k546xj1dpw48]

What treatment is more likely to work for you if you a type:
1. AA meetings and group therapy. Join the crowd.
2. Rational Recovery and individual therapy. You can control your "addictive voice" aka: inner beast.
3. As much as you can read on recovery, your recovery is within and only you find your way. Both AA and RR meetings will provide an opportunity for critical thinking and discussion.

Some practical things all types can benefit to reduce obsessive thinking:

Top of the list: learn to induce the Relaxation Response within yourself. It is simpler than what you may think.

Here is a one page pdf on The Relaxation Response
https://www.brighamandwomensfaulkne...ache-center/documents/relaxation-response.pdf
Herbert Benson, M.D. - Harvard University

Here is a 9 minute youtube video explaining the Relaxation Response (RxR) by Dr. Benson

I also recommend guided meditation, visual imagery, breathing exercises and biofeedback to elicit the RxR.
Jason Stephenson has literally 100s of youtube videos on breathing, body scans, guided meditation, etc. with literally millions of views and appreciations.
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=guided+meditation+jason+stephenson+

Feel free to ask any questions. Bonus for those who can correctly guess how I move towards others.

 

[har_habayit]

I deal heavy duty with intrusive thoughts. Some of those intrusive thoughts are of my own making, some are not. I am in counseling for it. I try to get out of the house and absorb my activity in the lives of others. Even then, I obsess, which is not quite the same as intrusive thinking, but it's still living in the mental realm obsessively, and that isn't helpful.