# OCD thoughts about reality



## mkeshish (Nov 26, 2011)

Hey everyone, it has been a little while since i've been posting. the past 4 months I have been battling DP/DR, and due to my panic disorder and tendency for obsessive thoughts it has been a pretty heavy battle... I wanna share just some of the things I'm experiencing and see if anyone feels similar and if anyone has advice.

so many of you have probably heard about the whole solipsism idea... one thought i can't get rid of is how to prove anything outside my own conscious. I try and quell these thoughts because it makes me anxious. I tell myself that as far as i know, this is the life i have always perceived and am have been happy...

but the thoughts keep going until i'm trapped in my head! i'll be like "what if this isn't how i have always perceived things" or "how do i know if memories are real things" "what if all of a sudden my reality changes..."

i can keep going, my mind seems to find more and more levels to go to and i try so hard to accept and stop this... i dont know. advice or stories would be so appreciated.

thanks!


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## mkeshish (Nov 26, 2011)

I would really like some input if anyone had anything... I'm pretty miserable


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## Tilly223 (Nov 27, 2011)

Hey Mkeshish,

What you are experiencing is a pretty common OCD symptom. I have been through all the bloody Solipsism ideas and they used to make me panic myself stupid. The best thing to do is think about this

Ochams Razor - the idea that the simplest solution is probably the right one/truth. Hence, what you see and feel are probably true. (look up Ochams razor on wikipedia when it's back on line.) I know your OCD is going to try and refute that but just hang on to it. When you get older you will not give a toss about solipsism thoughts anyways because for the most part - unless your a philosopher they are irrelevant. Hang in there brother/sister. 


mkeshish said:


> I would really like some input if anyone had anything... I'm pretty miserable


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## mkeshish (Nov 26, 2011)

Tilly, thanks so much for taking the time for the response, it means a lot...

The occams razor principle is really illuminating. Like you said my OCD can refute anything if I allow it but I need to practice different philosophies of belief. Thanks for the input!


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## OvercomeTheAnxietyDP/DR (May 8, 2013)

mkeshish said:


> Hey everyone, it has been a little while since i've been posting. the past 4 months I have been battling DP/DR, and due to my panic disorder and tendency for obsessive thoughts it has been a pretty heavy battle... I wanna share just some of the things I'm experiencing and see if anyone feels similar and if anyone has advice.
> 
> so many of you have probably heard about the whole solipsism idea... one thought i can't get rid of is how to prove anything outside my own conscious. I try and quell these thoughts because it makes me anxious. I tell myself that as far as i know, this is the life i have always perceived and am have been happy...
> 
> ...


I swear, I had the same thoughts, where are you now? How are you doing now? You got over them HUH?


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## Guest (Jun 5, 2013)

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## Hosscat (Oct 23, 2012)

Does the 'doubt' go along with the thoughts too Delicate? Like, 'I cant know for sure, but it does seem pretty irrational." Type thinking?


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## OvercomeTheAnxietyDP/DR (May 8, 2013)

Loza782 said:


> Hi, in suffering with the exact saw thing and have done for 9 weeks, it happened to me due to a film and then i researched "how do we know what's real" and solipisism came up; I had a massive panic attack - the world crashed in on me!!!! I've never felt so much despair, I've searched for 8 weeks straight to dispute it but nothing is coming up!!! I know its irrational and all I need is an answer!!!! I'm 7 months pregnant to so this had had a massive effect; questioning eveything, sisters, my home, work... It has made me depressed and very panicky!!! Thinking your alone is a terrible thing, and when you get to to the point of believing in it and saying what's the point of it all- it scares the hell
> Out of me!!!! I feel
> Your pain. Laura


 Here is a way to dispute it, Solipisism can't be true because a brain can't thrive on being isolated, you can't teach yourself, it is an oxymoron, questioning it is proof it's fake, if Solipisism was possible, I would never ever let myself know it's possible, I would put a block on my mind to keep me from ever thinking like that. also if it was possible, and I or you, or anybody who feels they created everything, the people are still real, the thing is, a the movie vanilla sky caused me to think this, I'm getting better slowly though. Right now, my mind kind of latched onto something else since I feel we are not dreaming anymore, and don't believe in solipisism, i'm thinking what if this life is like a video game, and I'm the only protagonist.. I will get over that hopefully


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## Guest (Jun 5, 2013)

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## mkeshish (Nov 26, 2011)

Hi all,

I was notified that responses were posted to my old thread. Solipsism, questioning reality, existential thoughts... they made my life a living hell. Don't give up hope though. Ive been doing much better, it is possible. At the end of the day, you are not going to find many concrete answers to these questions, but there is the theory of Occam's razor: among competing hypotheses, the hypothesis with the fewest assumptions should be selected. Usually the simplest answer is the right one. What it seems you are experiencing, most likely is as it seems.

say out loud things like "i am really here", "nothing has changed"... distract your mind. just accept and be. putting a stop to the cycle of thoughts is the hardest part. but slowly you can get over this!!


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## Hosscat (Oct 23, 2012)

Glad you're doing better mkeshish 

And Delicate, accepting the thoughts, that always confuses me. Im afraid if I except I wont be one of those people who no longer doubts, instead ill just be stuck thinking that things are not real. But im assuming its rather paradoxical.


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## Guest (Jun 6, 2013)

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## Guest (Jun 6, 2013)

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## Hosscat (Oct 23, 2012)

Delicate said:


> I think if you truly get to that point of ultimate acceptance, it just won't be in your head any more. You won't be stuck thinking things are not real, like you say, because you will not be thinking about it at all - You will be thinking about everything else in life, you will be less of an observer and much more of a doer. Even if you voluntarily chose to think of the topic for a moment, you would feel no fear and it would float out of your mind like all the other thoughts you think throughout the day. Obviously it's quite a journey to get to that point, there will be many times where the thought will come into your head without you choosing it to, and it will bring on fear, but with daily persistence of the 4 steps, the former is entirely possible!


I hope I can do it, it makes sense that if im just not thinking about this life will return to normal. I just want to 'feel' my family again. Now when im with them its like they aren't there anymore because I keep questioning if they're real.


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