socialjusticeichigo:

So, let me just talk about intrusive thoughts for a moment here.

Intrusive thoughts are common with OCD and quite possibly other mental illnesses. They can be sexual thoughts with an inappropriate target (relatives, children, animals), they can be violent thoughts (about doing something that will harm you or others), they can be racist/homophobic/etc.

They do not mean that the person secretly likes or agrees with whatever the intrusive thought is about. It does not mean that they actually like or agree with these things on some subconscious level. In fact, it’s the exact opposite. Intrusive thoughts are always about something that the person fears, hates, or disagrees with.

The entire reason they’re considered part of a disorder is because they are distressing by their very nature. The brain takes the things that you never ever in a million years want to think about, the things you hate or fear or disagree with, and forces them to the front of your mind.

And the best part is, the more you try to block it out, the more it gets pushed into the forefront of your mind. The best method of dealing with intrusive thoughts is to acknowledge them, remind yourself that these thoughts do not mean you are a bad person or that you ‘deep down’ really feel this way, and then move on once you’ve processed the intrusive thought.

So to everyone who deals with intrusive thoughts: You are not a bad person. In fact, the fact that these thoughts are distressing to you says the exact opposite.