Hey Dr. K, let's talk about sexual intrusive thoughts.
Hey Dr. K,
As a brief overview, I've lived with depression and anxiety since my childhood. A few years back in college I started working toward bettering my mental health, and about 2 years ago, I would have said my mental health was very solid. In that, the bad feelings would come, but I would be able to manage them. (I am mostly back to that point now.) However I experienced my first intrusive thought around that time... and it knocked me ON MY ASS.
Since being directed to your channel by my lovely partner, I have benefitted greatly from your insight and activism toward mental health. Something however which left me unsettled was a stream whereby a question was raised about 'pedophilic intrusive thoughts'. What I found you talking about was very educational and beneficial, but the chat was FILLED with people making jokes about the topic, or being concerned from the stigma surrounding it.
Having been through a really rough time with intrusive thoughts surrounding infidelity, I know how scary it can be. It was like a switch flicked off in my brain and I was completely unforgivable. My partner was as supportive as he could be, but it even took a while to explain to him what was happening in my mind. And all the while I felt like I didn't belong on this earth.
Stumbling across what intrusive thoughts were on the internet was what started the journey to my recovery, and perhaps saved my life.
It took a solid year of really hard work to make strides in my mental health, but I got there. And it feels like a distant memory, but at the time it was the longest hours, minutes and seconds of my life.
What stays with me is that I went from 95% to 2% functionality, and it was incredibly traumatic; I felt completely unworthy to exist on this earth, from a spark going off in my mind.
I don't want anyone to unneccessarily suffer in the ways in which I did.
Therefore I please ask, with your platform and my experience, if we can shed some light on and help those struggling with intrusive thoughts.
Thank you man x