Thread by @garwboy

Ok so this is actually quite a common thing. It's 'intrusive thoughts', and it's invariably a harmless, sometimes even helpful, phenomenon. It's often just the sign of a human brain operating as normal. That said, things can go wrong.

WHY does it happen? Well...

/1

https://twitter.com/Biggies_MaIIs/status/1512389655538319360

One particularly useful power of the human brain is its ability to create simulations and scenarios. i.e. we have a powerful imagination
But it's not used solely for fantastical stuff; a lot of the time we use it to model scenarios of everyday things that might/could happen

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Basically, our brain is pretty much constantly coming up with hypotheticals. "What if this happened?" "What if that occurred?" "What if I did this?" "What if they did that?" etc.
This helps shape, guide, and reinforce our decision making and behaviour

#IntrusiveThoughts

/3

Some contend that this is the default state of the human brain. A human brain, with nothing specific to do other than exist, will essentially daydream about things that might/could happen. It's the role of the 'default network'.

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/P….

#IntrusiveThoughts

/4

Basically, coming up with random 'What if's is something the human brain does automatically. A lot of the time, they're pretty mundane, and are there and gone before we're even really aware of them

They're not all like that, though

/5

The thing is, when it comes to creating hypothetical scenarios, the only limit on what they can involve is our brain's understanding of what's actually possible in a particular situation.

And many things that are 'possible' are not exactly 'nice'. Or 'ethical'. Or 'legal'

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So, if your brain is constantly churning out random but *feasible* situations and actions you could do, some of those will be... unpleasant. And this has knock-on effects.

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Because when you contemplate doing something bad, or wrong, or just weird, you'll have an emotional reaction to it, so that thought 'sticks out', because you won't react emotionally to the more mundane scenarios your brain throws at you.

#IntrusiveThoughts

/8

Hence these thoughts are deemed 'intrusive'. They're jarring, and the emotional reaction they trigger due to their wrongness/unpleasantness means our attention (i.e. more brain resources) is dedicated to them, while more mundane thoughts are far more transient.

/9

Many think this means there's something wrong with them, that their brain randomly produced thoughts that were so 'wrong' by normal standards.

"Why did I think about throwing baby [X] into that [Y] compacter? I must be a secret sociopath!"

That's wrong, though (thankfully)

/10

The fact that you come up with thoughts involving alarming scenarios, *and find them alarming*, is technically the sign of a healthy brain. Or at least two aspects of it working as they should.

/11

The fact that your brain was able to come up with ideas and scenarios that were 'beyond the pale', or even just bizarre, suggests your cognitive ability to creatively simulate and hypothesise is working well.

/12

By the same token, the fact that you found these #IntrusiveThoughts so alarming/disconcerting reveals that your brain's grasp of social norms, self-restraint, acceptable behaviour etc. is also in good working order.

So, it's 'healthy' in two ways.

/13

If it helps, in the past I've compared such intrusive thoughts, and the potent emotional reaction they trigger, to someone exploring an island and finding a wire fence, and tentatively creeping close to it/throwing sticks at it to see if it's electrified.

/14

#IntrusiveThoughts are your brain's way of establishing where the boundaries are.

Brain: "What if I did (X), is that an acceptable thing to add to my behaviour repertoire?"

[Simulates (X)]

[VIOLENTLY NEGATIVE EMOTIONAL REACTION]

Brain: "...OK, won't be doing (X), then"

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So that's arguably why intrusive thoughts are so disconcerting, but also not something to worry about in most cases.

However, by definition, not everyone falls under the heading of 'most cases'. And that's where problems arise.

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For instance, #IntrusiveThoughts are fine as long as they're fleeting. As long as your brain goes 'OK, won't be doing that', then dismisses it and moves on to something else.

Not everyone's brain does that, though. And that's one of the big issues with OCD.

/17

I've written about the mainstream co-opting, and v unhelpful misunderstanding, of OCD before

theguardian.com/science/brain-…

But there's another issue; the most common symptom isn't sitcom-friendly constant cleaning, but the inability to dispel intrusive thoughts

/18

Those random dark, upsetting #IntrusiveThoughts and memories your brain throws up?

Imagine them taking centre-stage in your brain, for days on end

Imagine what that would do to your mood, mind, behaviour, functionality

That's the reality of many people with OCD

/19

The best explanation of how OCD is more about #IntrusiveThoughts than fastidious cleaning is the 'Insane In The Men Brain' podcast chat between @IamRichWilson and @jordbrookes

shows.acast.com/insaneinthemen…

And I say that as a neuroscientist who taught psychiatry for 7 years

/20

@IamRichWilson @jordbrookes Plenty of other issues will alter the impact of #IntrusiveThoughts too. For instance, if you've experienced trauma, your brain's perceptions of 'acceptable behaviour' and 'powerful emotions' will be drastically altered as a result.

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@IamRichWilson @jordbrookes But, in summary, it's perfectly normal for our brains to cook up wild or unpleasant #IntrusiveThoughts , react to them appropriately, then forget about them.

It's when we *can't* forget about them, that's when something might be amiss.

/22

If you like this sort of explainer about brains and #MentalHealth, I have a book out about this very thing

amazon.co.uk/Psycho-Logical…

But regardless, thanks for reading another #BrainStuff thread. And I'm always happy to answer any other brain questions if you have them

/end

A 🧵 I did last night about #intrusivethoughts

Tl:dr - Basically, no matter how dark/weird they are, they're just a normal part of a healthy brain doing its thing.

But if they don't go away, that's when there may be something wrong

https://twitter.com/garwboy/status/1512547386438078480