"Thought/action fusion" is one of the many faulty beliefs common in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. It's the belief that having a thought about something happening means it is actually happening or has happened. This sounded to me alot like "magical thinking" which is the belief that thinking a bad thought will cause something bad to happen. I do not know what the difference between these two beliefs are but they are in fact distinguished from one another.
Right now thought/action fusion is a major obstacle for me. In the past when I have had unwanted thoughts which caused me fear I would tell people, seek reassurance, alot of it. Now when I have an unwanted thought I believe if I say it out loud that will actually make it happen. Like I'm jinxing it or something. Also if I write it out, like on this blog, I would be making it happen, which makes it very difficult to accomplish my goal of exposing OCD here. It also makes it impossible to get help from my psychologist when I can't tell her what I'm afraid of in the first place!
When we first met she had planned for me to recognize and write down specific situations, the thoughts they triggered and the interpretations of those thoughts. Some of them I have no problem writing down but there are many others which I found very difficult. So before we can even get started with that we have to battle first this thought/action fusion.
My psychologist actually suggested that for a week or so I think about something bad happening to her. Interesting suggestion which I declined for the moment. I don't think she realizes just how powerful I am, lol. So for now I am to recognize and write down everytime my thoughts did NOT equal bad things happening, to gather evidence contrary to my whacked out belief. Because this would be written in hindsight I should be able to compile a good list, that is so long as OCD doesn't take over this ability too.
I think there are many factors mixed into my personal beliefs regarding the power of thoughts, anxiety being a major one and I think I may have some religious misconceptions which are adding problems as well. It's also hard to ignore all the hype about the power of positive thinking and the "law of attraction" etc. On top of that I have a friend who often speaks about her belief in "spiritual warfare" and the idea that demons are watching your every move and hearing your every word. This seems to include the belief in curses and that anything you say can have much influence on yourself or others. Interestingly enough I have always considered such theories to be very extreme and even contrary to my own spiritual beliefs. Yet even with my strong stance against them I think somehow they have triggered some of the OCD symptoms I am currently experiencing. Now I find myself feeling very confused.
I am very interested to hear what other people (with or without OCD) believe about thoughts, the role they play and the power they have. Do you think thoughts alone can determine an outcome? What role do thoughts play in spirituality and prayer? Can our thoughts subconsciously influence our actions? If so, should we be concerned about each and every thought that enters our minds? What about words? How do words cause and effect the world around us? Let me know what you think...
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