How can I start to get rid of these images that are stuck in my mind? They are really starting to drag me down. What do I do? I jsut breakdown now b/c it is so waring and exhausting for me.
I doubt there is any simple, one size fits all way to deal with recurring images. A method I have used to deal with fits of anxiety, panic or depression is to replace the negative image with one that is healthy and soothing, preferably a good, strong memory. In my case it is often a remembrance of a beautiful wild place where I have hiked or camped. By surrounding myself with such a memory, I can often replace the image or thought I don't want. Being oblivious to my problem for so long, I never thought to use this technique for P, but I'll be giving it a try, that's for sure. You can learn a lot more about this method by studying guided imagery. This is something you can do for yourself, though it might help to have somebody help you get started. For example, by sitting quietly while someone reads an imaginary experience to you (such as a rich description of a walk into the woods), you can slide into a highly relaxing trance. With a little practice you can talk yourself into the same state. These kind of trances (which are quite light and easy to come out of) provide a lot of stress relief. It's even possible to gain some spiritual energy out of them.
Anyway, you could give it a try. Just don't give up. And good luck.
I have 2 things to say about this. The first thing is going to be just what has happened to me over time and the second is going to sound silly but it works for me.
So, over time the images kind of degrade, at least they have for me. Today marks the 81st day of being porn free for me. I can still think of the images if I try, but I don't try. For the most part, most of the faces, most of the images have been erased, or at least I cant remember what they look like. I can make up new ones if I really want to and probably all the stuff I've seen are templates for whatever I create, but I don't do that anymore. It just seems with time its easier to "erase" or suppress the images, but I feel they will always be there.
Now, one method that works well with me is this: I'm a pyro, there are 2 things I collect and thats shot glasses and lighters. Being that lighters is one of them and I'm a pyro, I can quite easily imagine a lighter in my head (a really nice brass zippo . . . man I love the smell of those) . . . anyways, whenever I feel an image like that coming on, or whenever an image is appearing in my mind, I imagine that zippo burning the images away. It works for me, I know it must sound silly, maybe its symbolic some how but it really works.
Now, one method that works well with me is this: I'm a pyro, there are 2 things I collect and thats shot glasses and lighters. Being that lighters is one of them and I'm a pyro, I can quite easily imagine a lighter in my head (a really nice brass zippo . . . man I love the smell of those) . . . .
haha me and a lighter... something will be burnt down!
Mind Images and noctural emissions -
03-18-2008, 12:05 PM
I've been clean for about three weeks, the first two weeks very very easy, as i was very determined, and i was looking at this forum everyday for one or two hours.
But, now the last week... Awfull, as i knew it was going to be. Maybe for some who have been addicted to P since a few years, and after they already had some real experiences, the images aren't so deep. They are just part of the dynamic memory, and after a few reboot, they'll completely drop. But a profound addict, i believe they are a part of the core of the system. My System was built on such content, sad conclusion. Dropping them, force my own system to rebuild itself i guess, maybe not, anyway, it's very very very painfull. I fear the moment i'll have to go to sleep, cuz that's the hardest time. When i start closing my eyes, Ugly disgusting thoughts, fullfill my head, i can't rest, since i'm fighting hard. Even during my sleep, whenever i fall asleep, upsurge of images happen. Such had already happened before. With time, it become less and less frequent, but worse and worse. For some reason, After months, i still experienced ugly noctural emissions, i hope this won't happen this time, but i think it will.
Well, it's very hard now, hope someone will answer this message, to give me some motivation, to go further, cuz that's HARD
ATravers: Ouch. I hope you don't blame yourself too much for your dream life. Dreams are products of a very deep level of consciousness and are well beyond the control of your waking mind (for the most part). Dreams have a way of dredging up some of the darkest parts of our souls and serving that stuff to us bluntly and without discretion. If you haven't done any work in individual therapy, it might be of some benefit.
Short of that, you could also look into a practice known as lucid dreaming. It's a technique that allows you to pre-program dreams and to maintain enough conscious awareness during dreaming that you can influence some dream content. It may sound far fetched, but I worked with it many years ago and found it helpful for resolving some recurring nightmares I was having.
Our brains are highly organized around visual images, so it's no wonder that we become prisoners of dominant images. This is a long shot, but it might also help to enhance some of the other senses in an attempt to devote more brain activity to non visual pursuits. Learning to play a musical instrument, for example, or singing, could start funneling some energy elsewhere. Plus it would be a good distraction.
I hope this helps.
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First thing to rememeber: thoughts are just thoughts; they are not real and we cannot control them.
I went through some therapy because I have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and this was one of my biggest problems. For a long time I would get from the time I woke up to the time I went to bed horrendous images and thoughts in my head. I got very depressed and it was seriously hell. I got help from a therapist (who diagnosed me with OCD) and I was able to overcome it.
Having bad thoughts isn't OCD; I'm not trying to diagnose anyone by any means. There is a lot more to it that isn't relavent to this topic.
First, thoughts are just thoughts and thinking something will not make it true. I can worry all day that I may become or be a homosexual or an axe-murderer, but that doesn't and won't make it true. All it does it drive you crazy!
Secondly, that fact that you are bothered by such [negative or bad] thoughts is a sign that you are on the right track. If you had bad or disgusting thoughts but didn't see them as disgusting, then thats a problem. But the fact that you do means you have a conscious and you are decent person. So don't worry about having bad thoughts. EVERYONE has bad thoughts. One guy in my therapy group was tormented with thoughts of killing his wife. The fact that he was sooo scared of these thoughts meant that obviously this guy was in no danger to his wife; if the thoughts excited him and entertained him, thats a different story.
Third, I don't think there is any quick and easy way to stop distressing thoughts or dreams. They mean nothing, in my opinion, so that is a start. We can control our behavior, but we cannot control our feelings or thoughts. So lets the thoughts or dreams come and go, but don't give them any attention (I know this is hard, believe me! hehe). But that is the general strategy to take.
Lastly, don't worry too much about your thoughts. I know they sometimes can creep up on us and really give us a scare (especially me), but you gotta remember that our brains are trained to produce a lot of bullshit; it cranks it out all day long. it constantly thinks and calculates. So just think of disturbing or recurring thoughts as a lump of B.S. when they arise and laugh it off.
Hope this helps. just my opinion, didn't mean to sound dogmatic! thanks for posting this!
Security is an illusion. We experience pain by trying to hold on to things that are not solid.
Last edited by LAman24; 03-18-2008 at 08:47 PM.
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Mind Images -
03-18-2008, 02:45 AM
They are really starting to drag me down. What do I do? I jsut breakdown now b/c it is so waring and exhausting for me.
03-18-2008, 04:11 AM
. . . man I love the smell of those) . . . anyways, whenever I feel an image like that coming on, or whenever an image is appearing in my mind, I imagine that zippo burning the images away. It works for me, I know it must sound silly, maybe its symbolic some how but it really works.
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