Intrusive Thought Recovery: Four Stages

For all the exercises that helped me with recovery, check out my book: YOU ARE NOT A ROCK, wherever books are sold, like here on Amazon: bit.ly/youarenotarock
(It's called THE MIND WORKOUT bit.ly/themindworkout in the UK and Australia/New Zealand, DAS MIND-WORKOUT in Deutsch, ENTRENA TU MENTE en español)
Connect over on Instagram:
Instagram: / markwfreeman

[@a.clarke7392]

I learnt 2 things from this video: 1. Mark is an amazing human being for making this video. 2. It’s pie baking time.

[@everybodyhasabrain]

It's pie baking time!!!

[@emilyhenderson5379]

Go and bake a f***ing apple pie 😂😂😂 Thank you i really needed this today.

[@everybodyhasabrain]

🤣 you're welcome!

[@LoudPaintings]

ya I loved the emphasis there hahhah.

[@the-nameless]

this video actually made me cry tears of joy and relief. i realized that there is hope for me to get better. thank you so much for making these videos mark.

[@everybodyhasabrain]

I'm glad you found it useful! It is totally possible to leave those turnips and make something delicious :)

[@sunniifish4373]

Same here. I‘m so glad that I am not the only one with all this turnips in my head. That there is a name for all the stuff that is keeping me up at night and makes me sad, even though everything is okay. Now I have so much hope that one day I can get rid of all this turnips. Or even get rid of some of this turnips. Small steps u know? I hope you feel better by now and that you were able to get rid of some turnips. Love you 🥰

[@juyeesabade6236]

Even i started crying a lot, maybe out of relief. Really grateful for this video

[@user-cf4uy2ld4e]

Me tooo

[@Miltonbosss]

Omggggg !!! Just watched the video and that’s exactly how I felt !! I thought “hey I haven’t had an intrusive thought in almost a year, *thinks one on purpose to see how I feel* don’t feel anything. “Well why don’t I fear them anymore? Do I have a specific formula that helped me overcome them?i can’t remember it! Ahhh!!! I’m too healthy now I’m too good this can’t be true I have to have anxiety about them! Because if not then it means I’m not over it!!! But now I remember that it’s the inaction that brings us peace. The “I’m happy if they come I’m happy if they don’t” mindset. So many times I see that I’m not living presently rather in my head and in a state of “problem solving” which then just leads to frustration and more rumination on how to overcome or thought block. It’s when I choose to take a step of faith in myself and live in the moment rather than my head. Even in writing this I can feel that I’m seeking some sort of validation or certainty. Because other people’s thoughts of me meant a lot to me as a child. But anywho thank you Mark for being you.

[@everybodyhasabrain]

Enjoy being you!

[@thoughtfuldog5424]

Powerful stuff and great to know people can get through this. It takes time and acceptance. I’m just starting stage 1 and getting my world centred again. Thank you for sharing your experience.

[@nekif820]

Holy shit. Ever since I learned more about intrusive thoughts, I started wondering...this whole process, these four stages, are they just the same as when we tried to overcome our fears of ghosts and monsters when we were children? Because I can see a similarity here: When I was a little kid, I used to be (stage 1) afraid and reluctant every time I had to get something from a dark room, by myself. But I (stage 2) NEEDED to GET IN that room to get that something, so I had to (stage 3) bring that fear along and not give a damn about it (no matter how terrible it felt) because what mattered was (stage 4) I get that something I needed. So as I grew older, I got used to it. The more I did stuff like that, I realized the fear of the paranormal will always be there and I would still think about ghosts and monsters from time to time but what does it matter? They're not the priority. I have to do what I need to do. I still think about stuff like that when I poop in the toilet but I don't even notice myself consciously thinking about them, and I still get to poop and I do it well. Amazing.

[@everybodyhasabrain]

Exactly!

[@Elle-hx8ji]

Go to the head of the class!

[@lavarp1613]

I have pure OCD and I'm glad someone gets it I've had therapist that never even heard the term of pure OCD and I have a therapist that thought I would actually act out on these thoughts..well I left her and I start with a new one on Monday.

[@everybodyhasabrain]

I hope the new therapist works out well!

[@Garycruz85]

Hope all is well bro 🙏

[@yordanoism]

Hope everything is good bro💯💯💯💯

[@melimelz4948]

Thank you for the reminder!! I’m doing my best to work on my intrusive thoughts recovery without making “turnips” the center of it all!

[@everybodyhasabrain]

There are so many pies we can bake instead!

[@zbzz5815]

Thank you Mark. I am crying right now. From the sheer intensity of feeling bad about having harm intrusive thoughts. I thought i was going crazy. I am going to meet a therapist next week but this will do for now. really helpful. Thanks Mark!

[@everybodyhasabrain]

I hope you find the therapy sessions very useful!

[@angustheterrible3149]

I really needed this today mark, thank you. All day ive been struggling with feelings about those pesky lima beans lingering in my brain, when I wanted to go spend time thinking about cookies... I now think i should just let feelings about lima beans be there even if they pop up in my face while making cookies and tell me i cant make cookies (i mean what if the lima beans are true? But who cares...im making cookies.) I really love this metaphor because it doesnt matter what im struggling with...its all lima beans in the end and i dont have to pick them up off the shelf and hate them when i can choose to walk by them.

[@everybodyhasabrain]

I'm glad it arrived at a useful time! Enjoy baking all of the cookies you want to bake this week!

[@remymargaux1233]

Ooooo. I like the editing

[@callumsmithfunk]

That is the most amazing video I’ve ever seen on Ocd, everyday worth watching. Thank you mark!

[@everybodyhasabrain]

Thanks, Callum! Maybe don't watch it everyday, though. You know, 'cause of rituals and compulsions and all that. Now that you know, you can put that time and energy into doing the things you value!

[@callumsmithfunk]

Mark Freeman haha good advice!

[@sulemanqamar3068]

WOAHH this makes sense! I've been moving from Stage 2 to Stage 3, but most ERP and ACT kinda focuses on getting from stage 1 to stage 2. It's weird because, once you're at stage 4, the vegetables don't matter! It's like, the vegetables can be there or not but eventually you're focusing on doing stuff you care about. So you show your brain that it doesn't actually matter whether there's a vegetable or not; since you don't change anything or feed into that fear, your brain just stops paying attention or caring about the vegetables... Mind. Blown. Thanks Mark! I've been on this recovery journey for 2.5 months now and while it's hard, I love every second of it!

[@nekif820]

I've been having a hard time with my intrusive thoughts for almost 3 months now. May I ask you what kind of thoughts you've been struggling with?

[@sulemanqamar3068]

@@nekif820 I could tell you. But that doesn't matter. Whether I obsess about germs, death, being gay, being a pedophile, and whether YOU worry about your sexuality, counting, or pain, doesn't matter. That's a trick your brain is playing. "My thoughts are DIFFERENT and thus I CAN'T do *insert healthy brain activity or choice*

[@everybodyhasabrain]

Such an important and useful insight, Suleman!

[@lgbtrights9946]

How are you know

[@luisronquillo818]

You’ve helped me tremendously understand intrusive thoughts. I was ruminating on how to fix the problem. Now I know I have to understand them and why they’re in my head. With your videos they’ve helped me understand everything! Day by day I’m getting better thanks to your videos!

[@mmariokart231]

This video punched ocd in the mouth harder than any ive ever seen! I think People love to villainize ocd like it’s something evil out to get you. It wasn’t until I learned more that I likened it to the basic caveman inside me reacting to our modern world: A movie comes on and he panics and screams and freaks out when King Kong comes on, we are walking around and he’s analyzing for threats in bushes, he runs away from the horn honking and hides. This mechanism isn’t evil, it’s about (for me) being compassionate to that very narrowly focused caveman and how confused he is. So I stopped fighting it and when very real feelings came up I simply told myself “yeah, I DO have that basic part in me, ahka in me is FREAKING OUT and those are difficult feelings AND (instead of but) , I know what this is, I know it will take time for ahka to habituate and I’m not angry at him, judging him, fighting him, forcing him. It’s just a misguided part of me trying its best, and the focus goes from trying to change ahka to having a good day WITH ahka around. So much of the energy I’ve spent in recovery has been pushing on that pull door. Once I stopped judging the thoughts/experiences I was having so much and ahka for reacting like a caveman, I saw as a very mundane and almost funny misunderstanding. And now when I feel panic even level 9-10 I think of ahka screaming and can still crack a winced smile knowing it’s just poor ahka doing his best while I return my focus to watching the movie.

[@codoflife6115]

Great video mark thank you once again

[@g-mindset6189]

This is extremely well explained. Awesome content!

[@hg77777]

Thank you mark sooo much thank you ! I cannot express how much I need this today

[@tylerr3740]

excellent video Mark, been stuck on Stage 1/2 with some bad thoughts recently but its great to have videos like this knowing there’s always a way to move forward. Thanks!

[@proyectodevida8777]

Thank you Mark!!! It is one of the best motivational and helping video I’ve ever seen!! #gamechanging #recoveryispossible

[@monicsala6639]

You have a gift with your words. The best explanations!

[@everybodyhasabrain]

Thank you!

[@sarahcatland4805]

One of the things I like most about your videos is the amazement I feel when you are 100% accurate in describing the thoughts that are in my head through metaphors. I use metaphors all the time to describe how I feel, so you doing it as well in your videos is a huge plus to me. Thank you for this amazing content. You're doing wonderful work for people that are suffering because intrusive thoughts are absolutely the worst. You're awesome, dude! :)

[@inessencryo6817]

Thanks. I've been struggling quite a bit with intrusive thoughts recently and I think this will really help me. : )

[@mercurisun7910]

This video came at a great time for me. Thank you Mark!

[@everybodyhasabrain]

You're welcome, Gaby!

[@calebbrickman6323]

Thank you so much. I really needed this right now.

[@everybodyhasabrain]

You're welcome, Caleb!

[@vh3914]

Once again great video, Mark!

[@everybodyhasabrain]

Thank you!

[@johndennee1015]

Oh my God, the part with the truck spinning itself in a rut. That speaks to me. Since my anxiety has gotten bad, I've literally had dreams of this. One in particular was me being chased by zombies and finally getting to my truck and feeling the relief of being able to speed away, and all of a sudden my truck was stuck in the mud and spinning itself deeper. (Classic example of my anxiety-ridden dreams I've been having)

[@everybodyhasabrain]

Let's not spin our wheels today!

[@789quicky]

Everyone should know about Mark.. There would be so much less suffering.. Love this video and the other intrusive thoughts one

[@kipchakpl4904]

A crucial message delivered with simplicity. Brilliant!!!

[@everybodyhasabrain]

Thanks!

[@otan2622]

great vid mark, thanks!

[@everybodyhasabrain]

😁🙌

[@anniechua8985]

Excellent video. This is useful. 🙏Thank you😊

[@everybodyhasabrain]

Glad you found it useful, Annie!

[@sebastianbruzzone4731]

This channel is gold. Thank you

[@everybodyhasabrain]

I'm glad you're finding it useful!

[@wanmeireles7182]

Your videos keep getting better and better, thanks!

[@everybodyhasabrain]

Thanks, Wan!

[@danyoung364]

Great work Mark!

[@everybodyhasabrain]

Thanks, Dan!

[@lindaivanova6066]

Great project, Thanks 💛

[@everybodyhasabrain]

Thank you!

[@sreeshalini3602]

I loved the way you explained this video!

[@everybodyhasabrain]

Thanks!

[@olivep7920]

Wow wow wow! This video had such an impact on me. Thank you Mark for sharing your wisdom and talent.

[@everybodyhasabrain]

I'm glad you enjoyed it, Olive!

[@oedipascourage6262]

I laughed out loud many times during the video: LOVED IT! Thank you Mark!

[@everybodyhasabrain]

Thank you for enjoying it!

[@lilmissbeats]

Thank you Mark. Gold! So relatable and also SO funny. Especially since my husband will eat anything I make, EXCEPT TURNIPS! Thank you from the bottom of my heart for the work you do and consistent message you share. I remember it regularly... feel the things, while doing the things you value...

[@everybodyhasabrain]

Turnips! Enjoy doing the things you value today!

[@Ryy22]

Your best quality video so far!

[@everybodyhasabrain]

Thanks!

[@anweshabardhan1579]

The best presentation! Short simple and to the point.

[@everybodyhasabrain]

Thanks!

[@luciabosellini8023]

You are a great person ❤️. Thank you 😊

[@BlakeRaymondgr]

Great video! Thank you...

[@everybodyhasabrain]

You're welcome!

[@TrunksSSJ3095]

Thank you for all your videos, they had been helping me for along time. I going to be somebody like you, who doesn't need to care about all the things in ours heads. Before i like the idea of been in your mind, now I that it doesn't take you anyway, just the action we do according with ours core values.

[@everybodyhasabrain]

I'm glad you're finding the videos useful on the adventure.

[@khalidalboloshi6544]

That’s so true, based on my experience of ocd for 12 years the reason that made me get closer to recovery is changing my perspective to the thoughts, for example instead of saying I hate this thought, I say it’s okay even if this bad scenario happened I can still function, fighting the thought with logic is the key and “Bring the thoughts to the ride”.

[@everybodyhasabrain]

Yes! Enjoy bringing them along for the ride!

[@chengzhang4341]

Greetings from ShenZhen, China. Thank you for such a wonderful lesson, it really helps

[@everybodyhasabrain]

I'm glad it helps!

[@dattakrishnanikith7205]

Awesome Mark ❣️❣️💫😀

[@everybodyhasabrain]

😀

[@steevie8001]

Really appreciate this video

[@everybodyhasabrain]

:)

[@dlpatrie8466]

Thank you - a thousand times over!

[@everybodyhasabrain]

You're welcome!

[@nandikaravi]

Firstly I would like to thank you for making this video trigger free! I haven't had such thoughts in my life, ever! And then I watch one movie and that's it- 3 weeks of hell! I'm a happy person, love life, loves my family ! I've been struggling with these thoughts for almost 3 weeks now and I'm constantly going back to stage 2. Some days are good and some days are bad. The urges are even worse like if I look at a turnip- the thought pops up and the "what ifs" and then I go down the rabbit hole. I try to watch something else. But "what if" I LOSE CONTROL and use the turnip? You know?

[@anonanon7553]

Love the video editing/format! Also the idea of life after OCD and recovery has been super relevant to me recently so I'm loving the vid

[@everybodyhasabrain]

Thanks! Indeed, run into that life after OCD!

[@majaexploring3801]

Thank you Mark!

[@everybodyhasabrain]

You're welcome, Maja!

[@berniehayes1090]

I'm always challenging my unecessary thoughts. I suffer from negativity when I get overwhelmed. Extremely useful video. Good way of managing it. Role up your sleeves and get doing it.

[@everybodyhasabrain]

Get doing!

[@jakewilliams490]

Haven't suffered with any mental struggles for awhile now, but at the start of my journey mark is the one that showed me different ways to view thoughts and feelings. If you can understand the meaning of the "go bake a f'king apple pie" that is literally all there is to it. Although it did kind of catch me off guard🙈🙈, love the new video mark different to your others. 👍👍

[@everybodyhasabrain]

It's all about the pie!

[@peacefulpisces5336]

Thank you

[@outfitrepeater9878]

Thank you thank you thank youuuu for your videos. You are heaven-sent. I am actually studying to become a therapist and I will definitely be recommending your videos to people!!!

[@everybodyhasabrain]

Thanks for the kind message, Evelyn! That's great you're going to be sharing experience and skills with others on this adventure!

[@SKRithvik]

Wow Mark ! Your wisdom is so scary to implement. After watching your videos, I understand what I have to do but I am too afraid to actually do it. Avoidance is something that I practice often. I think “watching this movie is harmless.” And then, same old stuff keeps on repeating itself.

[@everybodyhasabrain]

We can hug that fear and make space for it!

[@anushreerao8807]

thank you so much for this i love it

[@JesseTaylorTraxxx]

You’re so Amazing!

[@anshitchandra]

5.24 minutes of profound wisdom :)

[@everybodyhasabrain]

🙇🏻‍♂️

[@JesseTaylorTraxxx]

I Love You this changes my Life. Thank You!

[@everybodyhasabrain]

Enjoy the adventures ahead, Jesse!

[@Jvlzq]

"Go and bake a fucking apple pie" the best line i've heard in a longtime.

[@everybodyhasabrain]

The most important line!

[@naseemreema90]

Such a good video!

[@everybodyhasabrain]

Thank you!

[@byebyepanic]

Probably one of the best videos I've ever seen about recovery. Incredible work Mark.👏

[@DrooForeign]

Same to u I watch ur video all the time

[@everybodyhasabrain]

Thanks, Shaan!

[@akashneonabcd1]

thanks mark

[@everybodyhasabrain]

You're welcome!

[@pattywood586]

This is sooo good. I wish I could "like" it but I pay for KZbin Music and they add the videos to my music playlists which is just awful and costing my favorite KZbinrs thumbs ups..... But alas..... Here is a thumbs up for you. Kudos 👍

[@everybodyhasabrain]

Thank you for the the thumbs up comment!

[@55tranquility]

This is awesome

[@gavinduggan1147]

Great video thank you

[@everybodyhasabrain]

You're welcome!

[@SOBEK99]

You know what mark ? You are just amazing

[@everybodyhasabrain]

😁🙇‍♂️ thank you! That is very kind of you!

[@brandonjosephboyle]

"Go and bake a fucking apple pie." I needed this. With my OCD, not only am I suffering, but I'm also putting off the things I want to do. I should start doing them.

[@cerealis_5432]

Has your situation improved? If so do you have any advice?

[@rufaydaharfaj8829]

EXCELLENT WORK! Thank you Mark for all you do about OCD and mental health ... can't thank enough

[@everybodyhasabrain]

Thank you!

[@rufaydaharfaj8829]

@@everybodyhasabrain hey, I've got some questions regarding intrusive thoughts.. where should I post them? Here in the comments or when you host a live - a Q&A kinda thing? Thanks

[@everybodyhasabrain]

@@rufaydaharfaj8829 Wherever you would like is fine with me :)

[@thefirstavenger14]

this is so good thank you

[@everybodyhasabrain]

You're welcome!

[@emilythatch46]

This is aweesom 😍

[@danielwalker6436]

LEGEND

[@swagodaman6320]

God bless you man

[@antonios.ch.5164]

O first meet yours knowleage eita the “1minute meditation” and now im gonna bake a funny apple pie... só nice! Tks

[@pompomkitty306]

You are like god for us.. I swear!!

[@vanhocluc6840]

I LOVE U. TYSM!!!

[@everybodyhasabrain]

You're welcome!

[@samba5168]

Jeez, this was great!

[@everybodyhasabrain]

Thanks!

[@sweetlimesoda98]

Wow!!!! This is amazing 😂👌🏼

[@ChrisBFerguson]

Great video.

[@everybodyhasabrain]

Thanks, Chris!

[@nickkapatais]

Absolutely brilliant video. Timestamps are useful here: 0:40 Stage 1 > Hating on Brain Stuff 1:34 Stage 2 > Exposure to Brain Stuff 2:43 Stage 3 > Changing Interactions with Brain Stuff 4:03 Stage 4 > Doing What You Value I seem to get stuck in Stage 2 but I've also found that I've gone into Stage 3 and fallen back into 2 again. Not sure how common this is but it sure pisses me off. I guess getting to this pissed off stage is just another round of turnip focusing🙂 This video is very useful for health anxiety sufferers that get intrusive thoughts and ruminate. What a vid.

[@everybodyhasabrain]

Thanks for sharing the time stamps!

[@MrSwordstroker]

awesome......awesome

[@ivana3506]

Well, that´s amazing video. :)

[@johnmacward]

Why the hell didn't KZbin tell me about this seeing that I"m subscribed to you for years !

[@al_5655]

This is fucking brilliant. Enjoy your apple pie, Mark - thank you so much for your vids.

[@everybodyhasabrain]

😁🙌 🥧!

[@mahashrayasundararaman1562]

Awesome video, Mark! The most concerning thing here is the hatred of turnips, eggplant, and other awesome vegetables, though. I hope no one here actually hates them 😅

[@everybodyhasabrain]

I was very concerned about that as well. I hope viewers can accept all thoughts and vegetables.

[@mahashrayasundararaman1562]

Mark Freeman good point - the thoughts are just as undeserving of hate as the veggies 🌽 🍅 🍆

[@everybodyhasabrain]

@@mahashrayasundararaman1562 Exactly!

[@reginaldstohner9361]

Thank youuu❤️❤️❤️

[@everybodyhasabrain]

You're welcome!

[@jyotiyadav8539]

Love u mark

[@Classof-et4wd]

Mark that was awesome the second time watching I really understood it. Thank you for your videos. I learned a lot no I am not my thoughts and it’s ok to still have some anxiety but I am not going to stop doing the things that I value and love because of some thought or anxiety. I push through it.

[@lcl1016]

You’re the best!!

[@everybodyhasabrain]

Thank you!

[@action16x2]

Thank you 😭

[@everybodyhasabrain]

You're welcome!

[@Jess_Magson]

This made me hungry for apple pies more than anything 😂

[@everybodyhasabrain]

Goal achieved!

[@Ray-ww7qo]

Hi mark, Recently I’ve come to the realisation that there is no difference between controlling a thought about something in the past that makes me anxious, or reacting to the thought that I’ll always be anxious. Now my brain is like a kid clutching at straws, looking to find something to cling onto to keep me anxious. Poor kid 😂 Very interesting breakthrough

[@everybodyhasabrain]

That is so useful to recognize! Congratulations on getting the brain on the run grasping at straws :)

[@Silent_Spaces]

Always found these type of metaphors a great way to visualize patterns of behaviour. I use the unruly toddlers in the back of the car one alot which i think i first saw on your channel or in 'The Mind Workout'. Congrats on setting up thetoolkitstore! I'm sure it will become a great resource. Is the 'Relapse Diagnostic Course' a program based on your book or does it also cover new concepts?. Thanks.

[@everybodyhasabrain]

Thank you! The Relapse Diagnostic Course has some concepts/exercises that will be familiar from the book and some that's totally new, but it all exists in the same conceptual universe.

[@444_gd]

That ending had me rolling!

[@shourya4595]

i love u thank u so much for this

[@everybodyhasabrain]

You're so welcome!

[@mohammadsahil6952]

Best video ever

[@everybodyhasabrain]

Thanks, Mohammad!

[@kevinmccourt6546]

Thanks for the video mark. I’ve heard you say that cutting out compulsions around social anxiety isn’t going to be effective if we still hang onto the belief that other people’s judgments about us matter. This is where I am getting stuck. What are the steps to take to go about changing this belief?

[@everybodyhasabrain]

We change beliefs through actions. It also really helped me to see that I was always trying to get things from other people, and it helped to shift the focus to giving. What do I want to give to people? What do I want to give in a conversation? And it just becomes a practice, like any other, that we work on. It's a skill. It's not like we snap our fingers and change a belief. It's about each email, each text message, each conversation, each morning when we're getting dressed, starting to cut out the compulsions to check and control and get and instead shift the focus to what we want to give that person.

[@SuperUriel79]

Hey Mark, thanks for your videos they give me a lot of hope. I struggle with quite a few ocd themes but mainly real event ocd. I find it super hard to sit with the anxiety for this theme, the compulsion to ruminate can keep on at me for days. Is it normal to sit with the anxiety for that long? I usually give in in the end and do the compulsion. Also I pick my skin like crazy, it helps me zone out..is that a compulsion too? Thank you

[@everybodyhasabrain]

The skin picking is very much a compulsion. If that didn't seem like a compulsion, it could help to expand the scope of what you're working on and grab a good workbook or speak with a professional to help understand the changes that are useful for getting over this stuff.

[@leeceero]

Hi Mark, thank you very much for the work you do for all of us, yor channel is an invaluable help to my mental health. I have a question: My intrusive thoughts/obsessions/sensations have changed through time, it is necessary to expose me to every topic that have ever popped ad and my brain? Or just I ignore the thoughs and keep going with my life? Thank you so much PS: Sorry for my english

[@everybodyhasabrain]

Did you watch this video? This question comes up often so this video is meant to answer it.

[@stankadelfia]

The Exposure is taking the thoughts with you. I spent a long time trying to find the "perfect" exposures to "rid myself" of the thoughts. I did Exposure exercises that I would not normally do - using Mark's example, I would go to the store ON PURPOSE just to get vegetables I didn't like - that is - just for the sole purpose of exposing myself to the things I fear. While this does help habituate to the fear and anxiety, it's end game is still changing my actions, my behaviors. I went to the store not because I needed to, because I saw it as an answer to a problem I NEEDED to solve. If I was afraid of Carrots, I would go to the store on purpose just to expose myself to carrots. If it was turnips, same thing. Broccoli - yep, same thing. The point is these are all vegetables. If I go to the store for apples, it doesn't matter how many different vegetables (thoughts), I'm afraid of, I can still pick up what I truly need despite their presence.