Get a FREE Gift, my intro to help Get Unstuck

Justin K. Hughes, MA, LPC

Get Unstuck From Fear

Egosyntonic & Egodystonic

Posted in Anxiety, CBT, Exposure Therapy, Mental Health, OCD

brown short coated dog lying on gray textile

Do I want this, or do I not?  Is this my actual desire, or what I don’t want?  Does this thought or desire define me?  What if it’s terrible or horrible?

Sometimes the things I think about are because I value them or desire them.

Sometimes the things I think about are because I don’t value them or desire them.

What the heck?

Egosyntonic and Egodystonic are two psychological terms to describe phenomena of thoughts/urges that are synonymous and antonymous to what a person desires or wants.  Sometimes our thoughts reflect very much what we desire or want, but around 90% of people endorse having “intrusive thoughts,” or unwanted thoughts.

It is crucial to do a good functional analysis on a thought/behavior to determine whether someone is doing something in order to pursue- or to avoid- the very same thing.

Picture

Photo by Joel Fulgencio on Unsplash

Tags:

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related posts

person holding band aid on left hand
Trauma and OCD—Getting the Facts Straight

There’s no doubt about it: trauma and maltreatment of children impact OCD in both children and adults. Surely, trauma must be causal to OCD? Not so fast. Trauma not Causal to OCD (So Far As We Know) Trauma is not a definitive cause of OCD (Dykshoorn, 2014). However, it has some strong associations. If you […]

Read More >
child and parent hands photography
Is OCD Spiritual Warfare?–By Carolyn Ringenberg, MSW

Around here, I’m all about helping people get unstuck. It is a joy to elevate voices of hope. Today’s guest article is by my friend and fellow advocate, Carolyn Ringenberg, MSW.  Join my free newsletter to be the first to receive articles, stories, announcements, and free ebooks: www.justinkhughes.com/getunstuck Is OCD Spiritual Warfare? By Carolyn Ringenberg, […]

Read More >
woman lying on bed
Help! Satan is causing my OCD?!

I received a great question from a friend and fellow OCD Advocate today (edited for format): I’m curious what your take on this is: it has been mentioned a few times how people think OCD is a tool of/caused by Satan. That OCD is a spiritual attack and that the enemy is planting things in […]

Read More >
Keeping the Faith: How to Ethically and Competently Treat Religious Scrupulosity

Find me presenting at OCD Con 2024!!   TITLE: Keeping the Faith: How to Ethically and Competently Treat Religious Scrupulosity TRACK: Clinician–Advanced DATE/TIME: Saturday, July 27, 2024 at 9:45 AM – 11:15 AM   Description: Providing effective and respectful care to individuals with religious scrupulosity challenges even the most experienced OCD therapists. Our individual biases and lack […]

Read More >
man standing in front of group of lamb
“How Pastors Can Be Mental Health Advocates”–My New Article for BioLogos is out now

Featured in the BioLogos May blog for Mental Health Awareness month, I was asked to speak about how OCD has been handled inside and outside the church–and how pastors are the real front door of care.  It is a dream to write for BioLogos as it was founded by Francis Collins, a follower of Christ […]

Read More >
woman in black long sleeve shirt standing on snow covered ground
OCD & The Creative Act–By Jacob Tilton

Jacob Tilton is the Director of Music Ministries at Redeemer Presbyterian Church in San Antonio, TX. This is his second article with justinkhughes.com, shedding insight into both personal experience with OCD and Anxiety while walking the road of following Jesus. Around here, I’m all about helping people get unstuck. It is a joy to elevate […]

Read More >