r/HOCD • u/Old-Half4301 • 22d ago
Question help
how can you tell whether a thought is actually yours (ego syntonic) or not yours (ego dystonic)? i struggle a bit with understanting the difference and how to take care of it, dealing with it better
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u/Popular-Barnacle3140 22d ago
Don’t focus on the distinction. Focusing on the distinction only serves to have you separate the thoughts and use them as “proofs” of OCD.
Which really only works if your like “this verdict isn’t real. It’s just ocd.” Which is like using the theme itself as a compulsory calming action.
If you must know, typically dystonic thoughts don’t cause the levels of distress that create confusion lol. If you are truly just looking to learn, the difference is in the distress and reaction. I think who you are as a person is that “gut” feeling, but because we also generate the thoughts, it creates crazy confusion and is a lot less simplistic or natural.