The intrusive harm thoughts scare me because they feel so vivid, even though I have no desire to act on them. Sometimes my mind throws out an awful image while I’m holding a kitchen knife or standing near someone I love, and then I immediately start checking my feelings to see if I’m secretly dangerous. That checking only seems to make the thought louder.
I remember once putting a sharp object down and leaving the room because I was terrified of what the thought might mean. Nothing had happened, but I spent the rest of the evening replaying it and looking for proof that I was safe. It was exhausting and embarrassing to explain.
Has anyone found a way to respond to these thoughts without analyzing them for hours?