Obsessions are unwanted, intrusive thoughts; compulsions are unwarranted, involuntary behaviors. Though different, they often go together, for compulsions pose as protection from the imagined bad consequences of obsessions.
defenses
FACING FEELINGS: avoidance or encounter?
While we welcome “good” feelings, we often try to banish “bad” ones like sadness, fear, vulnerability and shame. We may deny them by trying to “think positive.” We may attribute them to political wrongs or even the barking dog next door. If emotions have nowhere else to go, they become symptoms, complexes, and even physical illnesses. Avoiding negative emotions simply causes them to go underground and express themselves in disguise.
Episode 46 – Hiding
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Episode 45 – The Wall
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Episode 30 – Escaping Literalism
We consider literalism a normal childhood state – children’s literalism can be funny and charming.