21. Obsessions and obsessive, intrusive ideas
Where does obsession come from? Let us begin by seeing obsession as something positive. Obsession helps us achieve improbable goals, go beyond the boundaries of what is possible. Obsessions are often out of step with the environment, order and ‘good’ behaviour, and AS people know this well: there are many obsessions, some of them overwhelming.
Rafael Nadal, the exceptional tennis player, displays numerous obsessive traits expressed through a true passion for the game. His behaviour takes the form of intensive, energetic practice, marked by repetitive and powerful movements. Although highly effective, this approach sometimes gives him a playing style somewhat lacking in spontaneity because of its repetitiveness.
Before each serve, he meticulously makes sure his T-shirt and underwear are perfectly in place. He touches his face in an almost ritual manner, ensuring no detail interferes with his usual stroke, both powerful and precise. Over the years, these obsessive impulses have turned into a creative force that has enabled him to evolve, achieve new successes and adapt to opponents trying to imitate his game.
Thus, far from being a disability, this obsession has been a real driving force for him, enabling him to overcome injuries, setbacks and countless challenges. Ultimately, we might wonder whether these obsessions are as much an asset as a burden. What do you think?
The intrusive thoughts of the branching, associative brain can be compared to an old Ajax search engine. A word evokes multiple related topics, and this search engine can visualise all these associations, allowing us to follow several directions or branches where we discover new associations. When someone speaks, the AS person, or zebra, begins to be overwhelmed by multiple possibilities. Dopamine's salience effect can lead to the intense and exaggerated recording of many topics and emotions. These topics set the association system going again, and we collapse under intense, intrusive thoughts.
— Oh my dear AS, do not let your ideas and feelings overwhelm you. Meditate to distinguish truth from falsehood and temper the intensity of your fixations.’ That is how you stop this infernal machine of intrusive thoughts.
Psychological keys to meditate on:
● My thoughts are images I have made.
● I have no neutral thoughts.
● I see no neutral things.
● I am not alone in experiencing the effects of what I see.
● I am not alone in experiencing the effects of my thoughts.
● I am determined to see.
● I am determined to see things differently.