I'm of the belief that just about anyone can succumb to obsessive thinking patterns. When I was in therapy some years ago I worked with my therapist on recognizing this behavior in myself and others by using what I believe might be the final word on the subject, Susan Forward and Craig Buck's "Obsessive Love: When It Hurts To Much To Let Go" as the foundation for my study.
What my therapist and I discovered was that obsessive love, which I'll talk about a bit below too, is just one branch of obsessive thought patterns. It seems as if anyone is capable of having these types of thought patterns about any number of things...in fact, obsessive thoughts, when used to work towards a personal goal, may just be how a person ACHIEVES that goal.
The subject I'll discuss here is obsessive thought cycles that are unwanted and can be treated with some small adjustments. My hope is that this information, which I have culled from research and my own experiences, will be informative, entertaining or will spark interest in someone who'd like to delve further into the subject; I'm not a therapist and I would recommend professional help to anyone who believes he or she has, or is around someone who has a serious condition.
Comments
Thanks for the comment, belinda342, it's always helpful to find out other people are going through something similar, isn't it? :)
Obsessive thoughts can indeed be harmful. I have to admit to a few of them myself. Sometimes it takes a while to break free, you have to continually do that breaking until that loop is completely broken. If you can't do it yourself, then counseling can really help.