The Mind's Ailment: On Obsession (Part 1)

 

This is a very sensitive topic and its understanding to people is limited to a particular scenario. Once obsession is mentioned, the mind of people run straight to the intimate relationships of the person mentioned. "Oh my God, he's so obsessed with her." "He doesn't like her talking to any of her male friends. If it's not him, it's nobody else." We could go on and on. Obsession is not only about interpersonal relationships, it isn't limited to one area in any way. It doesn't have to be a person to person relationship, you could be obsessed with anything.

 This is a disorder that brews from within. It doesn't come from a constant action neither is it a habit. It starts with the thoughts of a person, influenced by negative external thoughts that are soon taken to be the real thoughts and takes effect on the actions of that person. In that sense, let's get some practical definitions of obsession. Obsession can be said to be a deadly devotion to anything. It can also be said to be a constant and excessive preoccupation with something. According to researchers, obsession is the inability to distinguish between an actual thought and a thought about a thought. It occurs when a person allows a persistent and intense thought that may seem unreasonable into his or her awareness. This is when it's like "I have tried to get it off my mind without success, maybe that is what I am." Now, let's talk about how the society and religious influence see it. A society is like a self righteous entity where religious beliefs are instantly taken it by the majority and deemed supreme. Before the twentieth century, people with obsessions or obsessive behaviours were termed demonic and are still termed demonic sometimes, due to the depth of religious influences on us, especially if the obsessive nature portrays violent actions. They were seen as evil spirited and were plagued and exiled till the evil spirit could get out. Now, there might be an iota of truth in this because anything evil is quickly related to the devil (satan). Moreover, this thoughts were not the person's actual thoughts, they are intruding thoughts that dominate the actual thoughts after a review. I believe that the mind is subjected to unwanted influences, that is, influences beyond our control. So, these intruding thoughts can come as a result of events that have happened in the past or still happening in the present, lifestyle that has been lived in the past or words that have been said in the past and are still being said, making you doubt yourself and what you can do. You sometimes wonder how a kind and sweet wife would be capable of killing her innocent husband or how a twelve years old would be capable of brutal sexual assault. Would you call it brain malfunction? No, I don't think so. Some mind explanations are just beyond human comprehension. It leaves you baffled. When that calm person you knew is always agitated and anxious, he or she is dealing with chronic paranoia. He is violent when you don't do what he says. 

          There are two categories of obsession. The first is when a person's obsessive behaviour is akin to the person's normal behaviour while the second category is when a person's obsessive behaviour is not akin to the person's normal behaviour. The second is where you have some of the example I listed above. When a person is naturally jealous, he or she can be prone to violent. He or she might be willing to take out the threat by any means necessary. They want to fight the closest male friend to their girlfriend, they are ready to make up false stories to take away the attention from the other person. This is when a person's obsessive behaviour is akin to his or her natural behaviour. When a person is afraid of his innocence, the person begins to doubt his innocence. He starts to think, "what if I could do this? what if I could do that?" He starts relating his situation to that of the devil. When you keep allowing the intruding thought that you can be the devil into your awareness, it becomes dominant, and you start to fear that you could be a devil. Once you accept that thought, it wouldn't be long before you start acting like a devil. That's why you see a situation where a brother would kill his whole family for no reasonable reason.

 (To be continued).