I’ve lived with this for 7 years. I think I partially understood what was happening to me, but never to this extent. It turns out all it took was one night of total emotional instability.
Now that I’ve literally declassified this problem, despite all the defense mechanisms, I fully realize—without fear or confusion—what has been happening to me from age 12 to 19.
The infinite loop: Intrusive thought + any similar thought -> Def -> Thoughts hit your tools in a massive stream -> Anxiety goes up, Overthinking goes up, Catastrophizing goes up.
Infinite fuel. Constant brain work. Energy drain. Constant anxiety.
I’ve spent 7 years trapped in a loop of intrusive thoughts and anxiety. Last night, I finally figured out how it actually works.
Here is the breakdown of the "Def Pattern" and how it’s actually been working inside my head.
It just detects any tiny similarity to those old intrusive thoughts and starts "deffing," analyzing, and looping. It doesn't solve the problem. The thoughts leaked out of the background right onto the "windshield." They are right in your face.