Whatever a person cares most about, that's where intrusive thoughts arise!
Stating that vesvese (intrusive thoughts/misgivings) is a condition related to a person's decision-making mechanism, Psychiatrist Prof. Nevzat Tarhan emphasized that perfectionist and detail-oriented individuals are more prone to obsessions and intrusive thoughts, and that these intrusive thoughts typically arise from whatever subject the person values most.
Prof. Nevzat Tarhan explained that another dimension of vesvese among the public involves religious scruples, and people often associate such intrusive thoughts with concepts like ‘you know what’ (a euphemism for jinn), 'Satan,' 'jinn,' or 'magic.' He said, "The human brain, in order to make sense of a situation it cannot explain, creates a definition using information learned from society, family, and religious literature. It convinces itself with beliefs like 'Magic has been cast upon me.'"
President of Üsküdar University, Psychiatrist Prof. Nevzat Tarhan, discussed the topic of intrusive thoughts on the TRT Radio 1 program "Ailece".
What is Vesvese?
Prof. Nevzat Tarhan stated that vesvese is a commonly used term among the public. Originating from Arabic, the word generally carries a religious connotation but also has many intersections with psychology. He added, "While vesvese is popularly used to mean words coming from Satan or inner promptings, thoughts coming from Rahman (Allah) or angels are termed ilham (inspiration)."
The question "What makes a substance meaningful?" is an important concept
Prof. Tarhan mentioned that the question "What makes a substance meaningful?" is an important concept in psychology, stating that what makes an object meaningful is not just its physical properties. Tarhan explained that "What makes a pen valuable is not its decoration, color, or quality, but its primary function of writing. That is, the real meaning of an object lies in its functional and spiritual dimension. Indeed, the word spirituality (maneviyat) also means related to meaning (mana) or semantics. A substance is only meaningful from a human perspective. Humans are beings inherently in search of meaning, and therefore, they also investigate the meaning in matter. This is where vesvese emerges. Because humans are meaning-seeking beings, their brains are susceptible to producing intrusive thoughts. Our brains are born with this infrastructure and constantly generate thoughts.”
Information obtained through reasoning and intuition emerges in our minds as intrusive thoughts
Noting that the brain constantly produces thoughts and feelings, Prof. Nevzat Tarhan said that "To analyze intrusive thoughts correctly, one needs to perceive not only the apparent meanings but also the hidden ones. Thinking 360 degrees means not settling for what is visible on the surface but also perceiving the unseen through reasoning and intuition. In such situations, since the information obtained through reasoning and intuition is not concrete, it becomes open to interpretation, and this manifests in our minds as intrusive thoughts (vesvese)."
Obsessive intrusive thoughts can eventually turn into Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Prof. Nevzat Tarhan explained that sometimes a feeling or thought like "Are my hands dirty or clean?" might occur to a person. At this point, a filter located in the brain's frontal region, the frontal cortex, activates, evaluates the cleanliness criteria, and makes a decision. Tarhan continued his remarks as follows:
"If this mechanism works healthily, the person thinks, 'I know myself, I just washed my hands a little while ago. They are clean, I do not need to wash them again,' and moves on. However, when the brain's decision-making mechanism is impaired, the thought 'Maybe they weren't cleaned well enough, let me wash them again just to be sure' comes into play. As this condition progresses, the person might wash for hours; in some cases, extreme situations like bathing for 3 hours or staying in the toilet for 8 hours can be observed. Obsessive intrusive thoughts (obsesif vesvese) can eventually turn into Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)."
Why do people believe in magic?
Prof. Tarhan noted that studies using brain mapping methods show that the neural pathways in the brains of OCD patients are overly developed and continued his remarks as follows:
"While the decision-making mechanisms of a normal individual are like pathways, in OCD patients, these pathways seem to have turned into highways. The brain demands more thoughts and repetitions, and the person spends a large part of their day occupied with these intrusive thoughts. For example, they might spend 50 minutes out of a 60-minute period engaged with these thoughts. Another dimension of vesvese among the public involves religious scruples. People associate such intrusive thoughts with concepts like 'you know what,' 'Satan,' 'jinn,' or 'magic.' These kinds of beliefs, also linked to witches in Europe, are intrusive thoughts attributed to unseen entities. The human brain has a structure that cannot tolerate uncertainty. To make sense of a situation it cannot explain, it creates a definition using information learned from society, family, and religious literature. It convinces itself with beliefs like 'Magic has been cast upon me.' This belief, over time, causes the person to be severely affected and start attributing everything to it. Consequently, intrusive thoughts can turn into doubts and obsessions."
When talking about intrusive thoughts, mental rumination also comes into play
Stating that vesvese is actually related to a person's decision-making mechanism, and that Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) was formerly known in medicine as "psychasthenia," meaning psychological weakness or weakness of will, Prof. Tarhan noted that "The person cannot make a decision; however they cannot put an end to a topic and move on to a new thought. The brain produces a thought, but normally, this thought should be completed, and the next one should begin. Just as motor repetitions are seen in tic disorders, like shoulder tics or eye tics, thought repetitions occur in OCD. The more the person tries to stop these repetitions, the more frequent they become. In fact, as with some tics, the movement made to suppress one tic can trigger a new one. One dimension of OCD is the person constantly repeating disturbing, unwanted thoughts (obsessions). However, there are also thoughts that the person consciously thinks about and enjoys repeating. This is called 'rumination,' meaning mental chewing over. When we talk about vesvese, this is also included."
Thought is a great capital produced by our brain
Mentioning that some people detach from reality and almost live in a fantasy world, Prof. Tarhan said that "They make rains fall in their minds, start wars, or constantly think about the same things. Moreover, the things they think about may not be negative or anxiety-provoking, but this situation prevents them from doing anything else. The process of daydreaming can eventually turn into schizophrenia-like conditions. There is also a risk of developing bipolar disorder. Because humans are beings capable of managing their thoughts. Thought is a great capital produced by our brain, and if we can manage this capital well, we won't be under the influence of intrusive thoughts. We can liken this situation to managing financial capital. Just as you wouldn't distribute your money to everyone who asks but only invest it according to your purpose, similarly, we should use our thought and emotion capital purposefully."
Expressing that perfectionist and detail-oriented individuals are more prone to obsessions and intrusive thoughts, Prof. Tarhan said that "Whatever subject a person cares most about, vesvese usually arises from there."
There are 12 different innate personality structures
Stating that there are 12 different innate personality structures defined in the literature, one of which is the obsessive personality structure, Prof. Tarhan continued his remarks as follows:
"Individuals with an obsessive personality structure are inherently more prone to perfectionism and meticulousness. This characteristic is a natural tendency up to a certain limit and can lead to success when used well. However, when the dose is exceeded, it can conversely become a challenging and hindering trait. We all have a bit of every personality trait. Sometimes we are all prone to being a little suspicious, a little selfish, a little obsessive, but whichever we nurture, we disrupt that balance."
Obsession starts from what the person values
Prof. Tarhan noted that in the initial stage of obsession, obsessions usually start from the area where the person has invested their emotions intensely. Tarhan explained that "If a person loves money very much, they live 50 minutes out of 60 preoccupied with money due to the fear of losing it. They buy a car, and if a horn honks outside, they immediately run to the door or window, wondering if something hit it. Obsession starts from whatever we value. It's necessary to know this. People who value cleanliness develop contamination obsessions. Those who value physical health develop health-related obsessions.”
The brain program distinguishing humans from other creatures; mentalization!
Highlighting that what distinguishes humans from other living beings is a brain program, a mechanism called theory of mind, Prof. Tarhan stated that "Mentalization, meaning the ability to attribute meaning to something and investigate the meaning of everything, naturally exists in the human brain. This has also been proven neuropsychologically. For example, in autistic children, especially those high on the autism spectrum, this ability may be deficient. When you point to an object for them, they might look at the tip of your finger instead of the object you pointed to. The reason for this is their difficulty with reasoning and mentalization processes. Since their mechanisms for resolving uncertainty and attributing meaning are not fully developed, they may focus on the pointing finger instead of the indicated object."
What's important in intrusive thoughts is managing the thought!
Referring to Erich Fromm's quote, "Every substance has an essence. That essence is meaning," Prof. Tarhan concluded his remarks as follows: "If a person considers the meaning dimension of everything they do, they can look at life from a healthier perspective. This loss of meaning is also observed in individuals experiencing obsessions. Vesvese is also unique to humans. Other living beings do not suffer from diseases like OCD or vesvese. Once their belly is full, it is over. They sleep for 15 hours, hunt for 2 hours, care for their young for 2 hours, that is it. However, humans aren't like that; they search for meaning. Humans have Yalom's famous four fundamental fears, anxieties. Humans try to alleviate them. There is the search for meaning, overcoming loneliness, the quest for freedom. These are all fundamental fears in humans. To alleviate these, they constantly try to produce meaning. What happens then? Vesvese suddenly appears. It challenges us from wherever we place importance. What is important in vesvese is managing the thought, being able to generate alternative thoughts against it.”
Üsküdar News Agency (ÜNA)