Stating that obsessive thoughts are a condition related to the human decision-making mechanism, Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan emphasized that perfectionist and detail-oriented individuals are more prone to obsession and obsessive thoughts, and that obsessive thoughts usually arise from whatever topic a person attaches the most importance to.
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan explained that another dimension of obsessive thoughts among the public involves religiously related obsessions, and people associate such thoughts with concepts like ‘the three-letter ones’, ‘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 ‘I’ve been cursed by magic.’”
Üsküdar Üniversitesi Founder Rector, Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, evaluated the topic of obsessive thoughts on TRT Radyo 1's Ailece program.
What are Obsessive Thoughts?
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan stated that the term "vesvese" (obsessive thoughts) is widely used among the public, and while this Arabic-rooted word often carries a religious meaning, it also has many commonalities intersecting with psychology. He explained, "While 'vesvese' is used in popular culture to mean words from Satan or an inner premonition, thoughts coming from Rahman (God) or angels are, in contrast, referred to as inspiration."
The question "What makes a substance meaningful?" is an important concept
Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated that in psychology, the question "What makes an object meaningful?" is an important concept, and that what makes an object meaningful is not just its physical properties. He said, "What makes a pen valuable is not its decoration, color, or quality, but its primary function: writing. In other words, the true meaning of an object is hidden in its functional and spiritual dimensions. Indeed, the word 'spirituality' itself means 'meaningful' or 'semantic'. An object is only meaningful from a human perspective. Humans, by nature, are beings in search of meaning, and therefore they also seek meaning in matter. Obsessive thoughts emerge at this point. Since humans are beings searching for meaning, their brains are susceptible to producing obsessive thoughts. Our brains are born with this infrastructure and constantly generate thoughts."
Information obtained through reasoning and intuition emerges as obsessive thoughts in our minds
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan noted that the brain constantly produces thoughts and emotions, stating, "To correctly analyze obsessive thoughts, it is necessary to perceive not only the visible meanings but also the invisible ones. Thinking 360 degrees means not merely being content with what is visible on the surface, but also perceiving the invisible through reasoning and intuition. In such situations, information obtained through reasoning and intuition becomes open to interpretation because it is not concrete, and this emerges as obsessive thoughts in our minds."
Obsessive thoughts can eventually turn into Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan explained that sometimes a person might have a feeling or thought like “Are my hands dirty or clean?”, and at this point, a filter located in the frontal cortex, the front part of the brain, intervenes, evaluates cleanliness criteria, and makes a decision. He continued:
“If this mechanism works healthily, the person continues on their way, saying, ‘I know myself, I just washed my hands. They're clean, I don't need to wash them again.’ However, when the brain's decision-making mechanism is impaired, the thought ‘Maybe it wasn't cleaned enough, let me wash it again just to be sure’ comes into play. As this condition progresses, a person can wash for hours; in some cases, extreme situations such as bathing for 3 hours or staying in the toilet for 8 hours can be observed. Obsessive thoughts can eventually turn into Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).”
Why do people believe in magic?
Prof. Dr. Tarhan noted that studies conducted using brain mapping methods have shown that the neural pathways in the brains of OCD patients are excessively developed, and he continued his words as follows:
“While a normal individual's decision-making mechanisms are like footpaths, these pathways in OCD patients appear to have transformed into highways. The brain craves more thoughts and repetitions, and the person spends a large part of their day preoccupied with these obsessive thoughts. For example, they might spend 50 minutes out of a 60-minute period occupied with these thoughts. Another dimension of obsessive thoughts among the public involves religiously related ones. People associate such obsessive thoughts with concepts like ‘the three-letter ones’, ‘Satan’, ‘jinn’, or ‘magic’. In Europe too, such beliefs linked to witches are obsessive 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 forms a definition using information learned from society, family, and religious literature. It convinces itself with beliefs like ‘I’ve been cursed by magic’. Over time, this belief severely affects the person, causing them to attribute everything to it. Consequently, obsessive thoughts can turn into doubts and obsessions.”
When it comes to obsessive thoughts, mental rumination also comes into play
Prof. Dr. Tarhan noted that obsessive thoughts are actually related to the human decision-making mechanism, and that Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) was formerly called "psychasthenia" in medicine, meaning psychological weakness or weakness of will. He said, "A person cannot make a decision; 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 person should move on to the next. Just as motor repetitions are seen in tic disorders, such as a shoulder tic or an eye tic, thought repetitions also occur in OCD. The more a person tries to stop these repetitions, the more frequent they become. Moreover, as with some tics, an action taken to alleviate one tic can trigger a new one. One dimension of OCD is the continuous repetition of disturbing, unwanted thoughts (obsessions) by the person. However, there are also thoughts that a person consciously thinks and enjoys repeating. This is called 'rumination,' or mental chewing the cud. When we talk about obsessive thoughts, this also comes into play."
Thought is a great capital produced by our brain
Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated that some people detach from reality and virtually live in a dream world, saying, "They cause rains to fall, wars to break out, or constantly think the same things in their minds. Moreover, the things they think about may not be negative or anxiety-provoking, but this situation renders them incapable of doing anything else. The process of daydreaming can, at some point, turn into schizophrenia-like conditions. There is also a risk of developing bipolar disorder. This is 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 will not fall under the influence of obsessive thoughts. We can liken this situation to managing financial capital. Just as you don't distribute your money to everyone who asks but only invest according to your purpose, similarly, we must use our capital of thoughts and emotions purposefully."
Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated that perfectionist and detail-oriented individuals are more prone to obsession and obsessive thoughts, adding, "Whatever a person attaches the most importance to, obsessive thoughts usually arise from there."
There are 12 different innate personality structures
Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated that there are 12 different innate personality structures defined in literature, and one of these structures is the obsessive personality structure. He continued:
“Individuals with an obsessive personality structure are naturally more prone to perfectionism and being detail-oriented. Up to a certain limit, this trait is a natural tendency and, when used well, can lead a person to success. However, when overdone, it can, on the contrary, become a characteristic that challenges and hinders the person. We all have a bit of every personality trait. Sometimes, all of us are prone to being a little suspicious, a little selfish, a little obsessive, but whichever one we nurture, we upset that balance.”
Obsession starts from what a person values
Prof. Dr. Tarhan noted that at the initial stage of obsession, obsessions generally start from the area where the person has heavily invested their emotions. He said, "If a person loves money very much, they constantly live with the fear of losing money, spending 50 minutes out of 60 thinking about money. If they buy a car, and a horn honks outside, they immediately run to the door or window, wondering if something hit it. Obsession starts from whatever we attach importance to. It is important to know this. People who prioritize cleanliness have contamination obsessions. Those who prioritize bodily health have health-related obsessions."
The brain program that distinguishes humans from other living beings: mentalization!
Prof. Dr. Tarhan underlined that what distinguishes humans from other living beings is a brain program called "theory of mind." He stated, "Mentalization, that is, the ability to assign meaning to something and to seek the meaning of everything, is naturally present in the human brain. This has also been proven neuropsychologically. For example, in autistic children, especially individuals on the high-end autism spectrum, this ability might be deficient. When you point to an object for them, they might look at the tip of your finger instead of the object you are pointing at. The reason for this is their difficulty in reasoning and mentalization processes. Because the mechanisms for resolving uncertainty and assigning meaning are not fully developed, they may focus on the pointing finger instead of the object being shown."
What's important in obsessive thoughts is managing thoughts!
Referring to Erich Fromm's saying, "Every substance has an essence. That essence is meaning, significance," Prof. Dr. Tarhan concluded his words by stating, "If a person considers the meaning dimension of every task they undertake, they can look at their life from a healthier perspective. This loss of meaning is also observed in individuals experiencing obsession. Obsessive thoughts are also something unique to humans. Other living beings do not have a disease called OCD or obsessive thoughts. When their stomachs are full, it ends. They sleep for 15 hours, hunt for 2 hours, care for their young for 2 hours, and that's it. But humans are not like that; they seek meaning. Humans have anxiety from Yalom's famous four basic fears. Humans try to alleviate this. There is a search for meaning, to alleviate loneliness, a search for freedom. All these are fundamental human fears. To alleviate these, they constantly try to produce meaning. What happens then? Obsessive thoughts suddenly appear. Whatever we give importance to, it challenges us from that point. What's important in obsessive thoughts is managing thoughts, being able to produce alternative thoughts against existing ones."