Dealing with intrusive imagery

[neo]

I was having some trouble with intrusive imagery that wouldn't go away just by ignoring it. That clown from it, to be more precise.

The method I've found to be helpful is to put some reference photo of something else on the computer screen, stare at it then look directly at the intrusive imagery, so that the after image from the monitor would overlay the intrusive imagery as you try to keep it in your mind, and be persistent, it will move to the sides, keep doing it wherever it pops. It's gotten to a point which I don't even remember how the clown looks like anymore. I just get the reference now, the problem is that it seems to morph into something else. It's not as much scary as it is annoying.
Just thought that may be helpful to someone experiencing the same thing.
If you have any better tips for that, please share it too.

[Breloomancer]

On 2/28/2020 at 10:52 PM, neo said:

That clown from it, to be more precise.

 

On 2/28/2020 at 10:52 PM, neo said:

 It's gotten to a point which I don't even remember how the clown looks like anymore.

These references to your intrusive thought clown don't add anything and just make the submission more confusing to read. They should be removed. Also, in the second mention of the clown you say "which" when I believe that you meant to say "where".

 

On 2/28/2020 at 10:52 PM, neo said:

I just get the reference now, the problem is that it seems to morph into something else. It's not as much scary as it is annoying.
Just thought that may be helpful to someone experiencing the same thing.

Your wording here is a bit confusing here and I'm not entirely certain what you are saying, but it sounds like you are saying that this method doesn't actually stop intrusive thoughts. If my interpretation is correct and this method hasn't actually helped you get rid of your intrusive thoughts, then I must ask why you are submitting this method at all. Please reword this to be more clear.

 

On 2/28/2020 at 10:52 PM, neo said:

If you have any better tips for that, please share it too.

This sentence makes me wonder if this was meant to be in general discussion rather than submissions. You're not really supposed to talk about things that aren't directly related to the submission in submission threads. if you want to ask people for tips, please ask in a different thread and remove that from this post

 

This is a pretty short submission, so there's not much to say. When you make the changes that I have requested then I'll rereview this, but as of now there is a large portion of your submission that I am only guessing at the meaning of, so until the meaning of that is made more clear, I cannot say what it would take for me to be willing to approve this, or if I am willing to approve this submission at all

[YukariTelepath]

This is less of a guide and more of a "Here's something I did," except your method has not stopped intrusive imagery for you. The wording is confusing as well. As Breloomancer mentioned, this feels like a post in part of a discussion. I cannot approve this guide/tip in its current state.

[Indigo Blue]

The main thing people should know about intrusive thoughts is that they are not powerful and not worth attention. Ignoring them is one of the best ways to deal with them, as well as not treating them like they have any inherent power or or control over anything. This guide doesn't tell how to do any of those things, it is just "here's something I did with my eyes instead of just ignoring the intrusive thought."

I can't see this as being very useful, I can't approve it.

[Ranger]

Overall, this is an interesting trick that I believe would be helpful for combating lurid intrusive imagery. The main things holding it back is the use of tone and diction making it sound more like a discussion post than a submission and the fact your wording is implying you're tackling the general problem of intrusive thoughts instead of the very specific problem of dealing with scary thoughts. When boiled down, these changes are actually pretty straightforward and easy to fix. I go into more detail in my specific review and I found a few grammar problems that are also easy fixes.
 

Specific Review:
 

Spoiler

On 2/28/2020 at 11:52 PM, neo said:

The method I've found to be helpful is to put some reference photo of something else on the computer screen, stare at it then look directly at the intrusive imagery, so that the after image from the monitor would overlay the intrusive imagery as you try to keep it in your mind, and be persistent, it will move to the sides, keep doing it wherever it pops. 

 

The effect you get from staring at an image doesn't come from the computer screen, it comes from eye strain, so any image regardless if it's from a book, printed photo, or on your screen will achieve this affect. However, it is usually more convenient to pull up some random image on Google Images than print something or look for something else to stare at, so I don't have a problem with you specifying to use a screen. However, I would be concerned about people staring at their screens for too long, especially since part of the method involves straining their eyes.

 

Please add a note that you shouldn't stare at your screen indefinitely, and if the reader should take breaks to look away from their screen if their eyes start to hurt or if they have been staring at their screen for more than 60 seconds.

 

On 2/28/2020 at 11:52 PM, neo said:

I just get the reference now, the problem is that it seems to morph into something else. It's not as much scary as it is annoying.

 

It would be for the best to specify early on that this is helpful for scary intrusive images and not intrusive thoughts in general. That way, you can say that the end result is the merged image and you don't have to call it a "problem" because the goal of making the image not scary has been achieved. In addition, adding this clarification means you don't have to write a guide on the broad problem of tackling all intrusive thoughts, just the scary images that bother people.

 

On 2/28/2020 at 11:52 PM, neo said:

If you have any better tips for that, please share it too.

 

I personally felt on the fence about this, but given that my peers didn't like this part in particular, I think it would be best to remove it. In theory, the submission writer is an expert, and the uncertainty expressed in this statement conflicts with that unwritten assumption.

Bonus:

It would be nice if you added a sample image, but this isn't required.

 

Grammar:
 

Spoiler

On 2/28/2020 at 11:52 PM, neo said:

from it,

 

 Italicize and capitalize the name of the film (especially because it may confuse readers, particularly younger ones, who have never seen the movie It, and it's too easy to assume you're talking about some arbitrary clown instead of Pennywise).

 

[...] from It, [...]

 

You can also just call "the clown" Pennywise, and that also prevent confusion.

 

On 2/28/2020 at 11:52 PM, neo said:

The method I've found to be helpful is to put some reference photo of something else on the computer screen, stare at it then look directly at the intrusive imagery, so that the after image from the monitor would overlay the intrusive imagery as you try to keep it in your mind, and be persistent, it will move to the sides, keep doing it wherever it pops. 

 

First part: add a period after "imagery".

[...]  from the monitor would overlay the intrusive imagery. As you try to keep [...]

Second part: "pops up" instead of "pops".

 

On 4/5/2020 at 5:23 PM, Breloomancer said:

Also, in the second mention of the clown you say "which" when I believe that you meant to say "where".

 

I agree, it should be "where".

 

This is my opinion on my peer's comments:
 

Spoiler

On 4/5/2020 at 5:23 PM, Breloomancer said:

These references to your intrusive thought clown don't add anything and just make the submission more confusing to read.

 

It took me a minute to realize Neo was talking about the movie It and not just some random clown. It's a good example, it's just it was too easy to confuse the movie title for the pronoun "it".

 

19 hours ago, Indigo Blue said:

The main thing people should know about intrusive thoughts is that they are not powerful and not worth attention. Ignoring them is one of the best ways to deal with them, as well as not treating them like they have any inherent power or or control over anything. This guide doesn't tell how to do any of those things, it is just "here's something I did with my eyes instead of just ignoring the intrusive thought."

 

In the broad scheme of things, ignoring intrusive thoughts is the most important thing to do. However, this submission is focused on one very specific instance, so the method here can't be extended to intrusive thoughts in general. Plus, a scary image can be one of the harder things to "just ignore".

 

This method does two things:

1) the intrusive image easier to set aside by making it less scary, thus they will no longer be as emotionally invested in the intrusive.
2) It gives the reader something to do other than worry about the intrusive thought. At least some focus has to be made in finding an image and staring at it.

 

No, it doesn't do the best job of telling the reader they are in control and that's a weakness of this method, but I think it would be going above and beyond to drill that in because I think the method as is can still be useful. It's basically a distraction technique, and thinking about dealing with an intrusive image and how to make it better can be enough to shift the focus from feeling bothered by the intrusive image.

 

The other problem is there isn't an easy way to say "this gives you more control over this situation" other than how it's more or less implied. Having a method to work with is a process that implies you have control, and I'm not sure what wording Neo will need to use make that more obvious. Otherwise, they may have to redraft the entire submission to add a section about control or add new content, and I think that's risking turning this tip and trick into a guide for intrusive thoughts.

 

After these changes are made, I will approve for Tips and Tricks.

Edited April 11, 2020 by Ranger

[Osaka]

This "guide" does not stand well on its own as a tip or guide in my opinion. The content seems more like an anecdote that didn't really help you very much in the end. This could, however, be polished with regards to grammar and irrelevant information as my peers have suggested and I think could make a good addition to a thread containing multiple small tips/anecdotes, especially given your last sentence. I just don't think it's long enough to warrant its own post.

 

For these reasons. I cannot approve this.

 

-Hector Osaka

[AZ]

This post definitely looks like it was posted in the wrong place as others have already pointed out. The only thing I really have to say about this is that giving attention to intrusive thoughts makes them worse so based on that alone I couldn't recommend this method to anyone.

[Jamie]

This could be involved in some fashion into something more polished, but as it stands this is more like a discussion post than a Tips and Tricks submission. I was also confused at first until I realized you meant the clown from It. I cannot approve this. 

[Timbre Collective]

-deleted-

Edited July 21, 2023 by KeyboardHost
I don’t know how to delete posts, this was the best I could do.