Obsessive	thinking	is	a	way	to	avoid	facing	deeper	emotions.	Perhaps	we
worry	we	can’t	manage	the	painful	emotions,	or	perhaps	we	fear	they
will	overwhelm	us.
One	client,	Jack,	told	me	if	he	did	not	think	about	his	medical	condition
so	regularly,	he	would	begin	to	feel	a	tremendous	sense	of	helplessness
and	vulnerability.	He	felt	ineffective	and	powerless	if	he	was	not
preoccupied	with	his	health.	Hyperfocusing	on	his	body	and	medical
care	was	a	way	to	not	feel	like	a	victim;	a	way	to	take	charge.	With	his
obsessive	thinking,	Jack	felt	like	he	was	
doing
	
something.	This	was
difficult	to	experience	and	express,	but	once	Jack	understood	his	real
fear,	we	could	productively	work	on	helping	him	feel	less	vulnerable.
One	way	we	did	this	was	by	looking	at	what	he	
could
	
control	about	his
medical	diagnosis,	and	then	using	acceptance	strategies	to	deal	with	the
rest.
Jack	became	more	self-aware,	noticing	when	his	anxiety	was	triggered.
He	did	more	to	quickly	identify	the	sources	of	his	anxious	thoughts.	He
practiced	
mindfulness
	
daily,	exercised	regularly,	ate	a	healthy	diet,	and