What if I stab my best friend? What if I drop a baby down a staircase? What if I hit someone with my car? As alarming as they may be, these questions arise naturally in the human brain. More commonly called intrusive thoughts, these thoughts arise spontaneously without any particular origin (Berry, May, Anrade, & Kavanagh, 2010). Most often, intrusive thoughts are dark in nature and appear in the mind when the individual least expects them, hence their name (Berry et al., 2010). These noetic interruptions are quite common: between 79% and 99% of people participating in non-clinical studies experience intrusive thoughts (Barrera and Norton, 2011). On the other hand, these intrusions can fester and become more than just passing thoughts for some people. Although intrusive thoughts and their associated impulses occur universally in the human population, they can lead to clinical conditions such as obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). OCD is a clinical disorder characterized by “recurring, intrusive thoughts, images, or impulses that are experienced as an ego feeling.” -dystonic and extremely distressing” (Barrera and Norton, 2011). Evidence suggests that OCD and other similar disorders arise from deliberate avoidance of noetic interruptions. As these disruptive thought processes appear more frequently, the affected person perceives them as a personal image that presents a strong incompatibility with their current personality. In an attempt to prevent these negative thoughts from becoming reality, people with OCD develop rituals and routines to “not think” about certain intrusive thoughts (Belloch, Morillo, & Garcia-Soriano, 2009). Although they start out as fleeting thoughts, intrusive thoughts can turn into full-scale obsessions. What was or...... middle of article......CD and its underlying causes may potentially indicate a solution for other similar anxiety disorders. Works CitedBarrera, TL and Norton, PJ (2011). Assessment of intrusive thoughts in relation to obsessive-compulsive symptoms. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, 40(2), 98-110. Retrieved November 10, 2013, from EBSCO Host Database. Belloch, A., Morillo, C. and Garcia-Soriano, G. (2009). Strategies to control unwanted intrusive thoughts: which are relevant and specific in obsessive-compulsive disorder?. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 33(1), 75-89. Retrieved October 28, 2013 from the PILOTS database: International publication of literature on traumatic stress. Berry, L.M., May, J., Andrade, J., & Kavanagh, D. (2010). Emotional and behavioral response to intrusive thoughts. Evaluation, 17(1), 126-137. Retrieved October 28, 2013 from SAGE Journals database.