---
title: "Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan: “Obsessive Thoughts Disrupt Brain Chemistry”"
description: "Nevzat Tarhan, Presidency of Religious Affairs, Obsessive Thoughts in the Context of Religious Matters, Obsession, Thought Disorder, Brain Chemistry, Emotional Investment, Ego, Understanding"
url: https://uha.com.tr/prof-dr-nevzat-tarhan-obsessive-thoughts-disrupt-brain-chemistry
type: article
language: en
last_updated: 2026-02-25
category: haber
---

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# Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan: “Obsessive Thoughts Disrupt Brain Chemistry”

## Bilgi

| Özellik | Değer |
|---------|-------|
| **Kategori** | haber |
| **Yayın Tarihi** | 2025-02-05 |
| **Güncelleme** | 2026-02-25 |
| **Kaynak** | [Üsküdar Haber Ajansı](https://uha.com.tr/prof-dr-nevzat-tarhan-obsessive-thoughts-disrupt-brain-chemistry) |

## Özet

**Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, Founding Rector of Üsküdar Üniversitesi, participated in a talk organized by the Presidency of Religious Affairs. Tarhan thoroughly discussed 'Obsessive Thoughts in the Context of Religious Matters'. Stating that obsession is a thought disorder, Tarhan emphasized that in order to manage obsessive thoughts, one must first manage the brain. Tarhan, saying that obsessive patients think of the worst-case scenario, underlined that there is a great war within their inner worlds. Tarhan noted that as obsessive thoughts gain a physical dimension, they also disrupt brain chemistry.**

## İçerik

![](https://cdn.uha.com.tr/content/images/ekran-resmi-2025-02-03-110415-250205120956.png)

The online talk was moderated by Dr. Halil Kılıç, Expert of the High Board of Religious Affairs. Preachers providing the 'Alo Fetva' service in Turkey participated in the talk. The organized talk was met with great interest by the participants. 

![](https://cdn.uha.com.tr/content/images/ekran-resmi-2025-02-03-110115-250205121020.png)

## **“Obsession is a thought alien to one’s ego”**

Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, stating that obsession is a thought disorder, began his words by saying; “Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a serious group of illnesses. It is seen in 5 to 10 percent of society, varying from society to society. Some individuals experience cleanliness obsession, others aggression obsession, repetition obsession, sexual obsession, or religious obsession. The type of obsession varies according to the individual and cultural structure. Obsessions in Turkish can be translated as 'vesvese' (obsessive thoughts) or 'takıntı' (fixation). In other words, the difference between 'vesvese' (obsessive thoughts) and other thoughts is that there are obsession and rumination. The two are different. Obsession is a thought alien to one's ego. The mind, heart, and conscience do not approve of the thought. One knows it is absurd, but there is rumination, and the person believes in that thought. This is called mental rumination. The person believes a wrong thought is right and forces themselves to do it. There is both negative rumination and positive rumination. That is different from obsession. It is not correct to call *rumination* 'vesvese' (obsessive thoughts). In 'vesvese' (obsessive thoughts), these are things alien to one's ego, not approved by one's mind, heart, consciousness, or conscience. They say, 'It's like a second person is talking in my brain.' This type of thought disorder is called obsession. In other words, the conditions we call 'vesvese' (obsessive thoughts), obsession, and rumination are entirely thought disorders.” 

## **“Managing Obsessive Thoughts is Managing Our Brain”**

Tarhan, stating that the brain must first be managed to control obsessive thoughts; “There are emotional obsessive thoughts. For example, they are not pure thoughts or pure emotions. What we emphasize most in treatment is thought-emotion fusion. Fusion exists in physics. It's like a nuclear reaction where atoms' electrons merge into each other. Our brain has a working system. For example, fire and gunpowder are not found side by side in physical life, but in our brain, they are next to each other. When we say fire, gunpowder automatically comes to mind. When we say cleanliness, dirt immediately comes to mind. When we say religion, blasphemy immediately comes to mind. Negative things come against sacred things. The two are neighbors in the brain. Since they are present at the same time, they have created a shortcut for each other. So, we need to know how our brain works. The brain is the instrumental organ between the material world and the spiritual world of our soul structure. A carpenter needs tools to display his craft. Our soul structure also needs the brain to manifest itself. Managing obsessive thoughts is managing our brain. This can be a thought obsession or an emotional obsession. When the two are distinguished, the person feels relieved. Therefore, we need to know what obsessive thoughts are. Because humans communicate through concepts. If a concept is wrong, that person cannot communicate with the other party. Therefore, if we clarify what we understand by obsessive thoughts, we can establish healthy communication by correcting what the other party understands.” he stated. 

![](https://cdn.uha.com.tr/content/images/ekran-resmi-2025-02-03-112429-250205121046.png)

## **They Write the Worst-Case Scenario, Catastrophize It…**

Tarhan, stating that obsessive patients think of the worst-case scenario; “The human psyche is very interesting. Sometimes it collapses from even a very simple thing. Sometimes it can be completely unaffected by something very big. In other words, we have such a fragile structure. For example, you shake hands with someone, but if you shake the hand of someone with an injured hand, they immediately react. They are oversensitive, show an exaggerated reaction. Obsessive patients also immediately perceive what is said about obsession-related topics as overly exaggerated. They immediately write the worst-case scenario, catastrophize it. Obsessive thoughts have three stages. In the first stage, obsessive thoughts come to mind, but the person does not believe in them; they question them. That is, they feel the need to verify the obsessive thoughts. They go and ask others. They feel the need for confirmation, and after a while, they ask someone they trust, and then they don't do it again. In the second stage, the person knows it is wrong. They try to correct it but start doing the same thing repeatedly all day long. This becomes their only mental preoccupation. It's only this topic. Wherever they go, they think about it. For example, when they are about to pray, evil thoughts against Allah come to their mind. Thirdly, if these obsessive thoughts prevent them from doing their job, profession, life, housework, looking after their children, or performing their duties, it means that the obsessive thoughts have reached the dimension of an illness. In such cases, those obsessive thoughts gain a physical dimension.” he said.

## **“Whatever a person invests their love in, obsessive thoughts emerge from there”**

Tarhan, drawing attention to the fact that obsessive-compulsive disorder is seen in individuals with high IQ; “If an average human brain produces a thousand thoughts a day, someone with a high IQ produces three thousand to five thousand. Those with high IQs fall into depression more often if they cannot manage the thoughts they produce. In fact, obsessive-compulsive disorder mostly affects people with high IQs. For example, if the topic they value is religious matters, it catches them there. If it's cleanliness, it catches them there. If it's money, it catches them there. If it's property, it catches them there. Whatever a person invests their love in, obsessive thoughts emerge from there. Normally, while the pathways in the brain are like footpaths, the decision-making pathways in the brains of these individuals become like highways. In other words, the pathways in the brain are now so developed that one thought is not satisfying. They constantly need to think about it. The operating system of car traffic in a city and information traffic in the brain are the same. Let's say roads are closed in Ankara Kızılay; during traffic congestion, the police block the roads leading there, the road there empties, and then they open the roads. Similarly, there is traffic in the information pathways and energy flow in our brain. When you constantly block a topic, it gets blocked in the brain. That traffic needs to be dispersed from there. People can no longer do this. The brain has made this automatic.” he said.

## “There is a tremendous war in their inner worlds”

Emphasizing that individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder experience tremendous anxiety, Tarhan continued his words as follows:
 “There is a tremendous war in their inner worlds. The stress wave in their brains is so high that symptoms of a person suffering are literally emerging.” 

## “A Person’s First Need Is the Need for Understanding”

Tarhan, stating that the ego (nafs) and the devil unite and attack the heart; “A person’s first need is the need for understanding. In other words, words we say without awakening this feeling have no impact. When we make them feel that we understand them, our words begin to have an effect. For this, it is necessary to be an active listener. If we don't listen to them, they immediately find an excuse. So, to prevent that, we need to listen to that person and then provide information. Religiously, it is referred to as 'Maraz-ı ruhi' (spiritual illness). This is not a spiritual illness. It is the expression of emotional obsessive thoughts in humans, known as 'Lümme-i şeytaniye' in the heart. That is, its equivalent in religious terminology is 'Lümme-i şeytaniye'. Like a black dot, it speaks in the heart, and here too. It is not the voice of the heart but a voice of the 'Lümme-i şeytaniye' in the heart. In other words, our ego (nafs) and the devil unite and attack our hearts and souls. In such situations, we need to know how to act.” he stated. 

## “Parasitic Thoughts Are Alien Thoughts Not Belonging to the Person”

Tarhan, emphasizing that thoughts need to be defined correctly; “Parasitic thoughts are alien thoughts that do not belong to the person. Therefore, those thoughts need to be defined correctly. They are intrusive thoughts. If you think this way, if someone you don't know knocks on the door, would you let in someone who bothers you? We wouldn't. If someone we don't like, don't love, don't know, or who bothers us comes, we don't let them in; we give the appropriate answer, send them away, and mind our own business. These thoughts are uninvited thoughts. They try to occupy us. If we engage with them, they increase more. There's a bee metaphor here. When bees bother a person, if you stand still, they fly away. If you engage with them, if you chase them, they attack more. Uninvited thoughts are also like that. If you give them importance, they grow; if you don't give importance, they shrink. If you see them as big, they grow; if you see them as small, they shrink. This is also the characteristic of these thoughts. Therefore, it is beneficial to implement a strategy of starting not to give importance at this stage of obsessive thoughts.” he stated. 

## Success, Detail, and the Devil Are All in the Details…

Tarhan, stating that details not aimed at the goal are far from the goal; “Success, detail, and the devil are all in the details. Is detail good or bad? When a person is moving towards a goal, details related to that goal lead to success, but unnecessary details unrelated to the goal distract a person from their goal. For example, you are going somewhere, but you are not doing the main task you need to do because you are busy with something else. There, the devil is in the details. If you occupy yourself with details, you stray from the main goal. The devil gives obsessive thoughts to distance one from Allah. The literary meaning of the word 'Satan' is 'one who distances'. The devil is a being that has taken on the task of distancing from Allah. Gaining Allah's pleasure is our main goal. A person who makes Allah's pleasure their goal manages obsessive thoughts better.” he said.

## “The Better Is the Enemy of the Good”

Tarhan, emphasizing that available opportunities should be used in the best possible way; “The better is the enemy of the good. Some people lose the good while trying to do better. To such a person, one must say, 'You are fixating on this, you will lose the better. By doing so, you cannot even gain that. Therefore, to do better, you need to be content with what you have.' Therefore, the definition of perfectionism is not to do the most perfect thing. It is to use the available opportunities perfectly. It is the same in religious terms. That is, perfection in religiosity is not about being the most religious. It is about doing the best within the conditions of the world, Turkey, humanity, and what you possess. Trying to do better and comparing oneself with others psychologically harms a person, pulls them down, and lowers their self-confidence. More obsessive thoughts become intrusive. When obsessive thoughts gain a physical dimension, brain chemistry is disrupted. The infrastructure in their brains is disrupted.” he stated. 

## “True Freedom Is Being Free Against the Obsessive Thoughts Within”

Tarhan, stating that a distraction method should be used to prevent obsessive thoughts from controlling a person; “Modernism has increased obsessive thoughts. According to humanist philosophy, 'Man is inherently good, there is no evil within him.' was said. Whereas, man was created as a candidate to be good and evil. Psychoanalyst Otto Kernberg said that there is a 'bad part' within man. This is a paradigm shift that breaks conventional wisdom in psychoanalysis. When we say 'bad part' within us, it actually refers to the ego (nafs) and the devil. The duty of this part is to remind us of evil. That 'bad part' within us is doing its job. We need to protect ourselves from malevolent feelings and malevolent tendencies. If we feed the 'bad part' within us, it grows. If we feed the 'good part', it grows. When you explain this to a person, when blasphemous thoughts about religious matters, such as thoughts, obsession, or obsessive thoughts, come during prayer, they will not reach the point of abandoning religion or prayer. We will use the distraction method, saying, 'The devil is giving obsessive thoughts; his aim is to derail me. He wants to distance me from Allah's path. To not be his instrument, I need to say no to him.' Don't let it control you. Obsessive thoughts will come into you, but obsessive thoughts will not control you. True freedom is being free against the obsessive thoughts within. Being free against the negative emotions within us. This is true freedom.” he stated. 

## “Showing Patience is Also a Type of Worship”

Tarhan, talking about positive and negative forms of worship; “Positive forms of worship are like prayer (salat), fasting (sawm), and almsgiving (zakat). Negative forms of worship, on the other hand, are enduring patiently in the face of calamities. Whoever endures patiently in the face of calamity uses the weapon of patience and gratitude. What happens to a person who endures patiently in the face of calamity? They do not complain about their situation. They do not complain about what comes from Allah. When they are patient, there are two benefits. Firstly, their sins are shed. Secondly, their spiritual rank rises. For example, one needs to say this to people. Instead of saying 'Repent,' one should say, 'You are already suffering because of this, you are fighting an internal war. The greatest weapon in this war, which will keep your hope alive, is patience. Do not despair, be patient, do not lose hope in Allah's mercy.'  In this situation, negative worship, that is, showing patience in the face of calamities, is also a type of worship.” he concluded.

## Akademik Referans

DOI: [https://doi.org/10.32739/uha.id.58334](https://doi.org/10.32739/uha.id.58334)

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*Kaynak: [Üsküdar Haber Ajansı](https://uha.com.tr) — https://uha.com.tr/prof-dr-nevzat-tarhan-obsessive-thoughts-disrupt-brain-chemistry*