how is everyone going? also just wanting some tips on navigating ramadan with ocd - i’m starting to notice i have praying compulsions but i don’t know how i can work that around ramadan when we’re doing dhikr.
Remember that things are different for you because you have a special case with OCD, so my advice would be to continue doing ERP if you’re doing that already. Allah knows fully you have this condition and Allah is the Most Merciful and Most Just, so try not to be too hard on yourself (easier said than done!! I’m working through going easy on myself too, it was a little challenging for my OCD to type this comment)
thank you so much @Fareen !!
@s Of course!! Ramadan Mubarak :)
Hey! I’m a Muslim with OCD too and I was wondering whether you get intrusive sexual thoughts because of the OCD? I get them during my sleep which means I have to keep doing ghusl frequently. I’ve started to deprive myself of sleep so I don’t have to do ghusl again and again and so that I don’t burden my family because they also need to use the bathroom. If you’re also going through this, how do you cope?
I'm muslim too and to stop my thoughts, I'm saying "My thoughts won't get me to hell.". It works to me. And, my doctor said that thoughts are not sin. Also, don't suppress your thoughts. The more you suppress it, the more it comes to mind.
@leontopodium Yeah but the problem isn’t the sexual thoughts as much. It’s mostly how much suffering I’m going through due to the amount of times I have to keep doing ghusl because I can’t control those sexual thoughts in my sleep. And I’m a burden on my family also. I think it’s just something I’ll have to tolerate.
@Bubblegum12309 Of course you can't control the thoughts, no one can. That's how you're built. It's how we're all built. If you're not in control of them, they're not your responsibility. They just are what they are, electrical noise from your brain.
@Bubblegum12309 like @system_error said, you can’t control these thoughts and no one can. OCD is known to give terrifying dreams, but remember this is a different case - maybe try talking to a trusted sheikh/imam about this matter and let them know you are experiencing OCD, so they can understand where you’re coming from, cause the ghusls you’re doing could be a compulsion.
Hey love, Allah knows that you have OCD. Allah knows the mental difficulties you are going through and that as a result, things are different for you as opposed to someone who doesn’t have OCD. And Allah is more kind and compassionate than any human could ever hope to be. Please don’t deprive yourself of sleep. Explain your situation to a sheikh or imam or someone else with religious knowledge on ghusl that you trust but also please explain your situation in full to a licensed OCD therapist if you can get ahold of one (a Muslim OCD therapist might be best in this situation but if you can’t find one dont let that stop you from talking to a non-Muslim OCD therapist!!) that and a gentle reminder that Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said to defer to one’s heart even if others advise us, advise us, advise us. If you feel like you can truly listen to your heart/conscience over the noise of these intrusive thoughts (because it can be hard to know how you truly feel sometimes below these thoughts!), then listen to your heart. and please try to be kind and soft towards yourself. you are NOT a burden, you are precious.
@Fareen @s @Fareen thank you so so so much
@Bubblegum12309 ❤️
Ramadan mubarak. <3. It's going stressful and exhausting, unfortunately. :'). And you?
It will, but I’m trying to devote more time for Ibadah this year - unfortunately I’ve gotten slower in reading Qur’an, I never followed up with Tafsir, and I never did Dhikr and Dua till sunrise after Suhoor (just for like half an hour). Insha Allah I am planning on following up on these more this Ramadan and making the clear intention to follow this after Ramadan <3
Ramadan Mubarak 💛 I'm a bit stressed out about how this month with turn out... I know my anxiety and thoughts will increase substantially as I fast during the day but I'm praying I stay strong.
same here - i’d recommend asking for some guidance on how to repent without it being a compulsion- and try out some Islamic mindfulness activities
update to this - i spoke with my therapist about the praying compulsions, and he said to keep a boundary on this and talk to a trusted sheikh/imam about this matter (preferably someone with a counselling/psychology background) - if anyone is struggling with this, may Allah guide you and help fulfill your Ramadan this year - take care everyone!!!
If any Muslims with OCD come across this, i would like advice. Other people are also fine to give advice too. Anyway i am not a Muslim but most of my friend group is Muslim. I never grew up religious my dad was an ex catholic but still had religious views ingrained into his brain and when i would go to say good night to him he would say things like “God Bless you have good dreams” plus he was always drunk so it would be way more emotional and in depth. Anyway that transcended into me as a child praying to god everytime i was in the bath even though i didn’t believe in him it was “just in case”, which i know now was my OCD. Ok back to the point sorry it is long but I told my best friend who is a Muslim that i’ve been thinking about converting which was true, and i’ve been thinking about it for about two years. Today is the first day of Ramadan and i told two of my friends that i would be fasting for the month because most of my friends are and also the fact i’m interested in Islam. I woke up at 4am today, ate enough food to be full by the sunrise, then i fasted until 2:12pm when i did a horrible thing and broke my fast. I was so tempted and i know it was wrong and i have to do something good to fix it. But i started feeling like all of this, everything i think about Islam, it’s all just my OCD, and i have a strong feeling about this. I pray to Allah in my head, learned some arabic, read part of the Quran, and i tried to fast but i know i wont be able to resist my temptation even though that is the whole point of Ramadan. I know in my heart i don’t have real religious beliefs and that all of my thoughts about Islam are intrusive. How do i stop my thoughts and how do i tell my friend that i am probably not going to convert because it is not right for me? She will be understanding but i will feel like i mislead her and also i will feel a little more uncomfortable around my friends because i know i have decided that i don’t believe in Allah or want to convert. Please don’t tell me to convert because it will influence me immediately and although i love the religion i know it is not what i believe in or want with my life. Please help i am sorry this is so long
Hello! It has been well documented that OCD can manifest itself in the form of religious rituals. There is a fine line between genuine piety and OCD. For those of you who have struggled or are still struggling with this, have you sought the guidance of a religious figure in addition to a therapist? Meaning, that you attend therapy with a therapist who works with you on ERP exercises, but also have a rabbi, priest, or imam who you use for guidance in determining what is actual piety versus behavior that is OCD?
i keep having such intrusive religious ocd thoughts, i feel like i’m sinning and i don’t want to leave my religion p.s i’m a muslim
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