Anyone here who is a Christian and deals with or has dealt with hocd? If so, how do you deal with this biblically?

So, I can't go to therapy, can't have meds, I had no one to talk to. For 6-7 weeks i was suffering. Compulsing, breaking my poor bfs heart by telling him everything, and listening watching vids. Nothing was helping. So I came to God and poured my heart out. Then i made notes on verses about love, faith, anxiety, no regrets etc. The next day i fasted and read all the verses I wrote down aloud 2-3 times. Prayed and begged God to make me like the verse says. To make this verse work in my life. Did this 2 times, rebuked evil out of me and constantly prayed and read bible. Even when the thoughts were coming let's say thoughts about that " oh my bf is ugly" I'll recite a verse that says that God knitted us in our mother's womb, so whoever he made isn't ugly. Overcome the thoughts by GOD'S words. For you there's a verse on homosexuality. Leviticus 20:13 ig.. it says that a man shouldn't lie with a male as a woman. Vice versa, a woman shouldn't lie with a woman as a man. For if the do they have committed sin and are abomination unto God. Read that verse out loud pray and beg God to make ur anxiety and fears and ocd go away. To make this thoughts about homosexuality go away as this is not from God. I hope it helps. God is with you.

Hi ☺ I'm a Christian who suffered with HOCD too. But I didn't try to solve mine biblically - I was quickly realised that that would become a compulsive behaviour and an attempt to "work out" or "oppose" the thoughts. In OCD, that is the number 1 thing you MUST NOT DO. Talk to God about your OCD. Let out your pain and suffering to Him and tell Him that you're struggling. But in order to get better, you need to avoid using God's word just to make you feel better. The Bible was intended to teach us and guide us. It can be used to make you feel reassured if you need, but personally I believe it may make it worse. You must not allow yourself to feel guilty for the thoughts in your head. With HOCD, that's why parts of the Bible might actually induce more anxiety. Please, be careful. Get some therapy. God is with you and He wants you to get better, not to dig yourself deeper with the Bible He has given you!

Ok great. Yes, if you could help me that would be great. I'm headed to bed now. But I'll check back for your reply in the morning. Thank you.

Oh yeah definitely ahah. Just, as someone with HOCD, I know that reading the Bible can become a compulsion ? It's just important to keep your relationship with God going, without misusing his word. I mean, it might not become compulsive, in which case please do what @shaz suggests!! But if you find yourself reading the same passages again and again every day when you're anxious, then that means it is compulsive and it's gotta stop. Also - I'd recommend the Jackie Lea Sommers website. She's also a Christian, and has made some really nice blogs about OCD and HOCD. ?

(Also, just realised there's a typing error in my first post: should be "don't dig yourself deeper in OCD with the Bible He has given you!") (It's actually annoying that we can't edit our own posts on here, I never realise I've mistyped until I've posted it ?)

Yeah I agree ? Treatment and faith are definitely both needed ❤

I have to ask: do you think homosexuality is a sin? If so, reading a verse over and over about how bad your thoughts are may help, BUT not if you do it like how shaz is suggesting, unfortunately. Praying away intrusive thoughts is a compulsion. A compulsion is anything you do to neutralize, erase, suppress, or explain away an unwanted/intrusive thought. It will make you feel momentarily better (because it’s a form of reassurance) but it will ultimately feed your OCD in the long run. Please do some research on how reassurance seeking is bad for OCD if you do not believe me. To heal from OCD, you need to do exposure and response therapy (ERP). This requires exposing yourself to triggers, and then sitting with the anxiety that ensues until it dissipates without performing compulsions. To do ERP using that verse, you would need to read the verse again and again while accepting the homosexual themed thoughts that come into your head. Sit with the feelings of shame or guilt you feel without trying to get rid of the thoughts themselves. Eventually the anxiety will dissipate. You’d have to repeat this again and again until reading the passage and experiencing any unwanted thoughts no longer provoked any anxious response in you. I do hope that you know that while you may not be homosexual, homosexuality is not a sin. These thoughts are troubling because they go against our sense of self. But it may help you to remember that God would love you even if you were gay. Also: intrusive thoughts are not evil. They’re just your brain working overtime. Our brains were designed to find and solve problems, and sometimes they are so good at that that they even create them. Good luck!

Thanks everyone. Yeah- I was wondering how exactly to apply ERP for hocd as a Christian and you all helped. Thanks for your responses.

I have a few workbooks on OCD that I'm going to do.

Heyy!! I can help you. It might take a while to reply. I help my ocd with only bible verses

My ocd is rocd. But the method i do, (hopefully) it'll help you.

I have hocd and trans ocd and I'm also a Christina and scared

Sure, about what spiral said. She has her own perspective on this and i totally respect that. And I'm not telling you to stop going to therapy, do that too. But bible does say dig deeper into God's word. It also says shield/ protect yourself with armour of God. Embed God's word in your heart and mind. Now i might've taken what spiral said in a wrong way. Ocd/anxiety/fears/depression are all spiritual attacks. All from the evil. It attacks you spiritually. That's why God tells us to embed His word into our hearts, which means digging deeper into the bible which is his word. That's my opinion.

Oh yeah totally..if you're using bible as compulsion then DO NOT do that. But i believe once you read the bible gradually, your fears and thoughts will reduce. You won't feel the need to do compulsion.. just have faith

That's a good plan. Good luck! ?