I just found out this was a compulsion đ”âđ« Iâve been doing that this whole time âŠâŠ. Lol does anyone struggle with this/what helps?? I was listening to a podcast and it said trying to rationalize with logic was a compulsion and that I need to sit in the uncertainty and discomfort. (Logic doesnât work for ocd anyway) Any advice? Anyone out there do something similar?
Applying logic to OCD is tricky when it comes to this disorder. Logically, we know our fears are irrational and donât make sense, but thereâs a disconnect in the brain that doesnât allow us to process that correctly. Itâs kinda hard to explain.
@blazed Well said actually! I was trying to explain this but I was struggling haha
@blazed Agreed, well said. I think if youâre trying to apply logic when triggered or heightened anxiety, itâs self reassurance which will almost certainly be followed by more what ifs. However, post trigger it helps to apply logic to challenge your thoughts (whatâs the evidence for or against the thought, what are the actual odds of this happening and is it higher or lower than I initially thought, how accountable can I actually be for this thing that I cannot control, what would you say to a friend who is having this concern) and then you develop a more balanced view of the issue. You build up your bank of balanced views and can experiment with it by checking in on the issue again at a later time or date. This slowly helps your brain start to connect the dots. It is cbt and should be done in conjunction with erp.
@divyD 100%. I was taught something similar when I was in therapy for CBT. After a spiral I reflect on my triggers and what happened, and I find that doing so gives me more clarity and helps with the emotions that come with my intrusive thoughts and anxiety.
@blazed It does help to reflect doesnât it. Sometimes it can be a stressful day, lack of sleep etc, or can be cyclical. I hope youâre at a good point in your journey!
I think that it is it difficult to remove the logic from any type of therapy. Logic is going to be used to understand ocd and how to handle the instrusive thoughts. However, when it comes to trying to understand or rationalize intrusive thoughts, logic is not going to be used.
I think it depends where you are in the healing process. If your in recovery or maintenance, then I believe you could use logic is your using your logical/sound mind. Itâs what people without OCD do. đâ€ïž
Iâm confused because my therapist told me I should focus on logic (the facts) to understand that my fear of contamination is excessive.. Wouldnât thinking logical be a good thing? I donât get it either.
@Anonymous Itâs so tricky, but I think follow what your therapist says because everyone is different! Logic may work really well for you :) it helps me a lot, but I try not to rely on it because it creates a spiral for me.
@Anonymous I see.. I often get stuck in it, too because like @kirstenrisk said âuncertainty is often inevitableâ, which is true. Even with logic, itâs like can you be 100% sure? I mean, thoughts are thoughts⊠itâs just confusing, but definitely get why you feel that way
@Anonymous I find the âOCD Recoveryâ podcast by Ali Greymond very helpful.
@kirstenrisk Yeah I was really confused when I heard it too. I think itâs good to have logic as a base (thatâs what I do!) but sometimes I get lost in the what ifs still /:
Would it be logical to think âif I never worried about this before, it must be OCDâ? I am trying to not reassurance seek, but when I can approach things logically, it really helps me. I have been dealing with varying themes since July and I try to be pragmatic about things. Iâd like to stop things in their tracks if I can.
Thereâs this one situation that I havenât stopped thinking about from last night . So basically, I was reading 'The power of Now' which is a book that I love so much and really got me into spirituality. Itâs been so helpful for my OCD and rumination but itâs also been pretty triggering for it as of late, so Iâve taken a long break from consistently reading it. The excerpt I read was about abundance and how its not about being bountiful, necessarily in material things but realizing and being grateful for the things that exist in your life now and in doing so, you will open yourself up to more good things. I understood it but I re-read it a lot because I didn't feel confident enough to explain it to someone else. but otherwise I LOVED IT. It made me feel so at peace, I agreed with it, and it gave me hope to start focusing on the good things in my life rather than the bad. So when I went to bed I rehearsed myself explaining it to someone on a podcast and then all these questions started flooding in like âwhy should I only focus on the good and aren't we supposed to accept the good and bad? Arenât those the values of Buddha and spiritualityâ âYa, we're supposed to accept the good and the bad but why?- so we can feel more good??? And isn't the point of OCD to not label things as good and bad? and why should I focus on the good- so I can feel good? why should I feel good? because I'm worthy of it? why am I worthy of it? because I'm a good person and do good things? well Iâve also done bad things so why shouldn't I consider that. I just donât understand why I should feel good without it being selfish. And then this went on for like 2 or 3 hours. Like holy shit. I over explain these ideas and concepts that I resonate with to the point where they don't even make sense to me anymore. It becomes very existensial very quick. And Iâm not suicidal but these questions make me feel hopeless in society for some reason?? And myself. Like if everything contradicts everything then whatâs the point to life? If nothing can be understood or explained in a senseful way, then how do people move forward and make decisions, like AT ALL? Thereâs never a right or perfect answer and I feel like with any decision I make in regards, Iâm doing a compulsion either way. If I donât answer them, then Iâm avoiding it and if I do then Iâm checking and seeking reassurance. Iâm sorry if this was way too long and over-explained I just need some advice or to know if anyone can relate in any way. Also, Iâm sorry if some of those back-to-back questions were triggering.
Curious.... the news has been terribly distressing for me and has stirred up OCD. Compulsive rumination and checking (news stories) are my go-to when OCD is triggered. Today, I purposely did not listen to my news podcast as I do every morning. I feel better-ish. Is this avoidance, or is this self care? Would continuing to listen to a podcast be exposure with response prevention applied to the compulsions that go with it? Thanks in advance!
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