Does anyone have advice for magical thinking OCD? For instance i can’t have an intrusive thought while doing something because then i have to go back and do it while having a good / safe thought to counteract the bad one. Anyone else struggle with this? Some input would be great.

You have no idea how much I can relate to this type of compulsion. The response was something I so desperately needed to hear. I have rituals that make me go back to certain places and touch an object I feel will relieve my symptoms. In retrospect, this only made my compulsions stronger and took 8 long months away from my life.

I suffered with this from the age of 21 to 26, and it completely crippled me. I was healed of it through prayer. Like, seriously. Completely gone in seconds. Therapeutically speaking, unfortunately you have to just ignore it. Believe me, I know first-hand how easy it is to say, but how seemingly impossible it feels to execute. The more ERP you do with these types of things, the weaker they will become. You do not have the power to control the things you think will happen if you re-perform an action with a “good” thought. It doesn’t change anything in reality. It only makes you more comfortable until the next though comes along. That’s the lie of OCD. The thoughts will dwindle if you can manage to slowly start some ERP.

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I will also recommend the book The Battlefield of the Mind by Dr. Joyce Meyer. It was recommended to me and I read it after I got over this. It really helped me.

It is hard, but it’s effective! Once you get through it, it’s totally worth it. And it gets easier as you go along!

I know how that feels. The misconception with magical thinking is that we feel as if we control the environment around us. But we don’t. It’s not that you don’t care. If you stop indulging these thoughts, it’s not going to change the outcome of anything. I know it feels like the weight of the world relies on whether or not you go back and redo whatever it is you were doing with a positive thought, but in reality it doesn’t. We don’t have that kind of control over what happens in the world. If you refuse to go back and repeat, no one will get hurt. Nothing bad will happen. The feeling that there will be catastrophic outcomes if you don’t repeat can be overwhelming. I know. Like, downright terrifying. But you have to remember it’s a lie. You’re not going to “enjoy” letting things happen, but things happening are not yours to control. It’s not you making anything happen or preventing it from happening. They’re just thoughts and they can’t hurt anything around you. They don’t control the world around you and ignoring them is scary, but the only thing ignoring them will do is eventually make them lose their power over you and eventually go away completely. It’s hard. Oh, I know it’s so hard. But even the tiniest baby step with a minor thought you feel like you might be able to ignore is a victory. Take steps, even if they’re little. Take your time. Be easy on yourself if you fail. Dust it off and try again. You can do this!

@Bookworm, I had the same thing! There were certain words that triggered me. I would end up literally shouting other words that started with the same letter that I believed were positive just to keep my mind from going there. It sounded literally like Tourette’s!

thanks so much for an informative answer

is ERP the only way though ugh it’s so hard

but i feel like once i start skipping them then that means i don’t care anymore and i’m letting things happen? i don’t want to enjoy that

thank you so much, but it’s just hard because i feel like i can never believe anything that i don’t do with a compulsion, eg saying it’s fine when i feel like it’s not even though that’s the truth. i know the truth doesn’t rely on my feelings but it gets so bad

I totally understand. Take your time. Be gentle with yourself. You’re going to come out of this.

it’s good to know i’m not alone. i also have compulsions that i’m not allowed to say certain words and have to replace them w others, can’t listen to certain songs if my intrusive thoughts say i can’t - it’s horrible