Is Ted Bundy possessing me or some shit?!

@JB1020 I actually want to get closer to god

@1000anonymous1000 - Just one's person view - but my life has been transformed. I was an agnostic throughout my entire 20s and never thought I'd truly believe. But Christ waits for us and offers a free gift of forgiveness and salvation if we truly follow Him. I have experienced the "insane" mind you fear. I've been in a psych ward. The modern medical/psychiatric view of what happens there is totally impoverished, it misses everything, because it misses the spiritual. Christ is the ultimate solution. I'd love to pray for you, and am willing to share my social media if you have any further questions or would like to know my story/testimony.

Please stop using an OCD support app to gaslight impressionable people through proselytizing. If religion is important to YOUR journey, that is great for YOU. Introducing religious beliefs into an unrelated mental health issue can cause worsening anxiety, depression, and other tangible mental health issues that you aren't fixing by gesturing to the comfort Christ offers YOU.

@FloralEnvoy - Hi. Thanks for sharing your opinion. I have a right to express my view just as much as anyone. I've been diagnosed OCD and have undergone therapy, so I'm a card-carrying member! I also think ERP therapy is great and have expressed that on here many times! So we're on the same page there. But it's rude to accuse me of "gaslighting" and attempt to silence me simply because you have different views. Gaslighting (psychological manipulation aimed at making you question your sanity) is what is *already* being done to the OP - read their post again. Sharing my opinion is not gaslighting - I even clarified this is "just one person's view." Moreover, even your assertion that spirituality can cause worsening anxiety/depression is incorrect framing. Whether or not something worsens anxiety in the short-term is not a good barometer of whether it's *true*, and in the long-run peace only comes from living in truth. Therefore, it's not a good barometer of whether or not I should share it. Indeed, this is exactly what ERP shows us, that avoiding short-term discomfort is not a long-term solution, right? So even in a purely secular context, the ultimate goal is to have a resilient thought life, not to altogether avoid topics that make us nervous. If thinking about spirituality makes the OP anxious, I would suggest they discuss with a therapist and habituate to the topic. Note that the OP didn't say that. What they did say is they want to get closer to God, which you ignored. And lastly, everything Christ offers me, He offers you as well.

@JB1020 This post had absolutely nothing to do with religion, christ, or any other related topic until you commented. That is why I'm accusing you of gaslighting because YOU brought up religion first, literally telling other people to go to Christ UNPROVOKED. Now you are pretending like OP brought up religion first. You ALSO said some thoughts are "spiritual attacks from spirits who want to destroy us" to someone very clearly suffering from magical thinking OCD as tagged IN THE POST. Do you not engage with NOCD except to proselytize? Even if religion is YOUR OCD theme, you should not be getting on here and enabling others anxious thoughts. Telling someone with magical thinking OCD that they have spirits attacking them with intrusive thoughts and that adherence to christ is the only fix? You're just trying to convert people.

@FloralEnvoy We have different worldviews. We should be able to accept that and share our opinions without animus, as long as both our intentions are good. I have experienced exactly what the OP was experiencing. I’m not merely trying to convert, but have first-hand experience with OCD, mania, psychosis and demons and am entitled to share what’s worked for me. Life is a spiritual battle and ignoring that truth hurts folks with OCD in the long-run. Understanding not all our thoughts come from us can actually be a great relief to OCD sufferers. I believe Christ is the *ultimate* solution to all thought life issues. I did not claim He’s the “only” thing that helps. I also did not act as if they brought up Christ initially, I only mentioned their response. Lastly, by the grace of God, I don’t currently have any “themes” because OCD is not currently an ongoing issue for me, praise God. It is a solvable thought pattern that stems from spiritual problems and is not something we have to live with indefinitely, in my opinion. Of course, I could fall back into it at any moment, so need to attempt to remain humble and grateful and on guard. You simply disagree that Christ is a solution. That’s fine. But please re-consider attacking and accusing those who do.

@JB1020 Nope! I don't disagree that religion can be used healthily as a coping mechanism. I disagree that you're using it as a healthy coping mechanism. It does not stem from spiritual issues. When you say stuff like that, you undermine mental health research by dismissing it as a mental health issue. It cannot both be caused by spiritual issues, and caused by mental health issues. To say OCD stems from spiritual problems is to say that OCD does NOT stem from mental health problems. It takes attention and energy away from seeking therapy and potentially even necessary medication in favor of? Catering to YOUR specific beliefs! You didn't even tell OP to consider religiosity overall! You specifically told OP to go to Christ! This behavior is nothing but proselytizing and if you REALLY care about the mental health of people in this community you will do some reflection on why Christian-centered preaching is not the mental health superpower you seem to believe it is for *everyone*. What you need to understand is that your life and your opinions have been influenced by religion which is fine! But it's also not the only interpretation of how religion can play into mental health recovery, and you ALSO seem to show some red flags of clinging onto God as a form of reassurance-seeking which FACTUALLY does not help OCD. Are you even in therapy? Have you pursued therapy or any sort of mental health counseling? Or has your path been entirely self-dictated? Disordered thinking isn't something you can fix with your own mind. That's why your thoughts are disordered, because they're not a trustworthy narrator if you have OCD.

@FloralEnvoy Everything Christ offers me He offers to all. The peace and mental organization He’s given me is available to all. Again, we have different worldviews and see things differently. Yet you seem to be unable to accept this without resorting to animus, again accusing me of not “really” caring about OCD sufferers. All mental health problems are, at their deepest level, spiritual problems in my view. OCD thinking is fear. Fear is a spiritual problem. 1 John 4:18 tells us perfect love casts out fear. That doesn’t mean there are no other contributing variables. Disordered thinking can absolutely be fixed through belief in and adherence to Christ. That doesn’t mean that other avenues can’t also be helpful or effective. I have been in OCD therapy at some level since mid-2021 and I love ERP! I am on a one session per month maintenance program currently, and OCD has not been an ongoing issue for me for a while (again, praise God). If it does creep up I use proper prayer as well as ERP. I came to Christ in 2023 and have seen how He is a better and more comprehensive solution than anything offered by the psychologist & psychiatric communities. Strong faith is not reassurance seeking. I suffered from obsessive thinking on/off for over 20 years and so I do understand the difference, it makes all the difference in the world. You may have the last word here. I can tell that you have the best interests of others in mind and are sharing your genuinely held views in an attempt to help them. I wish you’d extend the same charity to me. Thank you for your concern for others, and for reminding me to point others to ERP in tandem with Christ. God bless you and your mental health.

@FloralEnvoy Idk your opinion but I actually turn to god when I’m struggling mentally. Idk tho

@1000anonymous1000 Turning to religion is not inherently bad, but it can become compulsive because our religious experiences are always subjective. One person speaks to God differently than the next, and so on. Even if we have scripture to guide us, we have different interpretations of it that exist even within the same religious groups. The issue lies in that religion is often used as a crutch, and often suggested in PLACE of mental health care. Prayer may feel reassuring, but reassurance doesn't make OCD go away. It often makes it worse.

@FloralEnvoy Good point