Religious OCD

@M✨️ Nope

Yea pleasee

@M✨️ Okay, first things first. What is your relationship with the intrusive thoughts? Do you believe that they are DANGEROUS? That they have the ability to change the world around you? That you have to fight them off? If this is the case, you need a paradigm shift. And we can talk about that. But first, let's identify what you believe about your intrusive thoughts... ??? How do you feel about them??

@Tea and Honey I feel in danger and that I lost everything I feel scared panicking and crazy and low self steem

@M✨️ OK, we need to start right here. You need a complete paradigm shift. I'm going to tell you the truth. And you aren't going to be SURE it is true. (And we never will be.) But you have to ACT as though you do believe it. And the more you do this, the more freedom you will get in your life. Here's the truth: The intrusive thoughts don't mean anything. And God doesn't care if they are in your head or not. Like I said, you are not going to be 100% certain that those statements above are true. But if you can act on those statements--out of a step of faith--you will be on the journey to freedom. The deepest faith comes into play when you take a step in the dark. It's like "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" when he takes the step on to the invisible bridge. He cannot see the bridge below him. But he takes step anyway and finds that he is safe . Your OCD will keep you in a stranglehold until you can start ACTING on the premise that the intrusive thoughts don't mean anything (even if you still feel doubts about whether or not that is truly safe and OK.) So this is what ERP is going to look like for you: When intrusive thoughts come knocking on your brain, you need to just let them run freely. Don't try to fight them off. Don't try to fix them. Don't engage in any action to "neutralize" them . Don't do anything about them. This can seem very scary at first. But this is where you get to practice believing that God will take care of you even when you are frightened. You'll probably experience semi-despair after you do let the thoughts run wild in your head. This is normal. This is called "riding out" the wave of anxiety that occurs after ERP exposures. In other words, every time you do a "exposure "to one of your triggers (such as letting thoughts run freely), your mind and body will freak out a little bit. You might worry like you are going to hell (even though deep down, you know you are not). You might feel like your life is crashing down around you. But you have to " ride out" that wave. Eventually, your mind and body will settle down. And the more you practice the exposures, the less reaction you have. This is going to take WORK. In other words, the work you do to get over OCD is gritty and hard. But at its core, it is an exercise of faith like no other. You have to trust God in a way that most people never dream of. This is because it feels like you are risking your very salvation. But the truth is that you are not. You are actually safe in Christ. Completely safe! And in the end, all these exercises will strengthen your faith. Do you think this is something that you can do? Does this all make sense? I think that you can make a lot of progress. I think breaking the fear of the intrusive thoughts will be a MAJOR step in your OCD journey. What is your feedback? We can talk about this all that you need to talk about it. Big hugs! I know how much pain you are in. And God doesn't want us in that kind of pain. The Christian life is supposed to be about freedom and joy. And you can get there. All of this pain he will use for his purposes to make you stronger in the end.

@Tea and Honey You're so nice I don't know how to thank you 🥺🤍🤍🤍🤍

@M✨️ I'm here for you!! We can keep taking this through until you feel better. It takes a lot of talking and a lot of time. It can be a slow process. But you will get there!!

@Tea and Honey Yes please I need this🥺🤍

@M✨️ OK, I think it might help to get into the particulars of how you struggle in your day to-to-day life. Then we can talk about specific treatment. Do you want to tell me maybe what a typical hour might look like for you? For example, what are the intrusive thoughts, and what are the compulsions that come afterwards? Like feeling stuck or feeling like you have to avoid things? Or feeling like you have to do certain things just stay safe? What does the OCD cycle look like for you? I think if we can hone down of how OCD is particularly affecting YOU, then we can talk about practical ways to work against it.