What are peoples experience with meditation and OCD? has it worked? And if so, after how much time did you see results? I've been trying for a month but each time I can't do more than 8 minutes because the thoughts start distressing me and I start FREAKING out.
what helps me is personifying my OCD as separate from me. like a chaos creature has come to sprinkle these thoughts into my head just to upset me. and i can meditate on going up to this creature and telling it to kindly leave my space as itās not welcome, and iād like to have peace. i tell it to pack up its bags and go outside of my ārealmā (which is like field of flowers, protected by a clear dome, and outside of that dome is all black) so when it leaves it goes into the darkness. key thing i think would be creating a āhappy placeā that you want to stay in, thinking of the people and things you would like the be there that would help keep you grounded.
I think of āfreaking outā as having intense anxiety. The goal of all of it is to just sit with it and let it be
When youāre sitting there and the thoughts start pressing in on you and you start freaking out, how do you respond to those thoughts?
@Kdmaw Iām not well versed in meditation, but I believe you just acknowledge them and let them be āI see that thoughtā āIām feeling x,y,zā and then you just let it keep flowing down the river
@r.m.1 Gotcha. When you say you are freaking out what kinds of actions do you take either imagined or performed? What do you define as freaking out? After ~8 minutes do you have to step away?
I usually try ignoring them but I get physical reactions (ex: heart beating faster, adrenaline). Then I feel like I need to move to find a distraction or do some compulsions and it completely makes me completely forget about my breathing. I even get intrusive thoughts about how I'm pathetic meditating and that I'll never get better, It's like some looney tunes villain in my head. š
@r.m.1 That's definitely the goal but I have such a hard time not giving into the enotions
@twerquie Yeah, that all makes sense. I bring up the questions because meditation can be something that is very difficult to do for someone who suffers from OCD. I think sitting with your thoughts is something that is much easier for people without OCD to do for extended periods of time, and, although our end goal is to be able to do stuff like that, going into something like meditation can be prohibitively difficult for someone with intrusive thoughts or compulsions around rumination. Especially as a method of treatment. If you struggle with āJust Rightā OCD or sensorimotor OCD (like you mentioned) then doing meditation and trying to get to a point where you just feel unbothered by your thoughts/feelings can be extraordinarily triggering. So yeah, I think you identified some compulsions you have around doing those things, namely avoidance (i.e. finding distractions) or maybe rumination. I know itās easier said than done, but try to be a little gentle with yourself. Itās easy to say we should be able to do something that non-OCD sufferers can do easily but thatās not a fair comparison. Dunking on a 10ā rim is a lot easier when youāre 7ā tall than 5ā
@Kdmaw Yeah I mostly struggle with rumination nowadays..which is torture for meditation. But rn it's the only treatment option I have (recommended by my parents.) I was hoping I could do it more often and for longer intervals but I physically can't. But I'll see a professional soon and ask for their opinion.
I realize this may not work for everyone, particularly those who are struggling with moral or existential forms of OCD, but as someone struggling with relationship OCD, hereās my proposition and whatās worked- 1. ERP and resisting compulsions involves intentionally exposing yourself to distress and not trying to do anything about it, but just sit with it. It is a fundamentally ascetic and meditative practice. 2. Resisting compulsions also means overcoming your bodily desire (because more than anything OCD is a nervous system response, not a rational one) for relief from distress, and instead aligning yourself with a higher principle that overcomes your temporal state. 3. OCD also operates similarly to addiction, and recovery outcomes for addicts are significantly improved through belief in a higher power. Higher power is actually one of the core elements of AA programs because it makes self discipline a lot easier. 4. ERP/CBD is effective, in part, because it already fits within the psychology of someone with OCD. What I mean by this is that it involves homework, specific procedures done at regular intervals, intense self discipline, and is overall pretty formulaic/ritualistic/somatic in nature. And we know that it works, and this method of addressing OCD tends to really excite and appeal to those who suffer with it. We act like the totality of OCD psychology is bad, but it also seems to be the key to reversing OCD, and may be a kind of superpower when properly utilized. 5. We have countless religious traditions that are thousands and thousands of years old which have developed techniques and rituals precisely for what OCD recovery needs- Getting out of a reactive state, getting into a state of gratitude and meditation, developing ascetic skills to overcome temptation (compulsions), being okay with uncertainty, creating a place of inner peace and compassion, having a system of accountability and reminders which keep you from slipping back into compulsive patterns, and doing all of this in community with people who experience the same struggle. So far, religion has been *the most* helpful thing Iāve done for my OCD. Hereās how this has played out in my own life: -Hesychastic prayer. This is an Eastern Orthodox tradition where you project the Jesus prayer, in repetition, channeling it not just from the mind or mouth but from the heart. It is deeply psychosomatic, with the goal of creating ego death and achieving a state of seeing God in all things. It creates a calm, warm feeling in my chest that feels identical to a psychedelic afterglow. It takes me out of my head and into my body, and the first time I tried it, with a prayer candle lit beside me, I experienced very rapid relief and was able to sleep for the first time without having any nightmares. I now do this consistently, along with other kinds of prayer and hymn recitation, and gratitude before meals, and itās something I genuinely enjoy and look forward to. Since doing it, my compulsions have gone done by like 70%. Every time I feel myself slipping into compulsions, instead of doing them, I pause and pray. Prayer fills me with warmth, gratitude, and comfort. I feel connected to something greater than myself, my body becomes calm, my heart stops racing, and afterwards, I no longer feel compelled to perform my compulsions, because I know that it is harmful to myself and those around me, and that God is watching over me guiding me to act in a more thoughtful and wise way. This has single-handedly brought me more long term relief than any other OCD technique or treatment has. Not only has it relieved my OCD, but I have so much more energy, motivation, and self discipline in other areas of my life. Itās like I can feel my neurochemistry balance itself in real time. Iām eating healthier, my relationships are richer, Iām a better student, I feel more creatively inspired, and I have so much more self discipline to resist habits that are bad for me. I hope this may be helpful to anyone else who might be struggling. Iāve searched online and thereās really no information out there that I could find on religious ritual being an effective OCD treatment, but itās been completely revolutionary in my life.
Hi everyone, Iām new to the community. I was diagnosed with OCD just a couple of months ago and have been doing some reading and other research to try and understand the disorder. With this, I have been actively seeing a great therapist who has been helpful to build tools to deal with my intrusive thoughts ( contamination OCD is my worst theme). Do help learn to deal with the compulsions, I start on Sertraline or āZoloftā I believe since November 2024. Currently Iām on 50mg and have been doing this for just over a month. My question for those who are also taking Sertraline and it has been successful, how do you know it has really provided a benefit and how long did it take to get there? I sometimes feel the medication works, and sometimes I feel it doesnāt (maybe thatās my OCD trying to mess with things). Thanks!
Hello, I have been interested in meditation, but it seems like an impossible thing for someone with intrusive thoughts. Does anyone have experience with meditation or helpful resources for how someone with OCD might start to meditate? Is meditation even helpful in someone who has OCD?
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