- Date posted
- 3y
- Date posted
- 3y
Hi! I can totally relate to you on this. I’m a Christian & it’s so hard because OCD doesn’t care. Have you found what helps you cope?
- Date posted
- 3y
I’m literally in the same boat . In regards to OCD the erp might work but , saying those things that you don’t want to say because it goes against our faith is the issue . I’m a Christian as well . I literally was telling my wife the same exact thing . It’s hard to find someone that understands and then with ERP it’s going to make me say things that I never would utter.
- Date posted
- 3y
What OCD are you all having ? Mine are intrusive thoughts . One day I learned about the unpardonable sin . I thought I committed the sin too . I then did research and learned more and now I’m stuck with these types of thoughts in my head . I don’t want these thoughts but I think about them every day . It’s absolutely miserable and fearful . Recently , I’ve been praying more and starting to worship every night before bed . Basically , I’m just going to remain faithful and obedient to the Lord in spite of these thoughts . Literally as I’m typing this , I’m getting thoughts . Smh . I’ll be praying for you all .
- Date posted
- 3y
I read both your posts. I had the same issue with the unpardonable sin before. I have gotten over it when I talked with a few friends and a counselor at my hometown. Thank you so much for praying for me. I don’t want to risk my faith just to help my ocd especially when my ocd attacks the core of being a Christian. I know people will think I’m super crazy but I rather have ocd than compromising my belief.
- Date posted
- 3y
ERP seems more to me of heart and soul over mind and body. In this, you battle against the flesh which is in no way a compromise of faith. These thoughts are not your own. They do not define you. Please consider this before leaving. 🙏
- Date posted
- 3y
I completely agree.
- Date posted
- 3y
Why do you ERP makes you do things that go against your faith?I'm just trying to understand where you are coming from. I am a Christian and I believe 100% that ERP is a tool that God has provided to help us. It has changed my life. Yes, ERP is crazy hard and terrifying. But it helps so much. If your counselor wants you to do something you don't feel comfortable doing, then you need to speak up.
- Date posted
- 3y
I told him but he kept trying to push the boundaries. I went basically went into an anxiety attack one time contacting him about an intrusive thought and what he told me to do. I tried to change a doctor but one of the operators wanted me to keep my current one until a certain number of sessions. I returned to my doctor and I still felt it didn’t help and made me even more worse. The reason why I say it’s not for me because my ocd is attacking the core belief of being Christian. The erp consists of basically wanting me to question being Christian. I will not and never be ok casually and knowingly question my faith just for ocd/erp and being ok with these actions. I have made my choice to get help somewhere else/faith based. Please respect my decisions
- Date posted
- 3y
I wasn’t saying that ERP doesn’t work . I wouldn’t know because I haven’t started yet . I am aware that they would do things that really interferes with ones faith . I deal with intrusive/ blasphemous thoughts and they may want me to say those thoughts , however I’ll never be comfortable. I say all this to say , that I understand where “Jaydee” is coming from .
Related posts
- Date posted
- 17w
Ive been on this platform on and off for quite some time now. The last months have been quite challening. I started with erp but I still struggle to do it consistently. Idk if anyone can relate to what I am about to say, but sometimes when my anxiety is a bit hightened again, I get ocd dreams about my obsession and the feelings I have in the dream are lasting - so I feel them in reality as well - although I mostly feel them when I have nothing do to and I get hit with intrusive thoughts. That lasts probably for a couple of days and its an absolute nightmare. At the moment I am so sad that I feel like I am not able to date because I don’t really feel attraction towards men atm. This always changes but often times when ocd gets worse, my normal attraction fades away. A lot of people around me are getting into relationships and everybody seems to have their lives together and I feel like the odd one out. I wish to get married and have kids but it seems so far away from me right now and I feel quite depressed about it - and I get intrusive thoughts about this as well (that I don’t want to have a boyfriend etc) I wish to find some christian friends on here to talk about this journey, especially when you hope that God will deliver you from all this. I would be glad to connect with people!
- Date posted
- 15w
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, here’s my proposition and what’s 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 I’ve done for my OCD. Here’s 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 it’s 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. It’s like I can feel my neurochemistry balance itself in real time. I’m eating healthier, my relationships are richer, I’m 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. I’ve searched online and there’s really no information out there that I could find on religious ritual being an effective OCD treatment, but it’s been completely revolutionary in my life.
- Date posted
- 13w
(Long read) hello everyone. i was out of the country for about 3-4 months and traveling. my ocd was not that bad at all and I was able to handle it even if it came up. on my way back home, it immediately started. i have learned how to handle it better, but i am more sad and just “awaiting” for something bad to happen. for example, i have sexual themed ocd. pocd and family related stuff, and also my ocd targeted my pets for about a year and it manifested into compulsions that disturbed me and made me not want to be around my cats. now that i am around my cats, i feel like “what if i harm them or do something bad?” or “what if you do those weird compulsions that happened before?” , when i look back on the compulsions that happened, it doesn’t feel like me and it was clearly driven by ocd, but it makes me worry i am just a sick person. i know myself and i know im not, but i had such a weird childhood and then ocd from 15 years old and up. so when these weird compulsions had happened , whether it was for the pet ocd theme or pocd or the family ocd, it feels like some sort of proof. anyways, i feel a bit for content with myself but i know how real ocd can feel and i just remember feeling so hopeless and suici da l, i just don’t want to go through that again. i take a more spiritual route of life and healing, and i wonder if anyone has some deep spiritual warmups or practices i could do to maybe open up my mind more? maybe to realize this is all in the mind? but also to not fight it… Not fight it meaning not let it take over my life. i racked up so much debt in therapy and i truly think i can get through this alone i just need a bit of help. but i dunno. any advice would help! thanks everyone ☀️
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