- Jan 23, 2008
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Hi! I am new to Christian.forums. Just happened to see the one here about OCD. Apparently, I have been struggling with it to some degree most of my life. I didn't know that what the deal was until about 3 or 4 years ago when my husband and I went to visit a professional counselor about an unrelated issue and after talking to me a bit about something I was dealing with she told me she thought I was borderline OCD. Borderline? Turns out I'm a tad bit more than borderline.
She explained to me that when Christians have OCD it often doesn't take the form of handwashing, counting compulsions (though it could). She said it often gets into areas that are of import to Christians like salvation, unforgivable sin, what are sins, intellectual doubts etc, etc. For awhile I was pretty much in denial that I had it because I have functioned pretty well most of my adult life with some flare ups here and there. I DID however, have the handwashing issue when I was about 7 so that should've been a clue... She told me she was surprised I hadn't dealt with the "unpardonable sin" issue because she said most Christians with OCD do. (Well, little did she know, but when I was younger, I had had MAJOR struggles with that!!)
Anyway, seeing what people have and are dealing with on this forum has just blown me away because so much of it is what I have dealt with too.
There is a LOT of good advice I've seen here on this forum, but I just really hope to encourage any of you who may be currently struggling.
Especially when I was younger, I went through soooo much of all this- the fear of blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, intellectual doubts about God and the resulting condemnation over that and questions about salvation. Maybe this helps, maybe it doesn't, but I just sooo wish I could convince many of you that are struggling: Your struggle is NOT reality-based. It's OCD. God is not condemning you, it's the OCD! I've been there and I know. Sometimes I think it just helps to realize that! I know how real it seems but it's OCD!
And yes, I know our OCD thoughts have some basis in truth or we could probably dismiss them out of hand. But it's just taken to such extreme it gets into the OCD playground of the mind. And of course, we always think we are the exception. With us, it IS the truth.
I read something one time about OCD that I agree with:
If you suspect it's OCD, it IS OCD!
Blessings, guys!
She explained to me that when Christians have OCD it often doesn't take the form of handwashing, counting compulsions (though it could). She said it often gets into areas that are of import to Christians like salvation, unforgivable sin, what are sins, intellectual doubts etc, etc. For awhile I was pretty much in denial that I had it because I have functioned pretty well most of my adult life with some flare ups here and there. I DID however, have the handwashing issue when I was about 7 so that should've been a clue... She told me she was surprised I hadn't dealt with the "unpardonable sin" issue because she said most Christians with OCD do. (Well, little did she know, but when I was younger, I had had MAJOR struggles with that!!)
Anyway, seeing what people have and are dealing with on this forum has just blown me away because so much of it is what I have dealt with too.
There is a LOT of good advice I've seen here on this forum, but I just really hope to encourage any of you who may be currently struggling.
Especially when I was younger, I went through soooo much of all this- the fear of blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, intellectual doubts about God and the resulting condemnation over that and questions about salvation. Maybe this helps, maybe it doesn't, but I just sooo wish I could convince many of you that are struggling: Your struggle is NOT reality-based. It's OCD. God is not condemning you, it's the OCD! I've been there and I know. Sometimes I think it just helps to realize that! I know how real it seems but it's OCD!
And yes, I know our OCD thoughts have some basis in truth or we could probably dismiss them out of hand. But it's just taken to such extreme it gets into the OCD playground of the mind. And of course, we always think we are the exception. With us, it IS the truth.
I read something one time about OCD that I agree with:
If you suspect it's OCD, it IS OCD!
Blessings, guys!