OCD & Faith

[SaB8]

Just wondering if anyone has overcome OCD affecting their Faith and how they did it? Im having problems finding a good Christian therapist/counsellor... I have had 2 moments of relief for a few hours from this but after all the ocd comes back. I want to be able to read my Bible and listen to worship music again like i used to be able to do freely I am on medication for it but just need help on how to go about beating this and having a stringer faith with the Lord in the end. It does worry me...

 

[ajcarey]

Just wondering if anyone has overcome OCD affecting their Faith and how they did it? Im having problems finding a good Christian therapist/counsellor... I have had 2 moments of relief for a few hours from this but after all the ocd comes back. I want to be able to read my Bible and listen to worship music again like i used to be able to do freely I am on medication for it but just need help on how to go about beating this and having a stringer faith with the Lord in the end. It does worry me...

I used to have terrible ocd, especially when it came to taking showers. I felt I had to spend 40 some minutes in the shower to really be clean. I got cured of that to a large extent in one day when, due to the circumstances, I absolutely had to be out of the shower in less than 5 minutes. And since I saw then that I was fine with a quick shower I reasoned that there was no need to act on feelings and compulsions that had been proven illogical. And from there I've able to keep my showers to a reasonable length; and remembering that day has served as a landmark to check feelings which tell me to obsess about being in the shower much beyond what I need to be clean when such feelings come to me.

And that principle has helped when it comes to being a Christian also. What has God said that I need to do? What do I know for sure about God from the Scriptures? No feelings nor compulsions should keep me nor need to keep me from holding to what God has said about Himself and from me carrying out my responsibilities towards Him. I still have compulsions which can trouble me, but that basic principle really has been essential to keep me in line and to get me back on track in the times when I began to break down.

You can be an overcoming Christian and you can use your ocd to drive you to nearer to God for His gracious help as you feel weak and inadequate. The Bible says His grace is made perfect in weakness; and He can make you strong as you live for and stand Him. You can also find much insight into cutting through lies and bad thinking patterns by better learning His judgments and insights regarding life's complexities as you hear and apply His Word. I do recommend listening to an audio Bible if you currently find reading directly overwhelming. Hearing is a perfectly acceptable way of being taught by His Word and there are many adequate (or better than adequate) audio Bibles for free online.

 

[Sketcher]

I struggled with a lot of anxiety and obsessive thoughts, never been looked at or diagnosed for OCD formally. Your issues may be more acute than mine. But choosing to believe Scripture as the source of life as opposed to my fears and the devil's lies, which were death for me, was the key. It was the fight for my life, literally. It took a long time, and it took prayer and fellowship alongside reading and choosing to believe the Word, but I emerged strong, by God's grace. The same Biblical truths are just as true for you as they are for me, so I believe strong faith is available to you too. You may or may not need more help, which is OK, get the help you need to get.

 

[SaB8]

so you were able to get through this without any proffessional help? I agree i need to keep myself surrounded with my church and continue reading.

 

[Mari17]

Just wondering if anyone has overcome OCD affecting their Faith and how they did it? Im having problems finding a good Christian therapist/counsellor... I have had 2 moments of relief for a few hours from this but after all the ocd comes back. I want to be able to read my Bible and listen to worship music again like i used to be able to do freely I am on medication for it but just need help on how to go about beating this and having a stringer faith with the Lord in the end. It does worry me...

I've had scrupulosity almost all my life! And yes, I have chosen to work on it without getting a therapist. I definitely think you should get one if you need one, but it is possible to work on the OCD on your own. After all, the goal with therapy anyway is that you eventually learn to be able to practice the principles on your own. I'd be happy to point you in the direction of some good websites about OCD, and/or share about some of my own experiences.

 

[SaB8]

Yes please, I'd love that! I just want to have my strong faith, peace and confidence back!

 

[SaB8]

I've had scrupulosity almost all my life! And yes, I have chosen to work on it without getting a therapist. I definitely think you should get one if you need one, but it is possible to work on the OCD on your own. After all, the goal with therapy anyway is that you eventually learn to be able to practice the principles on your own. I'd be happy to point you in the direction of some good websites about OCD, and/or share about some of my own experiences.

Yes, I’d love both if you can.. I’m needing all the help I can get!

 

[Mari17]

Yes, I’d love both if you can.. I’m needing all the help I can get!

I totally understand wanting to feel "normal" again. I think those of us with OCD will always have the tendency to worry and obsess, but it is possible to learn how to deal with our obsessions so that we can experience victory over them. It does take work, but it's worth it. I have so much to say that I don't really know where to start...I've had OCD since I was about 8 and have had SO many themes. But I've learned a lot about how to deal with OCD, and that has helped. For now, I'll post links to some of my favorite resources below, but feel free to ask more questions and also feel free to pm me anytime!

http://ocdandchristianity.com/ (I really like the blog posts on here.)
https://www.ocdonline.com/ (Dr. Phillipson is a leading expert on OCD.)
Welcome
The way to deal with OCD thoughts is kind of counter-intuitive - instead of trying to push them away or cancel them out, or do compulsions (things we do to relieve the anxiety, such as asking for reassurance, ruminating, compulsively researching, etc.) - we learn to treat them as meaningless by ignoring them and even making fun of them, so that they lose their power over us. I can explain more about this if you want, but here's a video series that humorously shows how to change our relationship with our obsessive thoughts: https://noiseinyourhead.com/free-video-series/
I'm also part of a pretty good Facebook group for people with anxiety disorders; a lot of people on there have religious OCD/scrupulosity. Feel free to join us if you'd like; just look up "Christianity and Anxiety Disorders" on FB, and it's the group with the picture of a butterfly. There are a couple screening questions to answer and then you should get approved fairly quickly.

I guess I'll end there for now, but I love to talk about beating OCD, so feel free to keep the conversation going if you'd like!

 

[SaB8]

I joined the group! Can I PM you on Facebook? Is that okay? Or how do I PM on here?

 

[SaB8]

I keep forgetting to hit reply when responding so I wrote a new comment instead, sorry haha! But my comment below is what I was wanting to reply with to you last comment - thanks so much for responding!!

I totally understand wanting to feel "normal" again. I think those of us with OCD will always have the tendency to worry and obsess, but it is possible to learn how to deal with our obsessions so that we can experience victory over them. It does take work, but it's worth it. I have so much to say that I don't really know where to start...I've had OCD since I was about 8 and have had SO many themes. But I've learned a lot about how to deal with OCD, and that has helped. For now, I'll post links to some of my favorite resources below, but feel free to ask more questions and also feel free to pm me anytime!

http://ocdandchristianity.com/ (I really like the blog posts on here.)
https://www.ocdonline.com/ (Dr. Phillipson is a leading expert on OCD.)
Welcome
The way to deal with OCD thoughts is kind of counter-intuitive - instead of trying to push them away or cancel them out, or do compulsions (things we do to relieve the anxiety, such as asking for reassurance, ruminating, compulsively researching, etc.) - we learn to treat them as meaningless by ignoring them and even making fun of them, so that they lose their power over us. I can explain more about this if you want, but here's a video series that humorously shows how to change our relationship with our obsessive thoughts: https://noiseinyourhead.com/free-video-series/
I'm also part of a pretty good Facebook group for people with anxiety disorders; a lot of people on there have religious OCD/scrupulosity. Feel free to join us if you'd like; just look up "Christianity and Anxiety Disorders" on FB, and it's the group with the picture of a butterfly. There are a couple screening questions to answer and then you should get approved fairly quickly.

I guess I'll end there for now, but I love to talk about beating OCD, so feel free to keep the conversation going if you'd like! [/QUOT

 

[Mari17]

I keep forgetting to hit reply when responding so I wrote a new comment instead, sorry haha! But my comment below is what I was wanting to reply with to you last comment - thanks so much for responding!!

That's great! We'll be glad to have you! Yes, I think to pm me you can click "start a conversation" after clicking on my username. If it doesn't work for you, I'll try pming you.

 

[SaB8]

That's great! We'll be glad to have you! Yes, I think to pm me you can click "start a conversation" after clicking on my username. If it doesn't work for you, I'll try pming you.

Ok- I can’t figure out how to do it haha! I Did post in the group yesterday but I would love help from someone who has been through the other end of this!

 

[Mari17]

Ok- I can’t figure out how to do it haha! I Did post in the group yesterday but I would love help from someone who has been through the other end of this!

OK, I'll pm you!