Recovery from Scruples

[Rosa Mystica]

Just out of curiousity, is there anyone here who has RECOVERED from scrupulosity? I have this condition, and would like to help myself, finally, only I don't know the best way to go about it (not to mention I have a hard time trusting priests- many are liberal).

Any insight would be much appreciated.

Rosa

 

[thereselittleflower]

By spending lots of time in front of the Eucharist at Eucharistic Adoration.


Peace in Him!

 

[Metanoia02]

Just out of curiousity, is there anyone here who has RECOVERED from scrupulosity? I have this condition, and would like to help myself, finally, only I don't know the best way to go about it (not to mention I have a hard time trusting priests- many are liberal).

Any insight would be much appreciated.

Rosa

Rosa,

The best way to overcome this is through spiritual direction from a priest. I understand your reservations about liberal priests, (I have them too!). But a devout and orthodox priest (they do exist) can help you.

Confession can also be a powerful tool to battle this problem. It is only through the realization of the love of God and His grace that we can overcome such difficulties.

 

[boughtwithaprice]

What is scrupulosity? Is it a form of using your own conscience as a guide?

 

[Dominus Fidelis]

What is scrupulosity? Is it a form of using your own conscience as a guide?

A form of OCD where you obsess about sinning.

Here is a great page about it, which tells that it is a biological problem that can be treated by rebalancing the seratonin re-uptake in the brain through medication.

http://www.ncpamd.com/scrup.htm

Luther is though to have had this illness, which is what motivated him to come up with "faith alone." In his words, people should "sin bravely, knowing that God is merciful and forgiving."

 

[eBeth]

Rosa,

In addition to finding a good priest, you may also want to find a good therapist or psychiatrist. I have heard the combination of the two can be a powerful tool is treating this condition. Scruples is a form of OCD and that is treatable using behaviour modifications and medication. You might also want to look into joining "the_scrupe_group" on Yahoo! groups. Find it at: http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/the_scrupe_group/ It is a group run by a Lutheran pastor for people suffering from this condition. Although it is run by a Lutheran minister, there are people of many different denominations so don't feel uncomfortable because you are not Lutheran. Also look into an organization called Scruplous Anonymous at http://www.liguori.org/newsletters/scrupanon.htm

I personally have talked to many priests about my fears and most have suggested looking into therapy and/or medication. So, I'm going to a therapist on Thursday for the first time. I'm a Graduate Student at DePaul University in Chicago so I went to the University Counseling Service. They in turn refered my to the therapist I am going to on Thursday. I will also have the chance to see a psychiatrist to find out if there are any phyiscal problems involved. I don't know how this will all work out, but I'm simply putting my trust in God that this is the right thing to do. He lead me to seek help, so I'm going to accept whatever help He sends my way.

You might check with your church to see if they have a counseler they can reccomend, or have one on staff. One of the churches in my area does, so I would imagine that others might as well. You might have to go to church other than your own, but it is something to look into.

I hope this helps. If you would like to send me a private message, I would be happy to talk to you about anything. Please feel free to contact me if you need anything.

Elizabeth

 

[Rosa Mystica]

...Confession can also be a powerful tool to battle this problem. It is only through the realization of the love of God and His grace that we can overcome such difficulties.

I hate to say it, but this often makes it worse. See, my scruples often revolve around attaching sinful connotations in instances where the intention is hard to define/hazy/totally unclear. As I've said in another post, I've tried resisting the urge to confess doubts at times, and at others, have given in to it. Neither of these help in the long run, because new doubts always arise.

 

[Metanoia02]

I hate to say it, but this often makes it worse. See, my scruples often revolve around attaching sinful connotations in instances where the intention is hard to define/hazy/totally unclear. As I've said in another post, I've tried resisting the urge to confess doubts at times, and at others, have given in to it. Neither of these help in the long run, because new doubts always arise.

Rosa,

I understand what you are saying about confession. I understand people who have Scrupulosity feel the ever increasing urge to go to Confession.

But Confession is only as good as the Examination of Conscience that precedes it. It sound like that is the area you are struggling. That is where spiritual direction really makes the difference. They should be able help you focus on particular things as opposed to seeing sin in every action or intent. Of course if a good priest is not available, by all means seek a professional counsellor.

Dominus vobiscum

 

[Rosa Mystica]

Rosa,

I understand what you are saying about confession. I understand people who have Scrupulosity feel the ever increasing urge to go to Confession.

But Confession is only as good as the Examination of Conscience that precedes it. It sound like that is the area you are struggling. That is where spiritual direction really makes the difference. They should be able help you focus on particular things as opposed to seeing sin in every action or intent. Of course if a good priest is not available, by all means seek a professional counsellor.

Dominus vobiscum

A few things I should mention:

1) I don't feel the need to compulsively attend Confession. Quite the opposite. I feel the desire to compulsively avoid Confession (unless absolutely necessary), which is the case with many scrupulants.

2) I am in the process of looking for a Catholic psychologist (I contacted my local Archdiocese for more info). Hopefully, this will work out for me. It's very hard for me to go into highly explicit details with priests (considering I'm a woman and all)...


I really wish I knew why Satan decided to single me out for this torture (as scruples are NOT from God).