For Christians Suffering From OCD

[DeeDee]

Hello you all. OCD has become more common in the last few years and is finally been seen for the medical problem it is. I recently had battles with this often misunderstood disease. Since I am feeling so much better these days I thought I would share with those still in serious torment the ways I helped myself cope. These are not get better quick tricks, since I am not 100% myself again yet but it does help. I am a firm believer in using natural supplements before turning to chemicals in modern medications. In some cases (really serious ones) I know that this is not always possible. A very good supplement to take for OCD is st. Johns wort. It takes a bit of time to work but it really does help. If you go to any natural supplement store you should find lots of other supplements that will help you cope that are safe to take in conjunction with each other.
Trying to put your mind off is very difficult when you have OCD so another important thing is trying to get enough sleep. Since this is often not possible (due to constant worrying etc.) here again I suggest a natural sleep aid. Prayer helps so much aswell. Everytime you start feeling paranoid, scared and anxious just start praying. What helped me alot is I would have conversations with God as opposed to just praying. Explaining how I feel and that I do love Him and I am praying for His help. Getting as much fresh air as possible is also a very good move. While you are outdoors appreciate nature and its beauty and think to yourself how wonderful all Gods creations are. Lastly try and get out more (even tho you don't feel up to it) and see people - this really does help alot.

Anyone want to add anything, please do and if anyone wants to just talk, you know where I am.

BLessings
DeeDee

[Nancy]

Hi there DeeDee,

I am not putting down prayer per se but the trouble is that it can become another compulsion. I should know, i use it.  In the end you just end up praying like in a mantra type way and you just cement the obsessions even further, if you know what i mean.
Godbless
Nancy

[martincisneros]

Well, the Scriptures do say to pray without ceasing (1Thessalonians 5:16-18), and likewise to believe that you receive when you pray, according to Mark 11:24 and John 15:7, so you might as well change the whole world by praying the type of 1Timothy 2 prayer that brings the ransoming work of Christ to bare upon each and every life in the Creation.  I'm not minimizing an illness that I've personally seen in the lives of people with getting weird about whether or not they just locked the door, whether the faucet actually turned off when they turned off the water, etc., but might as well do something powerful and that's [in the proper sense of the word] "eternal" where bringing the outpouring of the Holy Spirit into the lives of everything that can even move on this planet would be concerned. :Sparkletooth:

One of the things to work through is that not all areas of repetition are your own private hell.  When you stop dressing yourself, the police or medical personel will come to get you.  Tying your shoes everyday has to be done, if your shoes have shoe strings, otherwise you're going to either get caught on something or fall.  Eating, drinking, and going to the restroom should be regular activities.  Sleep every night is a routine.  Washing your clothes is a routine I hope that no one here will ever abandon!  Not all routines or all repetitions are your enemy.  But when the door's locked, YOU'VE LOCKED IT :director: :Shoot:

To anyone that's not dealt with this or with someone that's had this, then you might not realize how big of a deal that this is to point out to someone suffering with this.  But it's a pretty big deal to point out that not all repetition is your bane.  Brushing your teeth is a good habit to have.  And if you're sneaking up on 5 minutes of having brushed your teeth or your hair, you can stop now!  Setting time limits on yourself would probably be enormously helpful in breaking off activities where you're obsessing.  No more than 5 or 10 seconds to lock the door, depending on the type of locks you're dealing with and how many keys you've got to work through on the keychain.  Locking it a second time doesn't make it more locked than the first time.  And the manufacturers knew what they were doing when they made the lock.  It locks the first attempt.  If you doubt it, then replace the lock, but don't be 45 minutes late to work because you were locking the door.  Setting time limits on doing things that you'd otherwise do 56 times will put the emphasis on completing the task rather than on the doing of the task.

[Paul Hazelwood]

I don't mean this to diminish prayer, but to pray without ceasing I do not believe means the same as what an OCD person might be dealing with.

Tradition tells us to get on our knees or bow our head or go to a quiet place and pray to God in some ritualistic form.   OCD people are prone to become compulsive in the ritual of prayer rather than to live a life of constant thought of good towards man and God seeking to perform the will of God out of Love instead of duty.

So the compulsion does not become an attitude of spirit, but of a mental appeasment through a physical act.

[martincisneros]

OCD in general is a ravenous beast.  I've had to talk relatives through it until they're not as bad about it any more.  OCD will try to attach itself to everything, and what's messing with the faucet, the locks, etc., then turns into obsessing over the bills and not being able to see a way out even if someone just handed you some money.  St. John's Wort is great, but so is Vinca Major.  I nearly got into both the behavioural and the worry types of OCD, but I talked myself through it once I realized that my brain was trying to go there.  Caffeine was a biggy with me in contributing to that 'cause it would fog my thinking if my body had reached a toxic level of it and wasn't getting enough water.  Additionally, I went through a season a few years ago where I'd honestly forget if I'd just done something, even after I'd done it a couple of times.  You've got to be sooo careful with what you feed your body and give it for thirst quenching.

[Davo22]

Anyone want to add anything, please do and if anyone wants to just talk, you know where I am.

Excellent! Thank you for posting this Deebee, and nice to meet you :Sparkletooth:.

Throughout my adult life (I'm 23) I have suffered constantly and terribly with OCD. I appreciate your advice for living with it. I also relate to Nancy when she says that everything you do, just becomes another obsession. The worst thing is that plenty of individuals or groups don't take this diagnosis seriously. I even heard a DOCTOR say that it is wrong to negatively label the obsessiveness, and that it is really determination and drive. Ridiculous.

There's no fail-safe method, it's just one of those things you have to make room for. "No" tries to abolish it, but "yes" tries to accept it and somehow change our attitude towards it. I know that it's almost impossible at times to live with it when it's so demanding, but the worst thing you can do is fight it. This perpetuates it and lowers your defenses so you're in a worse state than the beginning. I'm on medication for mine, and they help, but DO NOT change your "thinking" and that's what needs to be changed. You can be as happy as ever, but erroneous thinking will still make you unhappy.

Don't get me wrong, medication and other methods can be great. Good sleep is essential. Getting out in the wilderness can also get your mind off it along with other methods. But until that thinking is addressed, there's no real way you can safely progress.

Anyway I'll have to leave it there; off on holidays!

I will probably speak more on this thread with you Deebee and others who wish to discuss.

Davo 

   

[Davo22]

OCD will try to attach itself to everything, and what's messing with the faucet, the locks, etc., then turns into obsessing over the bills and not being able to see a way out even if someone just handed you some money.

Very true Martin. You've got to get it onto something that's managable.

[rosered]

great post DeeDee , and good responses...
OCD and manic depressive state  is the pits I was on prozac for 7 or 8 years  and getting off thst stuff was a living hell

  what is worse is the disease  and learning to live with yourself and how it effects others whom you love ... :mblush:

  I  hate the 100% or 0 %   your all in gung ho   or nothing na da . zip
   I have dealt with this my whole life , such  guilt , and such shame and torrment  ...  I am so much better now at 5o , Thanking God for deliverence   ,  not so bad  , have learned to accept 
things so much better 
and One of the most  comforting things the Good Lord  did for me was  put me in Psalms  after reading  Davids  cries and pleas and his over joyed  psalms  , up and down a roller coaster ,  and in the pits of despair  , and elation ,
 
I thought  my  God,, the doctors  would  have put David on prozac too !!! :mshock: :happygrin:
that was such a great comfort to me personally , I thought we all struggle with this life and deal with emotion  , sadness and  feeling ill at ease  , troubled  , happy  angry  ,  fear   all the things here are normal , and Davids psalms touched on everyone of them !!!

  I am healed as far as it goes now , and Prasing God  through Jesus Christ  , that He alone has proven Faithful through all things   great and small in our lives ..................

   I am glad you are so open girl with your heart ,,, it is refreshing  and we are not alone in our suffering ,, we are all in this togehter 

  the Good Lord and  all His children

  with love ...rose  :HeartThrob:

[Kimberlaina]

I have mild OCD.  I've had it pretty much all my life but never knew what it was until I visited a therapist last year when it got really bad.  For those of you who may not know, one of the hardest things about OCD is that you're completely aware that the things you're doing are irrational, but that doesn't stop you from doing them.  It's like the real me is trapped inside a body that can't stop behaving strangely.  OCD also runs in my family so there are some pretty strong emotions about it and I find that my disorder really challenges the people around me.

It was the worst when I was a teenager, and I prayed my way through it.  My main compulsion for a long time was the strong belief that I had cancer (undiscovered) that was going to kill me before I graduated from high school, then college.  I had almost beaten it but then in college I had a *real* cancer scare that just brought it all back stronger.  Finally seeing a therapist has helped me beat that obsession for over a year -- the longest I've gone in 10 years without obsessing over it.  I have other bizarre obsessions, though, like the idea that I've committed a crime and will be sent to prison, or worse, the idea that the cultic Christian organization I joined in college is really right about everything.

When I finally realized I had OCD, I read an account of a man who became obsessed with committing a particular sin and went to as many priests or pastors as he could find to ask them if he was sinning.  This was the type of issue that would vary greatly by denomination so of course he got no clear answer.  I find that OCD causes a lot of struggles in my spiritual life because it's incredibly hard to tell the difference between the disease and my conscience, just like the man in the story.  I can get hung up on avoiding a particular sin as an obsession/compulsion and the disease makes God into the frightening monster who tortures his children all over again.  My OCD is always telling me not to take any risks that I might be sinning or doing something wrong, even when my "rational" mind tells me that I'm not sinning.  It erodes my trust in God, which leads to the deepest anxiety.

My OCD is triggered by stress but also by uncertainty.  I have a very hard time living with any type of uncertainty because it logically leads to compulsive checking.  The older I get, the more I find that it is necessary to live with certain types of uncertainty and this is one of my greatest challenges right now, especially with regard to my coming marriage.  It's ironic that having OCD sometimes gives others the impression that you *have it all together* because you check things compulsively.  This leads people to unknowingly give OCD folks positive reinforcement -- not cool.

My therapist gave me one piece of advice that changed my life.  He said that I need to separate myself from the disease.  I've learned to recognize how the disease sounds different than normal thoughts in my brain and that allows me to "turn it off" so to speak.  The problem is that I still can't always tell the disease apart from God and my conscience.  I pray that will come with time. 

[rosered]

Hi  Kim,

One of the best letters I read yet! :HeartThrob:God love ya sis .

My Dad once told me before he died ,
when I was having such a time of sorrows.

   He said  ''Honey, everyone had a certain amount of metal illness
they battle with , its just some do a better job of hiding it  than others ''.


That is why Jesus comes to us , that is why the  4 gospels explain the ''devils'' and vexing . these things torment your mind than accuse you of wrong doing and everyone else dealing with it around you has to suffer  with it to because they love you
  there is alot of things done in love that ''gets no credit '' where credit is due .

The healing of Jesus Christ is the only thing  anyone has  and  we go from there  , that point of saving grace .
  When I looked up devils in greek , to my suprise ,  there it was  a answer  to the mental torment  so very many suffer in the natural mind
  thats why Jesus Come to give us His mind , the mind of Christ[annointing]  to be healed 
  Some amazingly  quick  a miracle ,  you ever look into what a miracle is ?
  the definition of it ?

It is  greek 4592 in strongs ,and it is a  sign/mark you have been touched by God :HeartThrob:and made known /revelation fulfilling .


1) a sign, mark, token

a) that by which a person or a thing is distinguished from others and is known

b) a sign, prodigy, portent, i.e. an unusual occurrence, transcending the common course of nature

1) of signs portending remarkable events soon to happen

2) of miracles and wonders by which God authenticates the men sent by him, or by which men prove that the cause they are pleading is God's

  there is another word for miracle it is dynamis greek 1411  that  shows the POWER OF GOD in His nature
giving us rest from torment and enslavment  to sin and illness , guilt etc .

  there is alot more  when you look into it  Our Help is always from God but He puts His power  through Jesus Christ and any one of us to  help one another out in the time of need
God bless you

[DeeDee]

Hello again to all. I just want to clarify something. I started this thread in support of people going through the hell of OCD. I did not start it to try and cure anyone. Only God can do that. All we can do is make a place for people to talk about their problems and get support from others who understand what they are going through. The tips I gave are just things that worked for me. I know that some people need to be on chemical medications but I opt for natural whenever I can because I am quite "anti-chemical medications". To those of you who have opened up so far, good for you! I hope it made you feel better. When times are tough remember my offer still stands, just pm me if you need a friend to listen. Great testimonies so far guys, keep it up  :thumbsup:

Blessings
DeeDee

[jabcat]

I've been thinking about this topic lately - about thoughts that are troublesome, thoughts that a person doesn't want to have, but we often have them anyway.  Also, some have the brain disorder of OCD and these thoughts can just be torturous and seem to be more of an attack (either from the enemy and/or our diseased flesh) as opposed to thoughts one chooses to have.  If one hasn't had OCD, it may be hard to relate to this, almost a sense of the brain conspiring against the way you WANT your thoughts and mind to work.  Reminds me of Paul's "the things I want to do, I don't, and the things I don't want to do, I do" and saying Jesus would deliver him.  Also, saying God's grace was sufficient for him.

Anyway, found this article I thought was interesting and helpful.  Posting an excerpt with a link at the bottom.   :thumbsup:

"It is astounding how high a proportion of those who e-mail me fearing that they have committed the unpardonable sin suffer from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), or some other psychological difficulty. This shows that in many cases, uncontrollable blasphemous thoughts are not a theological matter or even a spiritual one, but the product of a psychological condition that is...most unpleasant. Ironically, the more anxious one is to please God, the more severe the affliction.

Fearing that God will not forgive us is like fearing a harmless spider. The fear is awful but it is groundless. Someone with a phobia about spiders does not need to be lectured about trusting God and made to feel spiritually inferior. It is simply a most unpleasant, irrational fear for which there is no shame in seeking psychological help. Many Christians plagued with the irrational fear of being unforgivable are suffering from psychological problems that medication might help. Medication can't save anyone's soul, only Jesus can. But medication has the potential to stop some Christians from suffering needless torment. Whether it be a fear of harmless creatures, or a fear that God has suddenly turned unforgiving, if medication can ease the fear and help one act more rationally, I'm all for it. Medication is far from perfect – it can have side-effects and what works for one person might not work for another – but if it helps a person think more rationally about spiritual things, and consequently cling to biblical truth that all sin is forgivable through simple faith in the power of Christ sacrifice, then I see such medication as a plus.

I know that in practice it is difficult, but in theory Kate should try to be as unconcerned as she can about the repulsive thoughts buzzing around in her mind. Like someone swearing in her presence, it is unpleasant but it is not her doing.... we can [turn our] focus on glorifying our Lord."   http://net-burst.net/guilty/unforgivable_blasphemy.htm

[jabcat]

Doug Britton -  
Don't fantasize about sin.
You can become ensnared by sinful thoughts.
You can become spiritually crippled if you continuously think about committing a sin, even if you never commit that particular sinful act.

If this has happened to you, don't despair. Read on and learn how God can help you escape.
Impure thoughts are not sin.
Everybody has impure thoughts of one type or another. That's part of the package of being alive. Having an impure thought come into your mind is not a sin by itself.

A good guideline is not to dwell on anything God would not want you to do.
[Instead praise God, thank Jesus for His mercy and grace, thank Him for His blood that cleanses us (jabcat)].

Clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature (Romans 13:14)."
http://www.dougbrittonbooks.com/onlinebiblestudies-temptationandovercomingsin/purelife-guardyourthoughtlif

Look to Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our Faith.  

Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full in His wonderful face
and the things of earth will grow strangely dim
in the light of His glory and grace

[Lupac]

Jab, I know you're trying to help everyone one, and I can't speak for everyone here, but what you just posted could be damaging for someone really suffering right now. If someone read that who was in the condition I was in a year ago, it could really set them back. They would turn even more of their time to their thoughts. (I used to be at a point where I was spending up to three hours a day, just going over mental compulsions. I had to quit my job, it was bad.) If anyone is interested, I have all my Doctor's notes from when I was suffering from this awful mental condition. He really helped me, and maybe I could help any of you. I still have a lot of trouble at times. I'm not on any medication, and I never have been. (But I found that Omega 3 fish oil pills really help.)

[jabcat]

Where is it stated in the Bible that thinking something is the same as doing that thing?
By Michael Bostick


Welcome to Answerbag
Top Answer out of 9

by jalex13720 on Jun 23, 2005 at 8:22 pm Permalink

 The central point of the Sermon on the Mount is that our righteousness must exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees. Jesus condemned their righteousness as being only outward. Jesus stressed the point that righteousness begins internally, and that message is followed through in the rest of the Scripture. That tough law of righteousness in the heart makes it impossible to kid ourselves about what we really are [or what we can do in our own strength] and drives us to Christ for salvation [and help].  

[jabcat]

p.s., check my edits - took one thing out that I thought could be troublesome, added/highlighted a few things.  Maybe it's better now in your estimation?  If not, again, what do you think specifically could be a problem?  As I said, much of the above is what I personally do or have dealt with.

You're right of course, the intent would be to be helpful rather than hurtful. I actually think what I've posted offers some help.  :dunno2:

[Lupac]

I didn't mean is was, I just said it could be. I'm just going off my own experince, and, if a year ago, being in the state of mind I was in, if I read

Impure thoughts are not sin; they become sin when we entertain them.
Everybody has impure thoughts of one type or another. That's part of the package of being alive. Having an impure thought come into your mind is not a sin by itself; choosing to entertain the thought is a sin.

A good guideline is not to allow yourself to consider or dwell on anything God would not want you to do. Don't allow yourself to think about sinning or ways you could go about sinning.
Clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature (Romans 13:14)."

I would be worried that I was "entertaining" the thought, whatever that's supposed to mean. I'm just trying to help. Yes, your thoughts do matter, but if you don't want them there, then you have to get it though your head that they don't matter.

Edit: Oh, okay. Sorry, I'm just trying to help. One thing that really helped me was, when I stopped believing it was "the enemy" or "Satan", I got better. It's just a mental illness, not an "attack". (You might believe otherwise. But I'm just saying what I know.)

[jabcat]

No, don't worry, I'm listening to what you're saying.  I'll review it some more, do more editing.  Do me a favor.  Pray about it a little, think about it A LITTLE -not too much  :laughing7:, then give me some more feedback on it.  If it's too big of a problem somehow, it doesn't have to stay up.  Not carved in stone.  If you find it bothers you too much, or anyone else, let me know.

[Lupac]

Oh, don't worry about it. I was just trying to help. It doesn't bother me. I was just worried about other people. Anyway, I got this page in my notebook entitled "Types of Thinking Errors Associated with OCD". If you want, I'll post it tomorrow.

[jabcat]

Great, please do.  [I've edited it some more, considering your comments.  Point out anything else you feel may not be helpful  :thumbsup:]  My goal is for this to be real positive and helpful from here forward.  Maybe there are ideas to help folks continue overcoming.  

This is an older thread DeeDee had started, and as I've been personally dealing with some of these issues, looking at some of them for myself, I thought I'd post something on the old thread.  But if it's more helpful to take it down than leave it up, it can be done.  Don't need to do anything to cause a brother or sister to stumble.

[Lupac]

Okay, here's that page.


Types of Thinking Errors Associated with OCD

Lupac's note: It's a list of common ways people with OCD think.


- Inflated responsibility

"Belief that one has the special power to cause, and/or the duty to prevent, negative outcomes." ("If I don't have a positive thought when I pass though a door, my parents will get hurt.")

- Over importance of thoughts (thought-action fusion)

"Belief that the mere presence of a thought indicates that the thought is significant. For example, the belief that the thought has ethical or moral ramifications, or that thinking that thought increases the probability of the corresponding behavior or event." ("If I have the thought, then I must really want or will do it.")

- Need to control thoughts

"Belief that complete control over one's thought is both necessary and possible." ("I should be able to control all my thoughts.")

- Overestimation of threat

"Belief that negative events are especially likely and would be especially awful." ("I could spread germs to my kids and then they would get sick and die.")

- Perfectionism

"Beliefs that mistakes and imperfections and intolerable." ("I don't know if I washed all the germs off.")

- Intolerance for uncertainty

"Belief that it is necessary and possible to be completely certain that negative outcomes will not occur." (e.g., "Are you sure that I turned off the stove?")



And that's all. Let me know if any of this helps you. Statistically, according to mine and other doctor's studies and patients, very religious people have a much higher "risk" for having OCD and other panic and anxiety related mental problems than other people. I lay the blame for that at the foot of the church, for the doctrine of eternal torment, and for saying Satan is an uncontrollable (By God.) evil. I hope this helps some of you, I have other material too, if you would like me to post it.

[jabcat]

I think this is good  :thumbsup:.