Scrupulosity OCD — You Have Choices!

“I’m such a sinner. I’m supposed to have pure thoughts. I’m so wicked!” Destiny’s incessant thoughts compelled her to pray, sing hymns, confess, and repent to no avail. Her religious leaders kept telling her that she was not a sinner. They reassured her by telling her that she was a good person. She didn’t know her reassurance seeking was actually a compulsion that kept strengthening her OCD. Her anguish and her need to control her thoughts were affecting her overall functioning. Every time she experienced “impure” thoughts she felt unworthy of happiness or anything good in her life. Her anxiety would swell through her body as a wave that left her feeling guilt and shame, even though she had not sinned. Her OCD mind would tell her otherwise and she believed her thoughts. They were true, weren’t they? When individuals experience intense emotions caused by their thoughts, they become their reality, and that is a fact! However, ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) teaches that it is not about whether something is true or false. It is about whether an internal experience such as a thought is helpful in the present moment. ACT therapists teach that individuals can learn how to respond to their private events (thoughts, feelings, sensations, urges, etc.) with flexibility. Individuals with scrupulosity OCD try to do what it takes to get rid of their “impure” thoughts. Then unpleasant feelings ensue, and soon enough, they are reinforcing the Obsessive-Com...
Source: World of Psychology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Brain and Behavior OCD Psychology Psychotherapy Acceptance And Commitment Therapy Compulsions critical thinking Obsessions Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Reassurance Scrupulosity validation seeking Source Type: blogs