Lynne Namka, Ed. D. ©
people have very busy minds and experience fears and thoughts
which cycle around like a frenzied hamster on an exercise
wheel. It's normal to have more anxious thoughts when we
are stressed. If you have more worrisome thoughts and behaviors
than others, remember it is a brain and mind thing. The
good news is that you can creatively work with your mind
and brain to create a happier life!
Compulsive traits happen in brains that have an imbalance
in serotonin which manufactures excessive anxieties. The
person then does compulsive behaviors in an attempt to make
the anxiety go away. The mind of the person who has an obsessive
type mind starts to play tricks and develops irrational
fears. Doing the compulsive behavior only brings a temporary
anxiety relief but this creates even more fear cementing
in the problem even further. When the OCD traits happen
too frequently and start to cripple a life, then it becomes
an Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.
The Sequence of OCD
Beliefs and Compulsive Behaviors
Having an irrational belief and experiencing fear and
anxiety: Fear of having fear!
Increased anxiety when having to face the feared object.
The mind says "UH-OH! DANGER!"
Body reaction-having a funny feeling, a nervous stomach
or feeling uncomfortable. The body gets tense and the
mind mistakenly says "DANGER! DANGER!" even when there
is no real danger.
Obsessive behavior (I have to do this….) OR avoiding a
normal behavior (I can't do this….)
Anxiety is drained off and neutralized after performing
the behavior or avoiding the situation
anxiety is neutralized instead of faced directly, the
irrational thoughts become more frequent and entrenched.
Fear not faced and challenged creates more fear!
beliefs and behaviors grow bigger and become a problem
taking up more and more time.
obsession is a suppositious reaction that reasons, "If I
do this behavior (or avoid doing this behavior) I'll be
safe." Anxiety does decrease when the behavior is done,
so the person feels better temporarily. But the fear gets
bigger because it is not challenged. As the philosopher
Seneca said, "Where fear is, happiness is not."
weighs down one end of the teeter totter and the other end
which holds the OCD thoughts and behaviors goes up. Stress
tips the teeter totter sending the fears sky high! When
you have more stress in your life and the out-of-control
thoughts and behaviors start to hijack your life, get off
the see-saw! Do stress management techniques to calm yourself
down several times a day. Fight the irrational thoughts.
Don't give in to irrational beliefs. What's needed is balance-balance
between being cautious and taking carefully-planned risks.
your fear of germs and touch that dreaded doorknob! Challenge
the paralyzing doubt. Refuse to continue checking and rechecking.
If you are a perfectionist, find a new thing to do each
day in a sloppy manner. Sort out what are realistic fears
and what is OCD crazy-making thinking. Find your balance.
The cure for OCD intrusive thoughts and compulsive behaviors
is to face your fear and prove it to be shallow.
problem is always fear of fear!
have everything you need in the circle of your very own
mind and choices to combat your fear!
A Necessary Solution to OCD Thoughts
and Behavior- Find Your Courage!
takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly
secure, to embrace the new. But there is no real security
in what is no longer meaningful. There is more security
in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there is
life and in change there is power". - Alan Cohen
is a special kind of knowledge: the knowledge of how to
fear what ought to be feared and how not to fear what ought
no to be feared." - David Ben-Gurion
her mother had once told her, was not simply the fact that
you weren't scared of anything… it was being scared and
doing whatever it was anyway. Courage was dealing with your
fears and not letting them rule you." - Missy Good
is doing what you're afraid to do. There can be no courage
unless you're scared." - Eddie Rickenbacker
is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that
something else is more important than fear." - Ambrose Redmoon
A Necessary Solution to OCD Thoughts
and Behavior - Challenge the Fear!
imprisons, faith liberates; fear paralyzes, faith empowers;
fear disheartens, faith encourages; fear sickens, faith
heals; fear makes useless, faith makes serviceable." - Harry
have not ceased being fearful, but I have ceased to let
fear control me. I have accepted fear as a part of life-specifically
the fear of change, the fear of the unknown and I have gone
ahead despite the pounding in my heart that says: turn back,
turn back, you'll die if you venture too far." Erica Jong
the snake of doubt in your soul, crush the worms of fear
in your heart and mountains will move out of your way."
what you fear and fear disappears." - David Joseph Schwartz
is needed, rather than running away or controlling or suppressing
or any other resistance, is understanding fear; that means
watch it, learn about it, come directly into contact with
it. We are to learn about fear, not how to escape from it."
A Necessary Solution to OCD Thoughts
and Behavior - Taking Appropriate Risks
to eliminate risk ultimately fail. To the extent that we
do eliminate risk from life, we may also succeed in sucking
the air out of it." Forrest Church
…. Do the hardest thing on earth for you. Act for yourself.
Face the truth." - Katherine Mansfield
I'll touch the doorknob. It's just a doorknob, not a life
threatening deal. I'll check the stove twice then, if I
still doubt, I'll challenge my doubt. I refuse to let my
OCD thoughts rule my life!" Anonymous
me not pray to be sheltered from dangers but to be fearless
in facing them. Let me not beg for the stilling of my pain,
but for the heart to conquer it. Let me not cave in anxious
fear to be saved, but hope for the patience to win my freedom."
Strategies for Coping
with Intrusive Thoughts
from the book, Tormenting Thoughts and Secret Rituals: The
Hidden Epidemic of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder by Ian
Osborn, M. D.
Compulsive beliefs and behavior comes from a common, chemical
disorder that occurs in people. The cause is a neurochemical
disorder of the basal ganglia, frontal cortex and ventricular
system of the brain. It is a lifelong condition that requires
active strategies to combat the static of the secret thoughts
Unwanted Obsessions. View them as random, intrusive, unwanted
thoughts that go running through your brain to which you
have attached meaning. Treat them as a rude, unwelcome acquaintance
that comes to call without an invitation that you have no
obligation to give them time of day. Tell yourself, "That
is just a silly thought; I won't give this nasty thought
free rent in my brain. I won't allow myself to entertain
such thoughts." Remember, thoughts may come in, but you
don't have to give them permission to stick around and run
Them Away. Confront them. Disagree with them. Say to yourself,
"This just isn't logical. This is just another irrational
thought and the reason it is illogical is ______." Be your
most stubborn here-don't give in!
Not Me, It's OCD. Stand up to your obsessions and separate
them from yourself. Distinguish between who you are and
the intrusive thoughts that come in. Realize that harmful
thoughts gain in power only if you give them mental time.
Remind yourself that you wouldn't do such things. Thoughts
are thoughts. You are you!
to Win the War--Don't Give in to Rituals. Make the decision
to be in charge of your life, not giving the battle over
to intrusive thoughts. Recognize the urgent "feel of an
obsession." Know that you will have more thoughts when you
are stressed. They will sneak up on you when you stop using
the strategies to combat them. Rituals increase when you
go ahead and act on them. They decrease when you fight them
and stop the compulsive responses!
with Fears of Illness Thoughts. Consider the odds of you
catching a rare disease. Tell yourself you have choices--you
can spend time worrying about it, or you can spend your
precious hours enjoying life. Bad things do happen to people.
The best defense is getting yourself strong so that you
can handle anything that comes your way. Use the Serenity
Prayer to bolster your courage.
it Over to God. Put your trust in something higher than
yourself. Violent and blasphemous obsessions can be handled
by putting your trust in God. Recognize how senseless bad
thoughts are and dismiss them as merely mental interruptions
that you pay no attention to. The 14th century Saint Therese
in her book, The Imitation of Christ offers this classic
prayer for asking for help with bad thoughts.
Lord and God, do not abandon me; remember my need, for many
evil thoughts and horrid fears trouble my mind and terrify
my soul. How shall I pass through them unhurt? How shall
I break their power over me? You have said, 'I will go before
you. I will open the gates of prison.' Do, O Lord, as you
have said, and let Your coming put to flight all wicked
Compulsive Behavior. Interrupt your thoughts that say you
are guilty unless you perform certain actions. Challenge
those beliefs that other people will be hurt as a result
of your behavior. Break into your beliefs that you are personally
responsible for consequences that are truly irrational.
Stop yourself from playing 'God' who can prevent things
from happening to others by your rituals. When you stop
the ritual and others are not harmed, you will understand
that your actions are not the cause of impending doom. Fear
thoughts are only fear thoughts! You do not have to act
on them with ritualized behavior!
Your Fears and See How Empty They Become. The only way to
deal with fear is to go through it. Face your fears and
they will go away. Give in to them and they remain! You
are in charge, not your fear thoughts. Replace them with
active strategies! Use this mantra from Frank Hubert in
his famous sci-fi book, Dune.
is the mind killer. Fear is the little death that brings
total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it
to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past
me, I will turn to see fear's path. When the fear has gone,
there will be nothing. Only I will remain."