The Birth Of OCD
They come through like raining bullets; unwanted intrusive thoughts become stronger the more you experience them. This is because we usually fight uncomfortable thoughts and apply resistance by pushing them in the back of our mind; the unconscious vault does not stay locked indefinitely.
When we attempt to ignore unwanted intrusive thoughts, we are suppressing them into our unconscious mind; this temporarily removes them from our day-to-day awareness. The problem is that the unconscious mind is not a permanent storage vault for unsatisfying thoughts; they leak back into our daily stream of thoughts at unexpected times. The pattern then repeats itself.
When this pattern persists, we begin to become compulsive: we start to perform actions or ritualistic behavior with the hope of suppressing the thoughts. At first, we might notice some improvement; the thoughts are not as persistent. But over time, we must perform the compulsions more frequently in order to suppress the thoughts more consistently. The pattern then repeats itself.
The natural way of overcoming unwanted intrusive thoughts and the accompanying compulsions is to master the act of willpower. Willpower, is this case, is allowing the thoughts to be present without them affecting you; their intrusiveness no longer bother you. It is a mind state that only you can apply; a change in character that you must adopt. By becoming indifferent to intrusive thoughts, your compulsions will also start to decrease and you will start living life again without interference.
It is a wonderful feeling to overcome intrusive thoughts, compulsions or OCD altogether; it brings you joy to experience freedom again. But if unsuccessful, do not become discouraged or give up! Many people suffer from OCD and benefit from antidepressants and psychotherapy. The most important thing is to try your best and to know when to seek help; you are not in this alone!
Are you Ready? (This is Defeating Stigma Mindfully)
DSM (Defeating Stigma Mindfully) 