What is Obsessive Compulsive Disorder OCD
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a psychiatric disorder, more specifically, an anxiety disorder. OCD is manifested in a variety of forms, but is most commonly characterized b...
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prayer compulsion
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I got my assignment this week and it's to stop compulsive praying. To explain this more I will say or do something wrong and get an obsession that God will punish me. I then pray immediately to be forgiven.
As a Christian, I know (without OCD) that I've already been saved by grace by faith. I also know by 1 John 1:9 that it is though important to confess our sins directly to God. However, with OCD I don't want to do this in the moment of the obsession(as a compulsion) but sometime later. Has anyone else dealt with this sort of compulsion? Hope this makes sense. Posted on 10/10/08, 02:10 am |
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I have a similar problem.
I am trying to see it like this: 1. We're all sinners. In a weird way OCD is almost a gift, because I was a sinner before the OCD got bad, but I wasn't very aware of it. Now I'm aware (too aware?). Knowing I'm a sinner makes me humble and I think I am a nicer person to other people and less judgmental. I have less ego. 2. God wants to live through us and our works. Is time spent compulsively praying a good use of our time? Or is time better spent serving others in His name? I'm trying to worry less about my own punishment and more about other people and how I can help them. I really think this is what God wants me to do: stop the compulsions and start living more. Of course, I don't want to help others in a compulsive way, that is actually bringing the focus back on me and lowering my anxiety instead of truly thinking of others. Well, this is all a work-in-progress for me but I hope some of my comments were helpful. 
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Yes. And good theology doesn't work. Treat it like any compulsion. I'm pretty sure God does.
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I had this when I was younger. I'd have to say three prayers too, which got pretty time consuming!
Speaking with my therapist...she put it like this. It is perfectly fine to pray or go to confession. However, if you are praying or confessing a thought or OCD behavior - dont! Because you did not do anything wrong, it is the OCD.
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I have something similar.
Im always praying and asking God for protection. I often repeat what i say 10-15 times. I do this all in my head. Whenever i think something bad is gonna happen, or if im really scared, it gets out of control.
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I have compulsions while praying. I have to pray everything in a certain order, and I feel I have to pray for certian people every night, and if I don't, their problems will get worse and then I will feel I'm to blame. If my thoughts go elsewhere while praying, I have to repeat them. I always do the Lord's prayer last, just after asking for forgiveness. If my thougths stray, I have to repeat it. I've repeated it sometimes seven or so times.
I am really trying to get past this, becuase it makes me feel that the praying is more of a result of OCD, and not so much from my heart. I want to say the words, however they come and really mean them, not just becuase I feel I have to, or else. Right now I'm trying not to repeat and telling myself God understands if the prayers are not 100% perfect becuase we are not 100% perfect. But messing with the order seems a bit more difficult.
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oh yes..one i havent worked on much.
thank u for this ! haha this is synchronistic b/c just TODAY i had this clear thought of stopping prayer when i feel anxious/ocd b/c it feels like an ocd compulsion.i had this idea before but never admitted it to myself .Was it for fear that i wd have to stop praying completely and thereby lose touch with god?ok ...i see that in reality that kind of thinking sounds just like my ocd.in the severe ocd i often have anxiety when i pray(so it TOO becomes a compulsion )i think to pray when oc is bad i do and all feels well ..for a few seconds then i usually become really anxious.. thinking something will enter my thoughts to"disgrace" my prayer .What? after writing this i think that sounds kinda crazy. Also I have trouble praying at times b/c i fear a terrible thought(dealing with my pure obssession) will enter my prayers or requests for help..and can u believe what happens?it actually does! oh my god.. shocking..lol.right. yes,ocd is one of the best fear magnets in town.There i go praying in anxiety,hoping oc thought will not enter (in actuality i believe it will)and so it does.How i can know all this and still have fear is..ocd or lack of thorough de-conditioning? So i am beginning today to stop this compulsive thing with prayer. thanks for the heads up.Lets see it thru.
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