This may be holding you back from recovering from OCD

If you’ve ever heard someone give you some treatment advice and you follow it up with….yeah but… Let me show you why you're being tricked by OCD and what you can do about it.

Your brain is like a mischievous little gremlin, constantly trying to pull a fast one on you. OCD loves to play this game where it convinces you that your particular brand of worry is the most unique and special thing in the world. It's like it's saying, "Oh no, no, no, my friend, your fear of germs is nothing like anyone else's fear of germs. Yours is EXTRA germ-y." “Oh, Nate says to keep my thoughts uncertain. That doesn’t work for what I experience. Mine deals with safety, kids, religion, and death.

Yeah, but what if I didn't wash my hands enough? Yeah, but what if I left the stove on? Yeah, but what if I accidentally hurt someone? Yeah, but, what if I really do get cancer?

Yeah, but what if I didn't turn off the stove and my house burns down? Yeah, but what if I left something dangerous within reach of children and they get hurt? Yeah, but what if I secretly want to harm someone and I'm just in denial about it? Yeah, but what if these intrusive thoughts mean I'm a bad person deep down?

Sound familiar? Here’s why it happens and what we’re going to do about it.

It’s a false alarm going off in your mind's security system. You see, OCD means well—at least, it thinks it does. Here's the thing: OCD genuinely believes that by raising these alarms, it's keeping you safe from harm.

But here's where the wires get crossed. While OCD's intentions might be rooted in a desire to protect you, its methods are seriously flawed. It's like having a fire alarm that goes off every time you light a candle—it's not just unnecessary.

The truth is, OCD's alarms are false signals. The only way to know they are false is to defy it and do the treatment it’s telling you not to do. It takes a lot of faith and trust.

I’ve got worksheets that help you gain this confidence and support through my online master your OCD course, where I take you step by step on, you guest it, master your OCD. I’ll link that down below.

OCD lies! Here's how you can tell!

Now, here's where the real magic happens. We're going to pull back the curtain and reveal the trick for what it truly is: a bunch of nonsense. Cue the exposure and response prevention (ERP)! When you're faced with your OCD trigger, whether it's touching a doorknob, walking by a knife, or having an intrusive thought about something terrible happening. Instead of giving in to the "yeah, but" and performing your ritual, you're going to do the unthinkable. You're going to shrug your shoulders and say, "Eh, so what?"

Mind blown! Here’s the deal. Saying “so what” doesn’t even mean what you think it means. I can’t say that for the thought of dying. For hurting someone. For getting sick. For possibly being attracted to this or that. It’s a simple phrase that takes value away from OCD and the threats. It also shows that words are words.

It’s another one of those, yeah but, I can’t do that for this and this and this. You figure out what phrase works best for you. Is it, maybe, sure, so what, even if, cool, love the thought. It doesn’t matter as long as you’re not responding to OCD the way it wants you to.

It's like playing a game of reverse psychology with your own brain. By refusing to engage in the compulsions, you're essentially telling OCD, "Hey, I see what you're trying to do, but I'm not falling for it." It's like taking away its power supply. Without your participation, OCD starts to lose its grip. The more you practice this, the weaker OCD becomes.

So, next time OCD tries to convince you that your worries are one-of-a-kind and extra special, remember this: it's all just smoke and mirrors. And with a little ERP magic, you can show OCD who's boss.

Let me know in the comments what your favorite phrase is to let OCD know that you’re the boss. Also, is there a video on this screen right now. If so, I’d say….go go go watch it. Let’s get stronger together.