want to cure my OCD before my trip to disney world with my girlfriend in July

[mglover92]

Anyone have any goals? I know setting a time limit isnt good but its something I need to strive for.

[MMA_Matthew]

Your statement about your goal is very short. Also to give you some further goals or tips to try we need more information. what type of OCD do you suffer from? what is your compulsion?
Age? Medication if any? how long have you had OCD. A small in-specific statement does not help us help you. I think it is unreasonable to think you can limit/cure a mental illness as complex as OCD in such a short time span i feel any efforts with an unrealistic goal are only doomed to failure and may worsen your condition.

[jessed03]

I love Disney land. It should be a great trip. Hopefully you can get a decent handle on things by then.

I've always taken a more Zen approach to 'curing' my OCD, and therefore I've also recommended such a way of treating it to others. I've seen it work wonders with people on this forum in just a short space of time. Of course I'm not promoting a cure or a methodology, as I don't believe such a thing exists like that. I see OCD as a type of paranoia, and trickery that the mind is playing on itself, due to its own tiredness and confusion. It's like a maze, in which the more you try to solve it, the deeper you usually end up getting. It's for this reason, I soon discovered the best way of getting on top of OCD, isnt to try and teach somebody something, as that just tires and confuses them more, it's to remind them something they already know, but have forgotten. - Let me explain....

I don't know what type of OCD you have, or your trigger, so I'll try to keep things general to all types of the condition.

The first thing any anxiety sufferer must, must do, is to realize the unreality of their problem. To realize the dysfunction of it, to it's truest extent. Whilst you believe what you suffer is real, or has value, it will always hold tremendous power over you, and that will never change until you realize what the condition actually is -- One of lifes biggest bluffs. You've probably seen it on the forum; Some people after 40 years of anxiety, still believe they have a hidden health problem -- Their anxiety, predictably, keeps going on strong.

The same applies to OCD. Whether we are afraid of germs, or whether we have thoughts of harming people, whether we fear our sexuality, or whether we have a type of mental turrets whereby our mind is filled with nonsense, whether we want to organize things, or perform rituals; the same principal usually applies - We dislike it, we worry about it, and we feel we HAVE to do something in order to avoid some kind of uncomfortable situation, or danger. There is also a large degree of self belief hidden behind it; e.g. I'm crazy, I'm evil, I'm worthless, I'm in danger etc etc....

So the answer to this is simple, right? Once we've truly realized that anxiety conditions are a MASSIVE bluff, and we can see it clearly -- then we can simply stop doing the things that bother us, as they are irrelevant, right? Not that simple sadly!

[jessed03]

Let me give you an example of a few types of people. Imagine a religious 'nut', a racist, a homophobe, a sexist person. Now how would you go about changing a racist persons mind, about people of other origins? You could list all of the things immigration has brought to society. You could appeal to their moral standings, by showing the similarities between themselves and another ethnic person, you could do many things... Only, they probably would do nothing to change this persons racist beliefs.

Now take the religious nut. Imagine they believe the world is still flat. How do you convince them otherwise? You can show them maps, show them the science... But again, this has been done in the past, in vain. Logic isn't enough to change a persons emotional beliefs and convictions.

OCD has this same stubborn opinion that those I've mentioned above have. It cannot be changed simply by logic.

But this leaves us with a problem. How DO we change the views of those people? And importantly, to be more relevant to this post, how do we change the views that anxiety and our OCD holds?

[jessed03]

People that believe so strongly in their convictions, the same way our OCD does, cannot be reasoned with. All these ideas of peace, and acceptance are nice in theory, but if we hold on to the illusion, that our way is important, and what we're doing is necessary, how do we change it? We may like the ideas of peace and acceptance, or dropping certain harmful behaviours, but if we believe them to be important, why would we? We may love how the ideas sound, most people do, but, if we don't feel them, then we just dont feel them!

Take the example of the person who believes the Earth was flat? What do you do with that person?

You've got to play a game. You've got to play a trick.

You tell them you agree with them... And so lets go and look over the edge!! We'll keep travelling along, until eventually, we reach the edge!... Then we'll peak over.

And with OCD it's the same. You cannot reason with it. You must play a trick on it. If your fear is of a certain thing happening, go and look over the edge with it.

[jessed03]

If that person with the irrational belief, kept travelling West and West and West, until they eventually came back to the place where they started, it will finally dawn on them, that the world IS indeed round. This is how it was proven to the masses in the days of Christopher Columbus.

The best way to convince somebody of something, is to force them to persist in their folly. Until they see for themselves how wrong they are.

And this is such a valid way of treating OCD. You know, somewhere inside you, that if you follow your OCD fears, that you will not fall off of the edge. If you have a fear of being a complete homosexual, or of being secretly violent, or of being contaminated etc etc... Pursue that in your mind. Go along with it, further, and further, until you've done a full circle, and you've arrived back to where you were before.

By this I don't mean reason with it, and ruminate over it, I mean rush it forward. If you believe your things are out of place, or that certain numbers are bad luck, write them on your hand, or go and put them back, and then purposely knock them over.

The next time your mind wants to shoot off it's OCD mouth, travel along with it. Except take it further, and further. If it tells you your bad, tell it it's being silly, and you're really evil. If it tells you you're unworthy, tell it it's right and you are the most unworthy person alive.

This is exposure therapy, that is done through CBT. Some need a therapist to do this, some do it by themselves.

Make a game out if. Make it fun. Make it creative! Tease it. It will ramp up your anxiety at first, as you believe you're approaching the edge. But you aren't... You aren't. You're gonna go in a full circle, and arrive back to your comfortable place, wiser and happier. You don't have to trust yourself, as you haven't seen it. Trust me instead, because I have. I've done the full circle, and there is no drop waiting for you.

If you make it a game in your head, and you make it funny, and you play with it, not under it's rules, but under yours, you will take away all of its power. You will ALSO reason with it in a way your mind can process and understand.