How do you deal with your OCD?

[Nivsch]

I feel like in that forum there are people who are in the cutting edge of understanding OCD. Who were in CBT and have tried many things and did self investigation and self inquiry for their mental problem and therefore are the richest in their experience. Thats what I think.

I just had a relatively hard time with my ocd and my anxiety during last month, and that is although the 3 years of daily mindfulness I have behind me. I also have insights and I'll for sure share it here too.

How much experience do you have in your own ocd? 

What did and didn't help you?

Are you doing meditation techniques and for how long? Does it enough to deal with your mental peoblem or not?

And just Everything you want to share here about your insights. I think It can be helpful to do an ocd brainstorming here.

 

[hamedsf]

well, medicine loves to put names on the various kinds of dysfunctional behaviors done by humans like : OCD, PANIC ATTACK and etc.

but to put it simply, it's an obsession to repeat the same thing over and over again. well, we now know that if EGO is activated and spin out of one's control, any type of non-adaptive behavior could manifest. 

but to know OCD, I should say that the one who is suffering from acute condition of OCD is someone who has racing thoughts ( or speedy thoughts) and they tend to do their daily activities in a higher pace. 

as we talked before, solution could be mindfulness practices but the hardcore approach!! 

and slow down! doing everything in a hasteful manner will give rise to the various kinds of maladaptive behaviors.

the pace of your daily activities can determine whether you're going to combat OCD or not.

Edited August 13, 2019 by hamedsf

[Nivsch]

@hamedsf what do you mean the hardcore approach? What technique?

Couple days ago I tried to do the everything much slower but than my ocd started to question this technique in overwhelming thinking and "you have to check the second technique first" and "how do you know it really slower than regular. better only watch first" and inner very noisy talking like that.

But I think its a good technique and I'll try it again. 

 

Edited August 13, 2019 by Nivsch

[hamedsf]

@Nivsch

well, how do you think you'd be able to transcend your EGO so that when you come back to yourself, you experience a radical shift within you? that's what I mean when I say "hardcore approach" and it's not a certain technique, it's a personal solution. 

and here's a thing: don't listen to the voices inside your head or don't talk with yourself (those are originated from the EGO), just observation is enough. but again, the pace doesn't come before mindfulness, oftentimes it comes from the heart of the mindfulness. conscious person knows where to rush and where not to, but oftentimes he's slower. 

but remember, any type of obsession has roots in racing thoughts, you should be vigilant about it so me should either.

Edited August 13, 2019 by hamedsf

[Fishy]

Try to keep your attention more in the body less in the head area. Learn to be more in the feelings and sensations rather than always listening to the mental chatter. When you notice you are stuck in thoughts simply redirect your attention back to the body again, don't try to resolve or continue the current thought story.

[Nivsch]

On 13.8.2019 at 8:31 PM, hamedsf said:

@Nivsch

well, how do you think you'd be able to transcend your EGO so that when you come back to yourself, you experience a radical shift within you? that's what I mean when I say "hardcore approach" and it's not a certain technique, it's a personal solution. 

and here's a thing: don't listen to the voices inside your head or don't talk with yourself (those are originated from the EGO), just observation is enough. but again, the pace doesn't come before mindfulness, oftentimes it comes from the heart of the mindfulness. conscious person knows where to rush and where not to, but oftentimes he's slower. 

but remember, any type of obsession has roots in racing thoughts, you should be vigilant about it so me should either.

Even to "observe" its a groundless technique that I have realized that simply doesnt work when Im in ocd or anxiety attack. Maybe only the body is the answer - slow down as you said and maybe also sit down for a minute without doing nothing.

Edited August 17, 2019 by Nivsch

[Nivsch]

On 14.8.2019 at 2:25 PM, Fishy said:

Try to keep your attention more in the body less in the head area. Learn to be more in the feelings and sensations rather than always listening to the mental chatter. When you notice you are stuck in thoughts simply redirect your attention back to the body again, don't try to resolve or continue the current thought story.

? thanks thats exactly what ill try from now.

[SunnyNewDay]

This is one thing I'm still figuring out. I'd say it's not giving into what's going through your head. I can really relate to this. Even if there are a million other things you want to think through about it won't help the situation. OCD is actually a really serious disorder that I think is made light of due to pop culture. Seeing a therapist helps a lot clear up whatever thoughts you are ruminating on.

[hamedsf]

15 hours ago, Nivsch said:

Even to "observe" its a groundless technique that I have realized that simply doesnt work when Im in ocd or anxiety attack. Maybe only the body is the answer - slow down as you said and maybe also sit down for a minute without doing nothing.

don't blame it on observation. just because we have shaky observation ability doesn't mean that observation per se is groundless. 

observation just like any other skill like concentration is a brain muscle that can be trained for better qualities through rough practice.

[Nivsch]

8 hours ago, hamedsf said:

don't blame it on observation. just because we have shaky observation ability doesn't mean that observation per se is groundless. 

observation just like any other skill like concentration is a brain muscle that can be trained for better qualities through rough practice.

Maybe you right but when you do "observing" much enough, than it become the zero point of the mind and feels just as any regular egoic action, and it looses the effectiveness. Imagine if you responde every anxiety attack in "observe". After a while the system gets so regular to this so It becomes to be the new compulsion.

when I changed technique and than after a while returned to the "observe", than sometimes it come back fresh and work again. 

Or do you mean that if ill reach more concentration ability it will work better?

I just dont want to think that we must do a lot of effort in order to combat ocd and i believe its false.

Edited August 18, 2019 by Nivsch

[hamedsf]

9 hours ago, Nivsch said:

Maybe you right but when you do "observing" much enough, than it become the zero point of the mind and feels just as any regular egoic action, and it looses the effectiveness. Imagine if you responde every anxiety attack in "observe". After a while the system gets so regular to this so It becomes to be the new compulsion.

when I changed technique and than after a while returned to the "observe", than sometimes it come back fresh and work again. 

Or do you mean that if ill reach more concentration ability it will work better?

I just dont want to think that we must do a lot of effort in order to combat ocd and i believe its false.

the problem is that even when you're trying to do the observation, you're doing it for the sake of relief and it's also judgmental too, for instance when you experience negative thing, you would think to yourself: lemme do the observation in order to ward off this negative experience, Then you do that for 10 or whatever minutes and you see nothing changes, then your Ego mind's chatter starts: see? I knew it's worthless trying, as you know the EGO doesn't stop, Yes, I mean that there are unlimited levels to the observation and concentration, and maybe they take effort at first place in order for the brain to set up neurological hardware associated with those in your brain in order to come into effect significantly, my advice is that you should do the observation meditation for longer period of time or as a shortcut any psychedelic that befits your personal psyche that can transform your whole structure of your mind after you come back to your daily life. so accordingly you'd see an enormous change in your observation and concentration. 

Hope that it helps my friend 

 

 

Edited August 19, 2019 by hamedsf

[Nivsch]

On 19.8.2019 at 10:30 AM, hamedsf said:

the problem is that even when you're trying to do the observation, you're doing it for the sake of relief and it's also judgmental too, for instance when you experience negative thing, you would think to yourself: lemme do the observation in order to ward off this negative experience, Then you do that for 10 or whatever minutes and you see nothing changes, then your Ego mind's chatter starts: see? I knew it's worthless trying, as you know the EGO doesn't stop, Yes, I mean that there are unlimited levels to the observation and concentration, and maybe they take effort at first place in order for the brain to set up neurological hardware associated with those in your brain in order to come into effect significantly, my advice is that you should do the observation meditation for longer period of time or as a shortcut any psychedelic that befits your personal psyche that can transform your whole structure of your mind after you come back to your daily life. so accordingly you'd see an enormous change in your observation and concentration. 

Hope that it helps my friend 

 

 

Yes thank you ? ill try and update?

Edited August 24, 2019 by Nivsch

[Nivsch]

On 18.8.2019 at 2:28 AM, SunnyNewDay said:

This is one thing I'm still figuring out. I'd say it's not giving into what's going through your head. I can really relate to this. Even if there are a million other things you want to think through about it won't help the situation. OCD is actually a really serious disorder that I think is made light of due to pop culture. Seeing a therapist helps a lot clear up whatever thoughts you are ruminating on.

You think OCD created, or at least became a serious disorder mainly because of western culture? 

I thought about it in the past and it seems right to me. In the past people suffer less from ocd.

[Farnaby]

On 18/8/2019 at 0:26 AM, Nivsch said:

Even to "observe" its a groundless technique that I have realized that simply doesnt work when Im in ocd or anxiety attack. Maybe only the body is the answer - slow down as you said and maybe also sit down for a minute without doing nothing.

@Nivsch Have you tried completely surrendering to your racing thoughts and the sensations that come with them? 

I used to be more neurotic than I am now and looking back, I usually engaged in an inner dialogue that could go on for a long time. You can actually choose not to engage in that thought loop, sit mindfully and don’t try to control anything. I know sometimes it feels as if you can’t choose and it’s only normal to not always be able to get out of thought loops. But it’s possible to train yourself out of this habit.

Another thing that often works, especially when obsessive thoughts seem to not go away is writing everything down. You’ll probably find some common themes that can help you work on your fears later (obsessions and compulsions are usually deeply rooted in fear, that’s why surrendering is the most effective in my experience).

Getting in touch with your body and the sensations you feel is very powerful too. Just observe and feel into them, without judging them and if you judge them that’s ok too, don’t try to control what you’re experiencing. 

I forgot to mention that the most important part is being compassionate and loving with yourself. Your symptoms have probably served an important purpose when you needed those coping mechanisms to adapt to the environment in which you grew up.

I hope this can be somehow useful for you! 

Edited August 24, 2019 by Farnaby