OCD and Compassion

Imagine being trapped in a loop, your mind replaying disturbing scenarios or demanding endless rituals for things to feel just right. This is the lived experience for many with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Folks with ADHD or Autism have a higher probability of also experiencing OCD symptoms or having a co-occuring diagnosis of OCD.

While the struggle is immense, there's a powerful, often overlooked, tool in OCD recovery: compassion. This tool definitely falls into the camp of things that are easier said than done.

Going to therapy to directly address personal struggles can feel daunting, as it is a place where individuals face some of their deepest fears as well as their intensest longings for change. So often by the time individuals come to therapy, they may struggle with shame and self judgment around their cycle of out of control obsessive thoughts and the subsequent compulsions used to attempt to address the fears related to their thoughts. OCD has been described as an extreme intolerance for uncertainty. Consistently meeting fear with compassion (non expectation nonjudgment) is a way to nurture an increased tolerance for uncertainty.

Over time when someone practices compassion towards their difficult to accept parts of self the capacity to be brave in situations that historically felt perilous downshift to feeling uncomfortable. This can create more possibilities in addressing the underlying concerns beneath the obsessive thoughts and subsequent compulsions. 

Without self compassion, the process of looking closely and with clarity at your internal OCD cycle can reinforce judgment around thought patterns and behaviors that feel out of control. So often folks struggling with mental health challenges will internalize their distress, which can overtime erode self esteem and self image. With compassion, acknowledging the anxiety, panic, fear, uncertainty about ourselves behind the obsessive thoughts can foster understanding and increase the tolerance and bravery required to manage that uncertainty. A compassionate view of self can contrast drastically to a problematized view of self in that compassion validates the humanity of ones struggles outside of blame and shame.

Compassion takes effort especially in the context of judgment and shame being more practiced. Like any skill, practicing compassion may not come naturally right away, but with repetition and consistent gentle acceptance that change is slow and can include setbacks compassion can become a more familiar response to the very human distress at uncertainty. Being compassionate toward yourself does not result in the sudden absence of fear or negative self view, but rather imbues the system with more of an empathetic resource to better understand self with kindness and outside of judgment and blame. 

It should be clear that compassion work in therapy for OCD doesn't mean condoning the compulsions; rather, it’s about approaching the urge to perform a compulsion with kindness and empathy. When fears feel heard and understood clearly, there is more possibility to address them outside of compulsion. Get in touch with us today to schedule a free consultation to start on your journey of compassion and healing.