Catholic tips to cope with Pure-O OCD

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April29

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Hello All!

I have had Pure-O since I was a teenager, but lately it’s gotten very debilitating. I have spoken to a priest about it ( I am now not able to afford therapy for it) but he didn’t seem to understand it. He was very kind, but he advised me to make the sign of the cross whenever I get a thought ( he mantioned how St. Catherine used to make the sign of the cross up to 200 times a day). I think my main problem with that is that, though I definitely will make the sign of the cross, I can’t do it every time I have an OCD thought because I have them nonstop. I’m also afraid it’ll turn into a compulsion to my thoughts, which I know will only make them worse. It’s also been extremely crippling when it comes to confession and communion. No matter what I always experience guilt when I attend either one of these sacraments. Anyone out there going through the same thing who has found ways to cope with this illness. I know Our Lord knows that my mind is sick and that He understands, but I am beginning to shut down because of it.
 
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Does Pure-O stand for purely obsessive? So no compulsions come with your obsessions? I do agree that it wouldn’t be possible to do the sign of the cross each time an obsessive thought came about. Although I would never recommend not crossing yourself, could that develop into a compulsion itself?
It’s such a shame that mental health resources are so difficult and expensive to access. My boyfriend is going through the same trying to find a therapist for OCD but prices are $250 for 50mins and it’s just too much for him especially because OCD treatment needs to be done frequently.
There is a book called Brain Lock, have you read it? Maybe try self-help and reading if you can until you can afford therapy. I’m going to start reading this book to my bf (he can’t read it himself or his brain reread all sentences). I wish I could be of greater help to you. I’ll pray for you I hope things get better for you soon.
 
I’m not sure what you mean by pure-o, but something that helped me immensely with intrusive thoughts was something like this:
You are not your thoughts. A stray thought does not define you. Perhaps replace the obsessive thoughts with the Passion? I don’t know if that would be realistic or good advice.
But, know God loves you and knows what we’re going through. Have you ever just focused on one thing, intentionally? Perhaps practice doing this, on holy things.

Pray, of course. Don’t forget to tell Jesus all the things that bother you. That this is tiring. Mentally exhausting. If it feels like you can’t do it anymore. Etc.
 
Yes, it stands for that but I do have mental rituals. I just don’t have hand washing or any visual rituals I repeat words over and over in my mind when a thought comes, like for example “ I don’t want it, I don’t want it, I don’t want it” to try and reassure myself that I don’t want to do the thing my thoughts are doing. It’s all in my mind so no one around me can tell. And yes 😦 even just going to the doctor is around $200 and with school and other things I just simply can’t go. In past I used to shake my head randomly or pinch myself to stop the thought, and the main issue is that I feel that I’ll get stuck on the sign of the cross and it’ll become something I can’t control. I thank you for your advice and I will pick up Brain Lock as soon as I can get to a book shop! Thank you again for your advice and prayers and I’ll do the same for your boyfriend!
 
Pure-O is a form of OCD that is purely obsessional. You know how people with OCD are usually portrayed as washing their hands all the time and such? Those are visual compulsions(responses to their thoughts, called obsessions). My form of OCD is Purely Obsessional which means that I don’t engage in any visual compulsions or rituals, it is all mentally done. Things such as repetition of words to try and calm the thoughts or images that get stuck and play over, and over, and over 😣. It’s like being tortured inside your own mind every waking second of the day and sometimes even when I’m asleep. Unfortunately, though part of Pure-O is the guilt that comes from wondering if the thoughts are produced by me,if they are sins, I have been reassured that there is nothing I can do to control what my brain is doing and that the fact that the thoughts are nothing but pure horror to me means that I don’t make them happen. I can’t change or control them in any way, and when I try it just makes them worse, more persistent, and more painful. Thank you though 🙂 and I will definitely think more of Our Lord’s Passion. I’ve been told to think of the Crowning with thorns, to think of my illness as a share in this suffering of Our Lord’s, but the nature of Pure-O thoughts makes me feel dirty. This keeps me from prayer at times. Pray for me please, so I can follow your advice!
 
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Some say journaling about the past events of one’s life is quite helpful. Creative writing, including writing poetry, may also be helpful.
 
I completely understand your struggle, I have an anxiety disorder and it shares a lot of the same symptoms as OCD, Iv found that keeping busy is a great way to ward off intrusive thoughts, running errands or doing simple household tasks really helps. It gives your mind something else to focus on. If you have down time when your mind would start to run wild, I try meditating with soothing music, or praying the rosary and just allowing any thought that enters my mind to just melt away.

remember, thoughts that we can’t control aren’t sins, God is with us as always.

And do try to speak to a therapist at some point, even if it’s just one session the help they give is immeasurable.

It’s defiantly an ongoing struggle but don’t give up, we all have our crosses to bear, ours just seems to come from our own mind 😃
 
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I, too, am a OCD sufferer, and I know what you mean by torturous thoughts…I’m sorry your priest isn’t as much help as you’d like. I am lucky enough to have a priest working with me who has helped me a lot. I didn’t have to worry too much about my obsessions becoming compulsive behavior, as it already had by the time I met him, but I can see why the idea of forming compulsive behaviors is scary to you. Just know your priest is trying to help.

Lastly, I would say I’m 99.999% better now than I was 6 months ago, and I’m completely comfortable saying it was a combination of spiritual guidance and medication that helped me. Behavioral therapy didn’t seem to do much for me personally, but that probably was just me not following all of the guidelines my therapist suggested 🤫, or maybe it piggybacked on the other stuff and I didn’t notice it’s effect as much. My point: I’m not sure exactly what’s right for you, having never met you, but I highly suggest medication as at least one of your courses of action.
 
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April29 said:
confession and communion
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All sins do not need to be confessed, what is necessary is mortal sin. Mortal sin is uncharitable and is done by personal choice. There is no culpability for what is involuntarily. There are innumerable imperfections that are not actual sins.

Catechism
1859 Mortal sin requires full knowledge and complete consent. It presupposes knowledge of the sinful character of the act, of its opposition to God’s law. It also implies a consent sufficiently deliberate to be a personal choice. Feigned ignorance and hardness of heart 133 do not diminish, but rather increase, the voluntary character of a sin.
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Thank you so much! It’s so easy to despair when like you say our crosses come from “inside our minds”, but hearing from other sufferers who have managed really does help.
 
I will definitely look into it! I’m not a fan of meds, but at this point I believe I’ll have to give them a shot as soon as I can manage to get them!
 
I’m so happy to hear that meds helped you and that you are okay. I totally understand what you mean by saying that they saved your life because there are days that I honestly can’t see beyond my mind. This struggles is terrible. It’s crazy how crippling it can be to have something going on mentally in every area, physically, spiritually. I will try my best to get the help I know I need. I hope things continue to go well for you. Thank you for helping me 🙂
 
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Glad I could help! it always gets better, you just have to take it one step at a time and remember we are always a work in progress!
 
April29 said:
Pure-O is a form of OCD that is purely obsessional. You know how people with OCD are usually portrayed as washing their hands all the time and such?
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I have OCD, too. It aggravates me when people think this disorder is all about washing our hands a lot. But I should give them a break, since they don’t know any better.
 
I wasn’t either at first, I put up some opposition to the idea when it came up in therapy, but it really did work. Of course, take it at your own pace and don’t do anything you aren’t comfortable with, but I wish you luck.
 
It’s especially hard when family doesn’t understand :(, but you know, like you said they don’t understand. It’s almost nice to imagine that there are people out there who don’t think this way you know? I can’t even imagine what peace of mind feels like 😂😂😂
 
Thank you AdiLila, I will do just that. I’ll also give meds a shot!
 
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