OCD/Scrupolousity

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Hi guys,

This post is aimed at those who suffer from OCD/scrupolosity.

I just want to check if anyone else has experienced this and how they handle it.

I have had Cognative behavioral therapy and it has been explained to me that sometimes we get “worries” or thoughts that are meaningless and it is best to ignore them rather than to engage with them. Often I will spend literally hours ruminating over a worry, solve it and find that about an hour later I am back to square one and I have to try to “solve” the problem again.

This happens to me in regard to things that I think might be mortal sins. I manage to prove to myself that are not mortal sins but shortly afterwards, I have to prove the whole scenario all over again.

While I am dealing with a priest on these issues, I don’t think that anyone other than someone who has suffered from OCD or anxiety will be able to understand this.

Has anyone experienced this?
 
I have scrupulosity and I have been dealing with the same problem. My problem is that a thought comes into my head saying that I have to do something, and I see this a vow, then it turns out that this thing is either impossible, ridiculous, or utterly unpleasant. Right now I am trying to figure out if I am bound by these or if I should just go on with my life. The thoughts usually give consequences for negligence as well, the consequences typically being quite severe for an act that would ordinarily not be sinful. So yes, I go through a daily cycle with my doubts; in the morning I am filled with doubt, in the late morning I feel better, in the early afternoon I feel terrible again, and at night I feel good before I go to sleep. I feel like I am starting to feel better more often. Reading the Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska helps a lot.
 
Hi.

Great to speak to someone with similar issues.

I find that at a high level I have a realistic understanding of right and wrong, but what is causing this scrupolosity is the concept that you can sin in your thoughts.

Today I worked out the morality of a difficult scenario and was happy that I was handling something morally. However, not every situation is that clear cut and I began to come up with doubts about the morality of my decision. I immediately decided that my decision was right at a high level, despite the fact that at that moment I could not “prove” it to myself at a detailed level. I am now wondering if I have sinned by not listening to these doubts, even though since then I have worked it out that my original conclusion was fine.
 
Yeah, I see these doubts as trials which God is putting me through because He knows I can handle it. Whenever I doubt I just trust Him and know that He will not lead me astray. My reasoning is that if God is putting me though these trials, that means that He has plans for me and that He isn’t going to let me go that easy. Hope this line of thinking contributes in some manner.
 
I empathise entirely as a fellow sufferer. All I recommend is obedience to ones confessor/spiritual director. Pray, trust and meditate on Christ’s love for you
 
Thanks for your replies. I suffer very badly with both doubt about sin etc. I also suffer from terrible thoughts most of which are intrusive but many where I wonder about consent. I find that the closer I get to God the worse the scruples get. I actually feel a very strong calling and have made significant changes to my life. Occasionally I get relief from these scruples and I feel really close to God but the scruples tend to over shadow this.

I have a copy of the diary of St. Faustina and I find the Divine Mercy really helps.
Also I have been trying to drop into the church during Adoration and get great strength from this.

Your comments are greatly appreciated as it has refocussed me on prayer and trust in God rather than on the cycle of constantly analyzing my thoughts.
 
I used to have a huge issue with this where all I thought about was God and religion. I feel for you. What got me through it was moderation. Yes. Moderation in all things. Force yourself to watch a movie, and enjoy it. Force yourself to read, and enjoy it. Force yourself to fish (or whatever activity you feel inclined to do), and enjoy it. Another thing that helps is time. Time and moderate prayer heals all wounds. Just listen to what the church teaches, and don’t try to add to it.

Have hope that you’ll get better. I did. You will as well:thumbsup:
 
This used to be a lot worse for me, but my repetitive negative thoughts would just go round and round till I actually put them down on paper. Somehow that seems to break the cycle, perhaps because there’s some semblance of order when they’re out of my head and down on paper. I used to really drive my best friend nuts with my going over and over details of things, using her as a “sounding board” and she’d finally tell me “Enough! Put it in writing, will you.” So my prayer journal started. I hope this helps, God bless.
 
Thanks for your (name removed by moderator)ut. Moderation is key. I find that since I started to think about mortal sin I’m finding mortal sins everywhere. Ironically many priests have told me that it’s possible to stay out of mortal sin. However on this forum everyone keeps referring to all the mortal sins they are committing. In particular many people refer to bringing mortal sins to confession regularly. This leads me to believe that we must all be committing mortal sins regularly. I have committed many mortal sins during my life but I have gone back to the church and turned away from these sins. Apart from the obvious sexual sins, missing mass, doing something really dishonesty, really hurting someone, ruining someone’s reputation etc. I was always under the impression thay most of the sins people commit are venial. Many priests have told me that if you committed a mortal sin you’d know it. They have also implied that if u change your life and stick to those changes that it is possible to stay out of mortal sin. I m actually sticking to changes I’ve made but am constantly unsure if I’m in mortal sin. Based on discussions from many posters on the forum it would appear that it is practically impossible to stay out of mortal sin. This is what’s causing my anxiety
 
I think you may be mistaken there, I’ve seen it somewhere on this forum that mortal sin is harder to commit than many people think:

From CCC 1857: For a sin to be mortal, three conditions must together be met: “Mortal sin is sin whose object is grave matter and which is also committed with full knowledge and deliberate consent.”

1-Grave matter
2-Full knowledge
3-Deliberate Consent

All three must be met. Even St Paul says in Romans 7:15 “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.”
 
My understanding of the 3 conditions is that you would have to know if u are committing a mortal sin. I think that it is likely that I am not committing mortal sins at all. But I find that people on the forum often inquire if things are mortal sins. The issues they are asking about seem trivial and that gets me thinking that mortal sin must be more common than we think.

Issues that confuse me at the moment are things like laziness, wasting time, judging others and uncharitible thoughts. These are things we are all guilty of but at what stage do they become mortal sins? Is it only when hatred is involved or when grave harm is done to others.

My understanding up to now was that these sins are not grave.
 
A person struggles with scruples - what ought they do?

A person with scrupulosity --ought to have a* “regular confessor” who can direct them --and even give them some general principles* to follow -to apply (principles for them due to their particular scruples -they are usually not for those with a normal conscience).

Thus with their direction they can dismiss scruples.

Scruples are to be dismissed not argued with.

To borrow and image from a Carthusian from centuries ago: Scruples *are like a barking dog or a hissing goose -one does not stop to argue with a barking dog or a hissing goose does one? * No one keeps walking.

Such ‘obedience’ to a regular confessor who knows of ones scruples (except in what is manifest sin - such as if he told them it was ok to murder someone or something certain like that) is key. Such is the age old practice.

Also counseling - could be helpful depending on the case -but one would want to look for a counselor who can assist one in following the Churches Teachings - not go contrary to them (I have heard CA staff mention catholictherapists.com/)

Here was a recent post from Jimmy Akin of CA that I saw in the Register and saved for those who struggle with such.

ncregister.com/blog/jimmy-akin/6-tools-for-the-scrupulous
 
Thanks.

The advice everyone has given me has really helped. Prayer works wonders.
 
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