Scrupulosity Dormant, Guilt flaring, Depression

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scrupulousrvrt

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I burnt out from scrupulosity over the weekend, leaving me with depression and exhaustion. Also, guilt. From rererere-examining my conscience to see if I consented to a sin or not. (I just read in a book that people with OCD shouldn’t do this). On top of that, I have an internal battle between Reason and Conscience that are just CONTANTLY doing this -->:slapfight:
A cute little story to tell you how my Faith walk is doing since last week:

When the Conscience accuses me of something, Reason will try to sort it out, but Conscience will argue that he’s right and Reason is wrong. Reason and Conscience start fighting until both are too tired to even co-operate. They then just hurl insults at each other
Reason: I’ll put you away, so you’ll never torture him again!
Conscience: Do that and I’ll murder his faith like I murdered his enjoyment of life!

At this point weekly confession seems like a necessity, rather than something pious to do.🤷
 
Hi there, I sometimes suffer from the same type of thing. Im not sure about you, but I can always tell when I am in mortal sin. I just feel it in my gut, and I can’t get rid of the feeling because I know that I have broken my relationship with God. I feel this way basically non-stop until I go to confession.

When I know that I have committed a venial sin, I still feel bad and feel it in my gut, but only for a little while. I guess this is because I know that there are many ways God forgives venial sins.

My advice… PRAY! Say a sincere act of contrition, take a few deep breaths and talk to God. His mercy is endless and he knows the pains your suffering (remember he died for you). If God sees you are truly sorry, you have no reason to fear.

Praying for you! Please do the same for me
 
Scrupulosity can be treated. You must find a good, holy priest as your Spiritual director and obey him.

Scrupulosity can be a form of OCD. Medication and Cognitive behavioral therapy can be very helpful.

If you fight the thoughts, they get stronger. Simply ignore them and focus on something else.

God bless you.
 
I will second finding a good priest and/or spiritual counselor. Maybe see if you can make an appointment with your priest to speak about scrupulosity and the anxiety and depression you feel. I am sure he can give you good counsel and point you in the right direction as far as finding a long term guide. You can probably bring it up during normal confession times if you arrive early and there’s little to no line.
 
Dear scrupulousrvrt,

As many of these good folks have said, find a good spiritual director. If you are unsure where to begin to look for one, talk with your priest. That will be a good way to start.

I understand the battle between two forces in one’s mind but mine are anxiety and depression. I find prayer to be my best weapon. I start with the Saint Michael prayer ("Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle . . ) and move to prayer with to God, asking the Holy Spirit to calm my warring mind. I add prayers to Saint Dymphna, patroness of the mentally ill and finish up with prayers to the Blessed Mother.

I have also found that becoming involved with praying for all the prayer requests on this forum has been a great way to focus on something else and to help my brothers and sisters in Christ at the same time.

These are just suggestions on what works for me. Please know that you are in my nightly prayers. God bless.
 
scrupulousrvrt said:
A cute little story to tell you how my Faith walk is doing since last week:

When the Conscience accuses me of something, Reason will try to sort it out, but Conscience will argue that he’s right and Reason is wrong. Reason and Conscience start fighting until both are too tired to even co-operate. They then just hurl insults at each other
Reason: I’ll put you away, so you’ll never torture him again!
Conscience: Do that and I’ll murder his faith like I murdered his enjoyment of life!
Click to expand...
Such might express your suffering last week -but it does not express reality (conscience is not vs reason).

Conscience is reason in the main.

Here from the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

1778 Conscience is a judgment of reason whereby the human person recognizes the moral quality of a concrete act that he is going to perform, is in the process of performing, or has already completed. In all he says and does, man is obliged to follow faithfully what he knows to be just and right. It is by the judgment of his conscience that man perceives and recognizes the prescriptions of the divine law.*

Your story has conscience against reason…but conscience* is *a judgement of reason.

Those with scruples can *mistake *what their scruples for being conscience.

Such is why the age old practice for one with scruples is to have a regular confessor whom they obey and who can give them certain principles …certain rules for them to follow (not what others without such scruples would follow but what they would follow).

Thus under the direction of their confessor they “act against” their scruples and not sin. They “act against” what they had mistaken for conscience but which really was not.

They then over time with their confessor form their actual conscience (if need be) and learn to ignore their scruples…their scrupulous doubts which are not actual doubts but scruples …

*(and of course we are to form our consciences…via the Divine Revelation and the other Teachings of the Church…the person with scruples will have the help of their regular confessor)
 
I will re-post another older post of mine (general information regarding scrupulosity)

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” (in the older language despise them) - “act against them”.

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 -(especially if one also has OCD) 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 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
 
conscience and reason should never go against each other really, im no expert at the two but your entire mental faculty must work properly, reason will tell you whats right and wrong, so on and so forth,

maybe your fighting your own spiritual pride and self? perhaps you dont want to admit that you do have sins that need cleansing, your trying to put on that “good image”, or your trying to believe that your more “righteous” than you really are, its a problem that the pharisees had, the best part of being a christian espieccally a catholic is that when we sin, we can cleanse them away with repentance in the sacraments, dont be ashamed of your sins, if you are, you may struggle with the issues you are having, remember that even the Pope’s went to confession once a day at times, and some of the older Pope’s were the biggest sinners you can image,

we are righteous because we rely on the fact that Jesus healed us. so please, dont put your mind in turmoil anymore, don’t try to fight it too much, you dont want greater problems, be simple like a child, and when you do worng, just confess, youll only notice that everyone else is there for the same reason as you
 
Hi Peter,

I think that is what you said your name was? I hope you don’t mind my using it. It only adds to ones slavery-to-fears to self-label and make a condition part of your identity. Is the label part of your identity?

I am wondering how the medications are going, as well as meeting with someone to talk about your worries. how is that going?

In the mean time, there is actually a fruitful direction, in my experience, to “aim” your efforts: forgiveness. Have you forgiven all those you have ever held anything against?

Blessings
 
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