A Prayer for Religious OCD Sufferers

Intended for Those Attempting Exposure-Response Prevention

Mar 5, 2009

Those with religious OCD may be wary of using exposure-response prevention, one of the most common treatment methods for the disease. This prayer may help.

Religious OCD, a medical disorder in which the victim suffers blasphemous, aggressive and demeaning thoughts against God, can cripple is one’s spiritual life and throw them into uncertainty about their salvation status. Prayer always helps to cure the disease, but there also exists “Exposure Response Prevention Therapy,” which involves exposing oneself to the horrible thoughts and images while delaying any compulsion, such as repentance, that they might lead to.

Of course, ERP may appear sinful from a religious standpoint, given that one is exposing themselves to sinful thoughts or practices without repenting immediately. But its benefits involve fewer unconscious and unwanted thoughts, along with less anxiety overall.

If one is uncertain or unsure about putting ERP into practice, they may wish to say the following prayer to God. They are free to change the wording or say only certain parts.

I love You, believe in You and accept You into my heart. Sadly, I’ve been having a lot of involuntary and unwanted thoughts that say differently. You know my true beliefs and desires, and I’m sorry that so many unwanted thoughts have gone against You. You also know that I have been suffering from OCD as of late.

As You know, I don’t want any thought of mine to hurt or sadden You. If I don’t repent or respond immediately to such hurtful thoughts, however, I may end up having fewer in the end because of my body’s natural decrease in fear. Indeed, if I always repent or respond immediately to a blasphemous thought or image, I might just be increasing my focus on and anxiety over the thoughts.

Because of this, I’d like to try exposing myself to these thoughts, but simultaneously preventing myself from immediately repenting or responding—whether in thought or prayer—to the blasphemous and hurtful thoughts and images that may cross through my head. If I need to, I’ll then repent for these thoughts at a certain time—but I also understand that involuntary things, like my thoughts, aren’t sinful. I delay my repentance and responses because I love You, and want to try a strategy that may result in fewer blasphemous thoughts against You as my body adjusts to the anxiety the thoughts cause.

I know that exposure-response prevention is just one step to curing OCD, and that I’ll need Your help, support and love for it to work. I pray that the Holy Spirit might keep me safe from blasphemous thoughts, and that You might not let my OCD infiltrate the loving, joyous relationship I once had with You. Please help me to better understand if exposure-response prevention is part of Your plan for my treatment of the disease.

All praise and glory be to You, God. May my blasphemous thoughts be replaced with thoughts and images more pleasing to You. [Amen.]

(The Amen is put in brackets in case one finds themselves experiencing blasphemous thoughts around the time they end prayers.)

Reading That May Be Helpful

If the subject of obsessive-compulsive disorder interests you, or if you’d like more help in your fight against OCD, try reading some of these articles on obsessive-compulsive disorder.

The copyright of the article A Prayer for Religious OCD Sufferers in Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is owned by Kenneth Burchfiel. Permission to republish A Prayer for Religious OCD Sufferers in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.