Three Additional Steps in Treating Religious OCD

How Christian OCD Sufferers Can Help Fight Against OCD

Mar 17, 2009

To complement prayer and medication, Christians with religious OCD can remember 3 important things to decrease the anxiety their unwanted obsessions cause.

No OCD sufferer can cure the disease on their own; God’s help, and perhaps that of medication, are essential to ‘winning’ against obsessive compulsive disorder. Nevertheless, there are major steps that believers can take to combat the effects of OCD in their lives: recognizing that the thoughts probably don’t make them sinners, trusting in Christ instead of their compulsions, and delaying any response to or repentance for the unwanted obsessions and scruples.

Recognize: The Thoughts Probably Don’t Make Someone Sinful

Jesus does warn that “evil thoughts” come out of the heart (Matthew 15:19, NASB translation). For OCD sufferers, though, the blasphemous, hateful and unwanted thoughts arise from a chemical imbalance in the brain. Certainly, nobody with religious OCD wants to have thoughts against God, which makes the symptoms all the more excruciating.

But God understands all of this, and likely would not perceive anyone’s obsessive thoughts or ‘scrupulous’ actions as rendering them sinful. Indeed, God diagnoses scrupulosity and religious OCD before any psychiatrist can!

Although nobody except God knows God’s mind (which is why the word ‘probably’ is included in the title), believers can rest confident that God is not angry or even disappointed with them because of the religious thoughts. Such confidence is invaluable in OCD treatment.

In addition, those with thoughts or even prayers about hurting, cursing or damning others should remember that God, given His infinite love, would neverhurt or harm anyone—even if someone prayed night and day for Him to do so. No obsession can ever harm anyone else.

Understand: Faith in Christ, not Compulsions, Allows Christians Forgiveness for Sins

Believers with religious OCD and scrupulosity often have trouble feeling forgiven, considering the perceived magnitude of their sins. Thus, they often repent constantly, explaining to God that they didn’t mean to have any unwanted prayers, thoughts or actions. Christians may find themselves repenting over and over again, fearing that they didn’t do so correctly the first time.

It takes faith for someone to break out of OCD—faith that Christ has already forgiven them of their unwanted thoughts or scruples, with no repentance or compulsions necessary. It is essential to remember that continued repentance and compulsions do not win any forgiveness from God; rather, it is faith in Christ as one’s Savior that wins such forgiveness. Compulsions and continued repentance for scruples and obsessions is completely unnecessary! What counts is that one believes in Jesus; that way, even their worst sins are forgiven.

This article is in the Protestant section of Suite101 because the Catholic viewpoint here may differ. Catholics are welcome to discuss the merit of compulsions—and the importance of faith—with a confessor or trusted clergyperson.

Delay Responses and Repentance Until a Set Time

With the above two principles in mind, Christians can then take an important step in their OCD and scrupulosity treatment: delay all responses to and repentance for the scruples and obsessions until a set time period. One can start by waiting 15 minutes before repenting for the thoughts in their head; then an hour; then two or three hours, if the first week goes well.

This has both spiritual and medical benefits. Believers who delay their compulsions learn to trust that, in Christ, they’ve already been forgiven for anything they perceive sinful without the need to respond to their thoughts. Plus, delaying compulsions helps the mind employ God’s gift of habituation and decrease in anxiety, so that the obsessions or scruples don’t cause as much fear the next time.

A Disclaimer

Christians with OCD cannot prevent thoughts from coming into their head; if they try to, more are likely to come. Rather, their goal should be decreasing the anxiety such thoughts bring. This simple step often leads to fewer unwanted obsessions.

To remember the principles taught in this article, try copying and printing the following tips, then carrying them around during the day.

If an unwanted obsession or scruple comes:

1. Remember: it probably isn’t sinful. God knows that you have OCD and scrupulosity.

2. Faith in Christ (which certainly isn't sinful!), not compulsions or continued repentance, is what allows God to forgive you for your scruples and thoughts—if they’re even sinful to begin with! Continuous repentance or compulsions won’t help you one bit; faith in Christ is what counts.

3. Delay your response or repentance for the unwanted obsession or scruple. That way, you learn to trust that God has already forgiven you for them, and allow your mind to adjust to the anxiety without any compulsions.