On The Road To Better Thinking

The book I'm reading about OCD is called:

"The Mindfulness Workbook for OCD A Guide To Overcoming Obsession"

By Jon Hershfield, MFT in it he shares that he is on both sides of the therapist desk as he also has OCD, he also shares that along with "cognitive therapy" he has seen that "mindful awareness" Enhances the treatment. Let me quote what he quotes from the book The Road Less Traveled.

"In 1989, my father casually suggested that I read M. Scott Peck’s book The Road Less Traveled . I had never heard of it and was immediately struck by its first three words: "Life is difficult" (Peck 1978, 15). That’s quite an opener. But what followed was even more challenging: "Once we truly know that life is difficult— once we truly understand and accept it— then life is no longer difficult" (Peck 1978, 15)."

I believe that acceptance, as with many addictions could be the first step to getting rid of OCD, we need to accept that we have the condition. Am I suggesting that OCD it's an addiction? Well... It sure behaves like one at times. We are not chemically dependent on anything with OCD however we are dependent on irrational thoughts, fears, compulsions and obsessions.

"Obsessive- compulsive disorder is a psychiatric and psychological mental health issue. An obsession is an unwanted, intrusive thought. This type of thought may present itself as an idea, image, impulse, urge, memory, or other internal information, and you experience it as unwanted and distressing. A compulsion is a behavior designed to reduce or avoid the discomfort that comes from your experience of an obsession. This behavior may be physical, such as washing or checking, or mental, such as reviewing or neutralizing."

"Mindfulness is a concept grounded in the idea that you can observe what your mind is doing and decide for yourself how involved you want to be in the process. Mindfulness is the state of acknowledging and accepting whatever is happening in the present moment exactly as it is."

"To react to OCD is to jump into compulsions. To respond to OCD is to observe what your mind is doing and choose your next step."

In a journey to better my self not only from OCD but as a person in general I have read many books and they all seem to agree with this one even though they are meant for something else and not necessarily OCD.

In the Bible the Psalms has many writings or prayers on David asking Gid to create a new heart in him and to rejuvenate he's spirit.

Psalm 51:10 "Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me."

Also, Joel Osteen on his first book talks about reprogramming your mind.

The reason I mention this is that in the past I use to have a lot of super negative thoughts. OCD can do that, you'll have a negative thought and bring that thought to an outcome or prediction which is horrible or negative and then the compulsion comes and you do irrational things so that this thought won't come true. Joel Osteen talks about how we can reprogram our brains to think differently. We have a monophonic brain not a polyphonic brain which is we can only hold one thought at the time in our minds, we can have a lot of thoughts at incredible speeds but only one at the time, so he suggest replacing that thought with something positive. So I started doing that every time I had a horrible thought I would replace it with the opposite thought, a very positive thought for example. If I thought I was to get in an accident or someone I loved was to get in an accident I would immediately replace that thought with the one of me getting a promotion or a loved one getting a promotion, it's our mind we should be in control of what it thinks haha so I did that for a while it wasn't easy but after a while I stopped having the negative thoughts.

Also, as some books by Wayne Dyer suggested, living in the present its very important. We exist in the past which has already happened and also worry about the future which is only in theory or in prediction but many of us don't exist in the present. We must let go of the past as painful as it may have been and not worry about the future.

The Bible also talks about this, we must have faith!

Mathew 6:34 - "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

Isaiah 43:18 - "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past."

The Bible I guess is the first collection of self-help books haha.

Keeping in the present is very important because worrying about the past or suffering because of the past triggers the fear where OCD resides and also worrying about the future triggers a fear this fears are obsession that lead to compulsion and we react to this fears sometime in an irrational manner just to feel safe, but the past is in the past and the future hasn't happen and we are so busy existing in this quantum places that we don't get to enjoy our present, where we should be.

The mindfulness workbook also says "When you have OCD, being in the present may hurt; whereas letting your compulsions pull you away may spell relief.

I remember replacing my thought from negative to positive was not an easy task but it was a successful one, I've also always try to live in the present to acknowledge that yes I have lost dear friends, and maybe I should have zigged when I zagged but that is in the past. I just want to be a better person, a better human being for myself, for my family and people around me and to be of service to others. I am on the right track and that is a win :-)

 

You don't have to be an extremely religious person or a radical fanatic to benefit from the Bible. In fact it is the radical fanatics and ignorant extremist religious boneheads that probably keep people from reading it, but these people's actions have nothing to do with the real teachings and wisdom in the Bible so, not to get to preachy or religious but I like to end this post with this beautiful passage from the gospel of Mathew:

Matthew 6:25-34New International Version (NIV)

Do Not Worry

25 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life[a]?

28 "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Be well,

Eddie.

Eddie is a sentence. ( OCD humor for those whom I drive crash with my grammar spelling and punctuation)