OCD Coaching Videos & Books
by James Callner, M.A.
Welcome to OCD Coaching Videos
by James Callner
(This site was formerly the Awareness Foundation for OCD (afocd.org) – and is now all about helping you to get better with videos, my book, blogs, resources, and more.)
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OCD Always Lies
Well, does OCD always lie? It’s safe enough to say that OCD always lies because the percentage of truth within an OCD thought is so low.
I asked a well-known OCD therapist and director of The OCD Treatment Centre in England this exact question: “Can I say to myself and to others whom I help that OCD always lies?”
She replied, “Absolutely, because the outrageous thoughts just don’t hold up to reality enough.”
Is there any amount of truth to an OCD thought? I have to say, in some cases, yes. But there is also some truth in the thought that a meteor the exact size of your house will land on your house tonight. Get my drift?
In my experience, I need to acknowledge and accept that there may be some truth to some OCD thoughts and that accep- tance is part of recovery too. But it’s so minuscule that I can hold onto the anchor that OCD always lies. You can too. JC 💙
God, grant me the serenity to accept things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and, the wisdom to know the difference.
The Serenity Prayer is something I have used for over 35+ years to calm myself down. I'm not a very religious person but I do believe in some kind of higher power - whatever you might call it is up to you. But, if you have trouble with the "G" word, I suggest you replace it with your name. And, replace the word "me" with "yourself". It would read like this for me:
Jim, grant yourself the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. Hey, still just as powerful. JC 💙🤟
The onset of OCD came into my life at age 29. I am now 69 and recovery has come very far. But, still working on it daily. In the beginning I thought of OCD as robbing me of two things: trust and spirit. Now, when I use the word spirit I mean it in terms of being a spirited person, a funny, energetic human being. In my mind OCD seemingly damaged that aspect of me. I was obsessing on very bizarre things because OCD always attacks what you care about or your morals,but it always lies. And, I had horrible germ phobias and hand washing compulsions. But, most of all I was anxious ,scared and nothing was fun or funny. My spirit was almost gone. So how did I drag myself out of this pit? One day at a time and with plenty of help. All that help included words that came in the form of inspiration or getting back in-spirit. This is why I post in-spir-a-tional posts. I believe we are all seeking to reclaim our spirits again and in-turn that builds trust - and recovery happens. Make sense? JC 💙