Helpful OCD Links
Recommended OCD Resources
OCD Foundation ocfoundation.org What is OCD? ocfoundation.org Materials & Fact Sheets: ocfoundation.org/materials.aspx Intensive Treatment Programs: ocfoundation.org/ITP.aspx Anxiety Disorder Association of America adaa.org Anxiety Social Net: anxietysocialnet.com Stanford School of Medicine: Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders ocd.stanford.edu OCD Center of Los Angeles (live and telephone cognitive behavioral therapy) ocdla.com/cognitivebehavioraltherapy.html ocdla.com/telephone-online-therapy-ocd-anxiety.html OCD Education Station ocdeducationstation.org Obsessive Compulsive Anonymous obsessivecompulsiveanonymous.org Tourettes Syndrome Association tsa-usa.org Trichotillomania Learning Center trich.org National Alliance for the Mentally Ill nami.org Mindful Awareness Research Center at UCLA marc.ucla.edu MedicineNet.com offers useful information on OCD as well as anxiety and other disorders.
Additional Educational Sites
Other educational fact-finding sites about OCD are included below. Education is empowerment, and empowerment brings wellness. Here is a link to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). Also check out: AnxietyPanic.com For more information about OCD, visit the IOCD Foundation website. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Linked To Brain Activity Jeffrey Schwartz, M.D. site: http://www.jeffreymschwartz.com/ The Westwood Institute for Anxiety Disorders offers some excellent articles: Four Steps by Dr. Jeffrey Schwartz The Use of Mindfulness in the Treatment of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) by Dr. Jeffrey Schwartz Peace of Mind Foundation: http://www.peaceofmind.com/ Autoimmune Neurological Disorders: the connection between childhood strep throat and OCD Q&A with Dr Michael Jenike at Heathyplace.com: What To Do About the Obsessions Part of OCD OCD Recovery Centers of America ocdrecoverycenters.com
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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 💙