Getting over Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

I'll preface this by saying two things:

1. I was never diagnosed by a psychiatrist as having Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. To some people this is more important than others. However, when you repeatedly burn yourself under hot water, or walk back and forth through a doorway over and over again simply because you believe doing so will saved a loved one's life, and this goes on for months (if not years), then I don't believe a diagnosis is necessary.

2. I didn't take medication to rid myself of OCD, nor did I see a psychiatrist, I merely did what some might call "the obvious". Please note that I'm not advising anyone to stop medication or to stop seeing their psych, this advice is meant to be supplemental, rather than stand-alone. However, if you don't currently take medication or see a psych, then the choice is yours.

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I don't know whether this information will actually help anyone, but I thought it was at least worth a shot.
As such, if you don't really agree with what I'm about to say then you can comment or simply disregard it.
Otherwise, perhaps what's contained herein can do some good for some OCD sufferers.
The following is an explanation the principles I used to get over OCD.

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There is NO magical cure, nor is there an easy way of getting rid of OCD

Most of you probably already knew this but it was worth a mention. The only way you're going to get rid of OCD is through hard work and psychological progress. As Chris Martin said in The Scientist: "Nobody said it was easy. No one ever said it would be so hard." But if you persevere you will eventually reach the light at the end of the tunnel be able to enjoy the beautiful sunrise.

Getting rid of OCD requires coming to terms with (and understanding that) the only way you can rid yourself of OCD is by letting go

This is one of the most difficult and frightening things in the world for someone with OCD, however it's a necessity if you want to get rid of it. In my own personal experience I had to basically "lose myself" and accept any consequences/punishment that followed, no matter how dire. I knew that no matter what, I had made a choice to take my life back and that I was going to commit to that. I knew that I couldn't let irrational thoughts destroy my life. Only once I had done that could I begin rebuilding myself without OCD. The only thing I had to back this up was logic, and that is an incredibly important part of it. Most, if not all, people with OCD know that what they do is irrational, they know that it doesn't make sense, but they continue to do it regardless, out of fear and anxiety. You must place all your cards in the deck of logic and trust in that. You must look around at other people and realize that no one is dying as a result of them not turning a light switch on and off 20 times in a row. You must realize that there is no logical, factual, or rational basis in OCD, that it is driven by fear and not by reason or truth. There has never been any evidence, at any point in time, EVER, to even remotely suggest that OCD rituals have ever had the purported effect in the real world. If that isn't enough, I gave up my own OCD rituals and nothing happened as a result, so I know it's true.

Go without OCD for just one day

Again I know this is much harder than it sounds, but in the context of your life, look back and realize just how short one single day is. Give yourself just that one day without committing any OCD rituals (preferably a day where you don't have anything else to do or anywhere to be). When you wake up the day after your OCD-free day you'll stop and think for a second, you'll realize that your loved ones aren't dead, that you're not dead, that nothing bad has happened as a result of you forgoing your OCD rituals, so why should you let it control you? They say seeing is believing, so give yourself the chance to see how baseless your OCD rituals truly are and you'll then be able to confirm what you already know is true, that OCD has no basis in reality. It's one of those things in life that's just so difficult to understand until you step outside of it for just one day to see how everyone else views it. Once you do this the OCD will seem all the more irrational and pointless. You may be understandably hesitant to trust this advice, as it comes from a stranger. However, I don't ask you to trust me, I ask you to think of how rational your OCD rituals are, whether you honestly believe they have any effect at all. I'm asking you to trust yourself. I also urge you to go and ask your loved ones for permission to stop your OCD rituals, ask them what will happen if you stop, ask them if they want you to stop. If you can't stop for yourself, then stop for them.


To recapitulate, clearly the hardest part of OCD is letting go, but it's something that you absolutely must do in order to see what everyone else sees, to realize that what your logic and reason were telling you all along, that nothing bad will happen, is precisely true. I can say this as something with first hand experience and as someone who knows that not only can OCD be beaten, but that it gets easier with every passing day. I don't even really think of OCD anymore, it took a few months after I stopped my rituals before most of the thoughts had pretty much faded. Thus, I put this task to you, the reader: try giving up your OCD rituals for just one single day. It may seem like the biggest risk in the world to take, but it also offers one of the greatest payoffs imaginable, the reward being not only the reclamation of your freedom, but of your life.

good on you for self diagnosing and conquering your ocd.
it takes true courage.
mine is down to about 2% by doing a lot of brain training, and hypnotherapy ,it has taken me along time to get to this point, but it beats taking five minutes to go through one door.
take care

I believe I was born with OCD (at 12 months I was already organizing and throwing fits when someone messed it up). I was diagnosed at age seven but was not medicated until I was 18, and it was not for OCD but for depression/anxiety. I do not believe you need to DX to know you have OCD.

I think these are mindfulness tips, and they do help a lot of people. And I am glad they do, because OCD is truly a monster.

What I have learned personally in taming my "monster" is to compulsions that I know will ease immediate anxiety. Instead of living where I believe I can rid of OCD (I know I can't, I am not asking for someone to tell me otherwise at all, It's just a simple fact my neurology) I remind myself that I need to pay attention to my moods, calculate the "risk" of acting out a ritual, and going on from there.

You should be proud you found a way to help yourself. It takes a lot of work.