[GeeN]

I read a testimony about a man who had suffered from obsessive compulsive disorder for a number of years and what helped him is that he accepted that he had this disorder. He still suffers from it. I guess there is no cure. But he doesn't worry as much and they have lessened. How do I get to the point where I have accepted that I have this disorder? Does it take time? How do the thoughts go away?

[pachyderm]

> How do I get to the point where I have accepted that I have this disorder?

It seems to me that the main barrier to accepting that you have such a disorder is the expectation of being judged defective that one has when admitting it. Once you admit that you have it, then you can begin to explore it more objectively, and, I think, once you do that, and gain more understanding of what causes it, the chances of overcoming the problem increase dramatically.

[Cthomas]

Hey, just saw your post. sorry if im late to answering. but heres my take. I have OCD. I am a "hoarder" of not junk but well. that depends...LOL i have made an obsessions list. It has appeared to help me with some things. Like seeing it on paper helps me rationalize what i spend on.

for instance, I obsess about laundrysoap, toothpaste, toilet paper, etc. so i excessively spend on all of it. My mom suggested making a list. like if I get down to 3 bundles of toilet paper. THEN i can go buy it. I over wash my hands, count excessively. count EVERYTHING. but the list gets more and more elaborate. and it helps. Ive just learned that its a disorder. not ME. just a part of me. and it makes it easier. I check the lights when i leave about 10 times. flipping switches 9 or 10 times to be sure i see the light is off....etc.

Dont know if that helps. but i think im just wired wrong....LOL really wrong. You are not doing anything wrong. its a disorder. and i tried making a coping mechanism, by the suggestion of my mom. now. that works for me....but might not for somebody else.

So i guess acceptance is a chance at trying to better yourself with whatever is wrong. I hope this helps., sorry for being so long winded....LOL thats me too..

colleen - the long winded hoarder.....

[Perna]

That's a neat idea, Colleen, making a list! I worked with a woman and her elderly mother would call us at work everyday to tell her daughter to bring home some milk. The conversation was always the same. Her mother had lived through the Great Depression and World War II and still was afraid there wouldn't be enough food in the pantry.

I think I would set aside a certain part of the day to think about obsessions and write about them then. I have read that if you grind your teeth at night, that's like your brain twiddling its thumbs :-) and if you eat an apple or bagel or something "tough" or hard before you go to bed, that will tire out those muscles and you won't grind your teeth. Maybe obsessive thoughts can be tired out too or one can get bored after thinking about them so long, kind of like one normally turns from one task to another instead of doing the same thing all the time. But I'd show them I valued them and I would make friends with them by paying attention but I'd limit the time I spent on them.

I think I understand what the guy with OCD was talking about when he said acceptance was key.

I had a similar 'aha' moment out of the blue one day. I was watching myself make the same ol same ol excuses for some behaviour. Can't recall what it was but then I heard myself say 'I'm not good with crowds. I'd prefer not going to that beach because there are too many people there. I just don't like crowds.' The 'aha' was that I was giving myself permission not to like crowds. I wasn't covering up my 'dislike/phobia' for crowds. I was accepting that 'fear of crowds' is part of my make up right now that needed to be accommodated. Sure there may be days when I want to challenge that fear but that wasn't the day. I accepted my limits. Limits that are a consequence of my current mental challenge.

I accept that I have symptoms that are debilitating at times. I accept that they need accommodation at times and challenges at other times. I accept that I can be dysfunctional at times and highly functional at other times. I accept that I need to descern what I am capable of doing and I accept that I need to exercise my abilities to help overcome my disabilities. I accept that my life has been modified to accommodate my current condition. I accept that this is a lifelong journey of accommodation and challenge. I accept my limitations but never will I accept defeat. I accept that this time in my life is preparation for the next and the next and the next.

Acceptance..... a very heavy word. It is through acceptance that we are empowered to reach for the promises of peace, love and joy. To acknowledege that nothing is as it seems in the moment of time that we first observe it. Acceptance.... faith and love combined.

[scott88keys]

GeeN,
That's a really good question. I'd pay a million dollars to someone who could make me accept my OCD. It's a daily battle with secondary emotions--feeling guilty for my obsessions, feeling defective, feeling perverted. Reading has helped me somewhat. The unconditional acceptance of my T and my pyschiatrist have helped too. My faith helps--are you of a particular faith? I have a long ways to go to accept my OCD, too, so it's not an easy process.

I do like the serenity prayer. Do you know that?

God, grant me the serentiy to accept that which I cannot change; courage to change that which I can; and the wisdom to know the difference.

Best wishes. . .

My T has taught me about this. It is called mindfulness meditation. You have to practice it daily for it to become effective. Basically, you just notice the thought, honor it, and then let it pass. The reasons these thoughts keep coming back, or are entrenched, is because we fight and oppose them.
I hope that helps. Look up mindfulness meditation on the web if you are interested in more information Take care. I have OCD and still struggle with it, but this has helped.