Understanding Religious OCD & Its Effects
by Katherine Pica LCSW
Do you believe you are unworthy of God’s love? Are you constantly visiting your place of worship? Do you feel like you are not praying humbly or sincerely? Are you fearful of living in sin? Do you worry if there really is a God? Are you worried you are not reading scriptures enough?
If you have answered a majority of these with a “yes” or even a “maybe,” you may be experiencing a type of obsessive-compulsive disorder , OCD better known as Religious OCD. Let’s dive into what religious OCD is and the associated effects.
What Exactly is Religious OCD, ROCD ?
Religious OCD is a subgroup of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Religious OCD is also called Scrupulosity or ROCD. Similar to regular OCD, someone suffering from Religious OCD will have doubts, intrusive thoughts, and unwanted thinking. This type of OCD usually forms when someone’s religion becomes an obsession. The symptoms of this type of OCD consist of compulsions or obsessions relating to their personal religious beliefs.
What Causes Religious OCD, ROCD ?
There is not just one thing that causes Religious OCD. There is no one type of religion that causes this type of OCD. OCD targets the things you care about the most in life. Most of the time, someone experiencing Religious OCD is a true believer in their religion and may struggle with their own personal imperfections.
What are the Fears of Religious OCD?
Individuals with Religious OCD will typically view God as a moral authority figure in their life. They have a fear of being punished for any of their thoughts or actions that are not in line with their religion.
Someone experiencing Religious OCD may have any of the below fears:
‘Am I faithful enough?’
‘Is there really a God?’
‘Am I going to hell?’
‘Did I Commit any sins?’
‘Am I eating the wrong foods?’
‘I will be punished if I don’t make amends for this.’
‘Did I say something offensive?’
‘Am I an evil person?’
‘Did I hurt someone?’
What are the Compulsion or Rituals of Religious OCD?
Someone dealing with religious OCD may try rituals in order to try to manage their anxiety, worries, and fears.
These rituals could include the following:
Attending church more often than is typically required
Cleaning or performing cleansing rituals
Excessively apologizing
Seeking continuous approval and reassurance from religious authority figures
Excessively Repeating mantras
Excessive Praying
Extreme acts of self-denial or self-sacrifice
What are the Treatment Options for Religious OCD?
Individuals experiencing Religious OCD do not typically trust secular therapy approaches alone. They may worry their therapist is not knowledgeable about their specific religion, but faith-based approaches alone do not typically work due to the focus being on spiritual health instead of mental health.
The problem with Religious OCD isn’t a religion at all. The root of the problem is actually anxiety. Overcoming Religious OCD does not mean you have to give up your religion. I want to help you get on a better and healthier path to understanding your religious beliefs.
The best form of treatment for Religious OCD is typically a holistic approach. This type of approach combines faith-based counseling and working with an OCD therapist who practices Exposure and Response Prevention, ERP. While it is not necessary to have a faith based therapist, it can be very comforting to work with someone who has similar religious beliefs. I am an OCD therapist who also happens to be a Christian. again while it is not necessary to treat religious OCD it really can be comforting to have someone who can understand your beliefs.
How to find an OCD therapist in San Diego
If you are struggling with Religious OCD, you do not have to struggle on your own. There is hope and healing is possible. I am a Christian OCD therapist and trained in Exposure and response prevention , ERP. I have worked with so many different clients to overcome their religious OCD, and can help you learn skills too!
OCD therapy is about getting you back on track to living your life to the fullest again. If you are in San Diego or anywhere in California, I can help. Contact me to set up a free 15 minute phone call to chat about OCD therapy today.
