How To Recognize an OCD Thought
For people with OCD it can be very difficult to tell if their fears are real or just a symptom of OCD. If you feel like you are in that situation here are some ways to distinguish real fears from OCD.
The easiest way to do this is to remember this:
If you have a thought and you doubt whether or not this thought is OCD, it always is an OCD thought. This is THE RULE.
Think of how many times you had an obsessive thought. Has it ever came true? Ever? Now think of something that has happened to you in real life. Something significant that made a big impact on your life. Have you ever doubted that this was just OCD? This is why this rule is a great way to identify OCD thoughts. Use it every time an obsessive thought pops
into your mind. Here is a example: A person has a fear of getting HIV. This fear keeps growing and even after many negative tests, he can not stop this fear. By using THE RULE he can say to himself:” No matter what I do I still doubt that this HIV fear is just an OCD thought. Since I am doubting it, this definetly IS just an OCD thought.” This approach is not easy and takes a lot of courage, but when used continuosly it does greatly reduce OCD thoughts.
I also understand that this approach can be too difficult for you, and you may need more time to work up the courage to use THE RULE.
For me it took a few years to completely trust THE RULE. If you are not ready here is a milder approach to identifying an OCD thought:
1. Think of someone you know who you would say is “normal”. Ask yourself, would this person think this fear is a real fear or would he/ she say that this is silly or irrational?
2. Ask yourself this: have you ever worried about this before this became a part of your OCD?
3. Would your doctor say that this is an OCD fear?
4. What is the logical probability of your feared situation being real, as seen through the eyes of others?
5. Have you had a similar worry before that turned out to be OCD?
I truly hope this article can help you and if you have any questions about it, please leave a comment and I will reply to you ASAP.
Remember the rule and do not feed into the fear. Just identify the thought as OCD and move on.
“The OCD Recovery Program has high recovery rate because of continous text support throughout the day between Ali Greymond and her clients. She guides you through the difficult moments and pushes you to fight for recovery. You are never going to feel alone in your daily battle against against OCD and as long as you follow the program, you will recover.”
OCD Recovery Program Testimonials
I would just like to say a massive thank you to Ali Greymond for all of her help and support through what had to be one of the hardest and most fearful times in my life. Hell sounded appealing to what I was living with- false memory OCD! I’m very private and the thought of telling someone my intrusive thoughts was agonising. I listened to Ali’s shows on YouTube and I knew the best person to help me was her, Ali made me feel so comfortable, I never once felt as though she was judging me in anyway in fact she made me feel the opposite like I was normal and none of this meant anything. She gave me the tools and skyped me every day I felt like She was in the next room the support was amazing. This wonderful lady changed my life, it’s hard work and determination daily but if there’s one person that can help you recover from OCD it’s Ali Greymond. She’s amazing at what she does and me and my family are blessed we found her because I don’t know where I’d be now. Thank you Ali your programme is amazing. (L.)
I came to Ali with a severe case of contamination OCD. Ali graciously offered me an introductory session free of charge. When I asked her when we could start, she said “how about today”? I liked that she was that proactive and willing to jump in immediately. I looked at the packages she offered and signed up immediately for the “Severe OCD” package, because that accurately described the state I was in. Ali almost immediately became my anchor, my support system and friend through this very frightening and lonely disorder. With Ali by my side, I had hope for the first time and I made strides that even surprised me. I was amazed at how quickly I started to recover. It felt like magic to me.
Having been a fellow sufferer herself, she truly understands the disorder. I felt that Ali intuitively knew when to push me through a fear and when to back off. When she felt that I was not ready for an exercise she told me. When she felt that I could push through a fear, she told me and 100% of the time, she was on point! This was extremely important as feeling in control is such a huge element of this disorder. I would recommend anyone suffering with this disorder to work with Ali. She helped me get my life back and that is priceless. (J.)
