What is Cheating OCD?
There are many different types of OCD. Cheating OCD is a type of OCD that revolves around relationships and the fear of one partner cheating on the other. Even though most people are to some degree are weary of the cheating in the relationship, this OCD fear goes above and beyond that. There are two subtypes of this OCD.
Two Subtypes of Cheating OCD.
In the first subtype the person thinks that they may have cheated in the past or that they are about to cheat. This thought causes extreme anxiety. The sufferer feels like he or she can’t enjoy the time spent with their partner because they are constantly thinking about their OCD fears. The compulsive action in this subtype is constantly retracing what the person did and analyzing one’s own thoughts and desires. If your OCD revolves around the thought of you cheating you may feel the need to seek reassurance from the person who you think you have cheated with to make sure it’s not true.
In the second subtype the person is worried that their partner has cheated on them or is about to cheat. The compulsive action in this case would be to monitor the partner very closely and to try to find clues to the suspected cheating. You may try to see if your partner has cheated by analyzing what he or she said or how they acted in a particular situation.
Both of these subtypes are very common. I described them in detail so you know that if you have the Cheating OCD, you are not alone and you are not going through this alone. I have helped many people with cheating OCD in our private sessions though You Have OCD Support Program and I can tell you for a fact that you can overcome this. It does take some work and it is not easy but it is curable.
Follow the five steps below to overcome this OCD once and for all.
How To Get Over Cheating OCD.
Step 1.
ANY thought that deals with cheating and that you doubt as OCD, is an OCD thought. Label it as an OCD thought. Say this to yourself as soon as you get the thought:
-Is the thought about cheating?
-Am I doubting whether or not this thought is OCD?
If the answer is yes, IMMIDIATELY label it as OCD.
For more indepth information on how to get over OCD, check out How To Get Over OCD ebook.
Step 2.
Do not react to any of the Cheating OCD thoughts with fear. Your fearful reaction is what powers up these thoughts and makes OCD stronger. Instead, react with indifference and allow the thoughts to just be there.
Say to yourself : “I don’t care if I have this thought for the rest of my life because it’s not real and is only OCD.”
This will shift the power from OCD back to you.
Step 3.
Recognize which of your actions are compulsive and are done because of your Cheating OCD. Make a list of them and do your best to not do them. The less actions you perform the weaker your OCD will become. At this point it might be automatic to perform certain compulsive actions, so it will take some time to stop doing them. Take it one day at a time but do your absolute best to stop performing them. This is your recovery and you need to focus and put effort into it.
Step 4.
Do not seek ANY reassurance from your partner or from anyone else. This one is very hard but if you keep seeking reassurance you will not get better. For more information on how reassurance seeking makes OCD worse, listen to You Have OCD Radio broadcast HERE or below.
Step 5.
If your partner knows about your OCD talk to them about this specific type of Cheating OCD. Explain to them that this is not about them but about your disorder. In many cases the partner may feel like you don’t trust them because they don’t have OCD and they don’t fully understand the amount of anxiety that goes along with these thoughts. You need to be patient with them. Tell your partner that if they see you asking for reassurance or performing a compulsive action that they need to tell you to stop and to remind you that in order to progress you need to not do these compulsive actions.
The most common compulsive actions are seeking reassurance and confessing something you think may have happened.
“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.)