Breaking Free from OCD is the true story of a quest to cope with, rid myself from and conquer OCD. I describe the book and journey as the place where fear meets faith and darkness meets light. I learned how to control my Obsessive Compulsive Disorder in that place...but I didn't do it alone.
“I am a seasoned, experienced, non-suffering OCDer ready to share with you the path God took me down in order to manage my OCD and heal from the inside out. The brain of someone with OCD is compelling, intelligent and sharp. I learned to use my OCD to help control my OCD! And if I can do it, then I have faith that you can too.”
“God showed me how to use His Word, faith, prayer and some simple steps to help train my OCD brain to manage my OCD; helping me to learn how to live again. My compulsive actions and out of control thoughts that once took up 90% of my time each day reduced to taking up less than 10% of my time and this still holds true today. Fear has been replaced with peace and faith has continued to grow; I now have true faith in God, faith in myself and faith in the plan He has for my life.”
Over 12 years ago I found relief for my OCD, without drugs. In fact, taking a medication never occurred to me. I’m not against pharmaceutical help if needed. But for me, faith was the solution. At first, I was afraid not to seek God. But it wasn’t a healthy kind of ‘fear of the Lord’; it was a deep alarming fear of God, of people, places, death, circumstances…almost everything. Some people are so plagued by religious fear due to their OCD that they never get past the religiousness to discover God and freedom through Him.
OCD manifested in many other ways in my life besides what I now know was merely religion. (What I have now is faith and belief, not religion.) My memories of suffering with OCD stretch back to the age of 8. With each passing year my compulsive behaviors became worse. By the time I was 30 I was nearly fully home-bound, unable to keep a regular job and afraid of everything. I was afraid not to pray and yet my prayers were ritualistic, not a means of intimate communication with God. Fear permeated every part of my life, not just my faith.
Fear – that’s the driving force behind OCD. A real, succinct, deep-seeded fear of…well, anything and everything imaginable. Sometimes the fears are rational and sometimes they aren’t. But the need to control something, anything, compels the OCDer to take action…any action, in order to feel better. Hence the counting, repeating, checking, touching, cleaning, hoarding….counting, repeating, checking…
Over time I have realized that if you have a lack of faith then fear will quickly invade your mind; your waking and sleeping thoughts. I also discovered that faith is not the opposite of fear but faith IS the ability to see beyond the fear into the eyes of truth. If fear is darkness then faith is turning the lights on! Once you can see the lies for what they are, then the brain of the person with OCD can begin to dispel the many lies that make them feel compelled to obsessive, repetitive, nonsensical actions.
I am a seasoned, experienced, non-suffering OCDer ready to share with you the path God took me down in order to manage and heal from the inside out! The brain of someone with OCD is compelling, intelligent and sharp. I learned to use my OCD to control my OCD! And that means you can too. God showed me how to use His Word, faith, prayer and some simple steps to help train my OCD brain to manage my OCD without it stopping me from living. Before long, my compulsive actions and out of control thoughts that once took up 90% of my day reduced to taking up less than 10% of my day…and it still holds true today. Fear has been replaced with peace and faith has continued to grow; faith in God, faith in myself and faith in the plan He has for my life.
My quest is to help others see that OCD IS something you can live with, control, eradicate, deal with, move beyond and you CAN keep it from stealing your joy. Through faith, even if your faith is currently enveloped in OCD, you can find healing.
Team up with a Christian Life Coach to help you on your journey to break free! Check out Life Coach Inspired.
For more info on Karen and Life Coaching, check out her profile on Therapy Tribe or OCD Tribe.
Click here to order your copy of: Breaking Free From OCD
