fear of the devil

[fefee]

Hi Guys , Im obsessing and very frightened that there might be a devil , I hate the very thought that there might be a devil or there might be a devil  roaming near me . 

I know science cant prove there is one ,some  christians says there is , some say he is a form of energy but I need to know which one and do i need protection of some kind ?

I feel scared but not sure why , cant explain fully only that there might be danger around or feels there might be danger

Has anyone dealt with this type of ocd and how did you get better ?

cheers fefee

 

[Ashley]

4 minutes ago, fefee said:

dealt with this type of ocd and how did you get better ?

This is 'rumination' in the original sense of the OCD word (these days hijacked to mean intrusive thoughts, original meaning was pondering answers to unanswerable questions). Would it not be dealt with like every other aspect of OCD?    Reviewing the cognitive aspect of what the thought means to you, living with the in certainty and doing nay exposure exercises that are needed.   

[SJM]

Speaking as an atheist, I can assure you that there is no devil. Just evil people.

[Ashley]

1 minute ago, SJM said:

Speaking as an atheist, I can assure you that there is no devil. Just evil people.

I would probably agree with you religion wise SJM, but OCD wise the answer may not help because when this is an OCD obsession, the OCD will just throw more questions.

[SJM]

Just now, Ashley said:

I would probably agree with you religion wise SJM, but OCD wise the answer may not help because when this is an OCD obsession, the OCD will just throw more questions.

Yes, but this is a 'belief'. Facts are what matters. That's how I fight my OCD thoughts - weighing up the evidence for and against a belief.

[Ashley]

Well I don't wish to rain on what works for you.  Generally, for most people the more you weigh evidence to answer an OCD obsession the more uncertainty it creates and the more questions 'what if?' it will pose. Which is why with OCD we have to generally learn to accept uncertainty, stop looking for black or white answers and learn to live in shades of grey.

[SJM]

Whatever works for you, matey.

[fefee]

yes i no what you mean , i have to be at a place where , if he exists , who cares , the probability that something will happen is unlikely 

so I no where Im aiming just not sure how to get there yet. 

[Ashley]

2 minutes ago, SJM said:

Whatever works for you, matey.

It's not what works for me, it's what I have observed over the years for the majority.  Using evidence/fact tables is a very common CBT approach for other panic and phobias, but OCD is different, and as a general rule with OCD the more you try and give OCD facts, the more it will crave.... it's like feeding the monster

[SJM]

Just now, Ashley said:

It's not what works for me, it's what I have observed over the years for the majority.  Using evidence/fact tables is a very common CBT approach for other panic and phobias, but OCD is different, and as a general rule with OCD the more you try and give OCD facts, the more it will crave.... it's like feeding the monster

Not sure I understand you. You are saying you fight OCD with uncertainty?

[Ashley]

3 minutes ago, fefee said:

i have to be at a place where , if he exists , who cares , the probability that something will happen is unlikel

I think this is right fefee.   To get to a point where we can have an intrusive thought (about the devil or being evil or whatever), we have to learn to accept that the thought doesn't mean we are or we believe or that it is a precursor to an event, or that the thought is a fact. It just means we are comfortable accepting the thought being there sometimes. 

[Ashley]

Just now, SJM said:

Not sure I understand you. You are saying you fight OCD with uncertainty?

Not exactly, but we have to learn to accept uncertainty. 

[SJM]

Just now, Ashley said:

Not exactly, but we have to learn to accept uncertainty. 

In what way?

[Horsey]

3 minutes ago, Ashley said:

It's not what works for me, it's what I have observed over the years for the majority.  Using evidence/fact tables is a very common CBT approach for other panic and phobias, but OCD is different, and as a general rule with OCD the more you try and give OCD facts, the more it will crave.... it's like feeding the monster

Yes^^^^^^i can research for four weeks on the likelihood of the world ending in my lifetime/children's lifetime. This then leads to 1000000 other questions on all sorts of issues. Literally. I then end up with a panic attack after not finding any answers.

[SJM]

4 minutes ago, Horsey said:

Yes^^^^^^i can research for four weeks on the likelihood of the world ending in my lifetime/children's lifetime. This then leads to 1000000 other questions on all sorts of issues. Literally. I then end up with a panic attack after not finding any answers.

Well, I find that a scientific approach works for me. I love seeking answers and finding new knowledge, where before there was ignorance. 

[Horsey]

3 minutes ago, SJM said:

Well, I find that a scientific approach works for me. I love seeking answers and finding new knowledge, where before there was ignorance. 

I'm a scientist. In work it works for me. At home it doesn't. I literally drive myself crazy. I can not find all the answers. I just find more questions. Lots of questions. And I'm not satisfied till they're answered. But of course, they never are. 

 

[SJM]

Just now, Horsey said:

I'm a scientist. In work it works for me. At home it doesn't. I literally drive myself crazy. I can not find all the answers. I just find more questions. Lots of questions. And I'm not satisfied till they're answered. But of course, they never are. 

 

I use rationality to fight irrational beliefs/fears. 

[lostinme]

But surely if we could just rationalise things we wouldn't have a problem? 

[SJM]

I'm just saying that by being rational, I can calm myself down and stop panicking. 

[Horsey]

Then you don't have the form of OCD I do. It's not logical. I know it's not logical. But it still makes me want the answers. And that's how I know my way of thinking is not 'normal'. Or acceptable for me. But it consumes me. And not all the time. But when it does. It's like nothing i ever want to go through again. And yet it keeps rearing its ugly head. It's literally like there are two sides to my brain. The logical, non anxiety ridden one. And the irrational one. And they go to war. Frequently.

[lostinme]

Oh I get what your trying to say SJM is you mean it helps reduce your anxiety? 

[SJM]

1 minute ago, Horsey said:

Then you don't have the form of OCD I do. It's not logical. I know it's not logical. But it still makes me want the answers. And that's how I know my way of thinking is not 'normal'. Or acceptable for me. But it consumes me. And not all the time. But when it does. It's like nothing i ever want to go through again. And yet it keeps rearing its ugly head. It's literally like there are two sides to my brain. The logical, non anxiety ridden one. And the irrational one. And they go to war. Frequently.

I regularly go through sheer hell with my OCD. But in the end, I have to think rationally. My wife helps me with this - by not reassuring me, but instead helping me challenge the illogicality of the thoughts.

[SJM]

1 minute ago, lostinme said:

Oh I get what your trying to say SJM is you mean it helps reduce your anxiety? 

Yes.

[lostinme]

2 minutes ago, SJM said:

I regularly go through sheer hell with my OCD. But in the end, I have to think rationally. My wife helps me with this - by not reassuring me, but instead helping me challenge the illogicality of the thoughts.

Yes my partner does this too, to try to help me see the illogical thinking ? 

[SJM]

I don't subscribe to the "just ignore it, and it will go away" school of thinking, you see. I want to conquer my OCD eventually, by exposing the thought processes as counter-intuitive. My rational mind tells me A, the OCD tells me B. I have to insist on A.