Confused?

[NicoletteCB]

I'm reading several different OCD self help books and I am a bit confused.

Some books say it is helpful to label an OCD thought as an OCD thought and then distract yourself.

Others say not to label because telling yourself it's an OCD thought everytime you have one is counterproductive and can become a compulsion because it is short term anxiety relief.

I'm not sure what's more helpful: labeling or not labeling?

[PolarBear]

I think the purpose of labeling was to get people into the habit of calling a spade a spade so they don't automatically start compulsions.

Forget labeling. How about, recognize that an obsessive thought is an obsessive thought.

[NicoletteCB]

I think I have progressed enough to the point where I don't need to tell myself it's an OCD thought, I just know it but it can be a little bit rather confusing of whether getting the thought and labeling it can become a compulsion? Especially since in books like BrainLock it tells you the first thing you have to do is label the thought.

At the end of the day the most important thing is changing the negative reactions to the thoughts so I'm just trying to figure out what works best for me. I'm just afraid of unknowinly creating more rituals or compulsions along the way.

[taurean]

Identifying, then labelling, a thought as OCD is an important part of The Four Steps, the OCD management system at the heart of my own therapy programme.

To me it is a crucial part of the programme, and not a compulsion in itself.

[Guest lizinlondon]

I have read alot of books too and that did confuse me too. Brainlock says to label the thought but Overcoming OCD says not to label it - yes it is confusing. My solution is to be mindfully aware of the thought, recognise it is OCD and not engage with the thought any further. Then comes the hard work of resisting the compulsions!!!

[NicoletteCB]

By being mindfully aware of it as OCD, isn't that still labeling? I'm not sure, I'm just trying to change my reaction of fear to the thoughts.

[taurean]

I'm with Brainlock, and labelling in that connotation is not in my opinion a compulsion, it is more part of re-educating the brain to do this automatically.

And my brain regularly does so now, so it works for me!

[Saffie]

Brainlock is good in many ways, but it has been discredited by some. I have seen people labelling thoughts as OCD and it soon evolves into the doubt of 'am I sure it's OCD? how do I know?' and subsequent compulsions. In initial stages yes I think there is benefit to reconizing obsessive thoughts for what they are, but it kind of clashes with ERP when it comes to not engaging with them and learning to live with uncertainty.

[taurean]

Then the answer is simple.

If there is a danger of labelling becoming a compulsion for an individual, don't use that method.Rather perhaps what LizinLondon suggests:

"My solution is to be mindfully aware of the thought, recognise it is OCD and not engage with the thought any further. Then comes the hard work of resisting the compulsions!!!"

Well done Liz, I think your solution to the confusion is good!

[Guest ADD]

I don't really label thoughts as OCD. Only as thoughts I want or don't want.

Edited August 23, 2014 by ADD

[Guest lizinlondon]

I guess if you label thoughts you actively say to yourself "that is an OCD thought". When you are mindfully aware of the thought, you are aware it is there but don't say anything to yourself - you allow it to exist without judging it or engaging with it.

Nicolette - in your first post you mention you can now automatically recognise the thought, so maybe you are already mindfully aware of your OCD thoughts and this is working for you!

The most important thing is when we know an OCD thought is there, we do not engage with it. It is possible that some people, if they start saying "that is an OCD thought" they get drawn into questioning it or reacting to it, so for them it is better not to label.

I think it will eventually come to what works best for you. At the moment I am using both techniques, and I will see which one is better for me.

Good luck!

[Saffie]

I agree. The main focus is to not engage with the thoughts. Aggressive ERP will teach you to accept all possiblities, that the thought may be real, hold significance etc. and if that is what you fear then accept the possibility. There are no black and white answers in anything, so the aim is to live with uncertainty. If someone starts to feel like they are making sure the thought is an OCD one then I'd say that wasn't healthy. As you aren't trying to label your thoughts, just look at them objectively and not engage. But some mindful recognition would help, so long as if it starts to become a compulsion, more advanced ERP techniques are used to counteract it.