Hello i would like to share something with you that i have found very helpful.
my husband and i have discovered that punishment and reward works very well to change the behavior that is not wanted.
every behavior that is sustained has a reward, even if it is not noticed...
for OCD the reward is always reassurance , even if it is very shortly
so there should be a reward that is much stronger
or a punishment that is much stronger!
first; if possible; remove trigger. So that there is NO action to be followed.
If not; find something that is very rewarding to you
make a list with dates of the month.
For instance; every day that you don’t check, you get a little money...
we noticed a difference very soon; within a week!
the anxiety went away very quickly
IT IS JUST A MATTER OF REWARD/THE HIGHEST REWARD WINS THE BEHAVIOUR
for OCD thoughts it is a little bit more complicated BUT not impossible;
everytime an OCD thought comes to mind, you must NOT reassure yourselve everything is alright. NO that is a REWARD THAT KEEPS THE BEHAVIOUR ALIVE
YOU MUST think of the most terrible thing that ever happend; for instance; a loved one that is laying in bed dead. Make this as much DETAILED as you can...
what will happen is this; the mind will connect the OCD thought to the thought of something you DONT like to think about and wil want to quit as soon as possible
this ofcourse takes some time and persistence to accomplish but will definitely work
95 procent of your thoughts are repetitive so please give this a try! TURN IT AROUND
NO MORE REWARDS, ONLY FOR GOOD BEHAVIOR AND THOUGHTS
you see, because the reward is; ‘ if you don’t think the OCD thoughts you also don’t have to punish yourself with the not so nice memories’, so the reward in this case is the absence of punishment...
hope you still follow me
rememeber; you need a motivation stronger than the motivation for the current behavior! So figure out what motivates YOU. Can be money to buy nice stuff, even if you’re not rich, something must be possible. Can be a sweet, some chocolate or something else. And don’t forget to make a list with each day written down. If you don’t succeed that day don’t worry you will eventually!
the brain will ALWAYS follow the MOST REWARDING PATH!
I NOW from experience now and so does my husband and we were quit severe cases!
good luck to you all and Gods blessings and ask HIM for help as He gave me this Ideas when I desperately prayed for answers ;-)
oh and don’t cheat. If you didn’t make it NO problem, but you can’t fool the brain haha just keep going you will get there!
