Sam explains why OCD creates intense guilt and shame. Your brain's protective instinct misfires, making you feel responsible for intrusive thoughts you can't control. Exposure therapy and specialist treatment can reduce both the thoughts and the guilt they trigger.
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Welcome. Let's talk today about guilt and ocd. So guilt and shame are so common with OCD for many reasons. First of all, when we have a lot of intrusive thoughts and we're struggling mentally with something, we aren't able to control it, or we feel like we don't know how to make it better, that can cause a lot of shame, even lead to depression and a lot of similar symptoms. So while it is important that you're getting the right treatment for your ocd, it is also very common to experience these other forms of guilt and shame with your ocd. So depending on your theme, for example, harm ocd. If you're having thoughts about harming your children, your loved ones, even yourself, pedophilia, ocd. A lot of people struggle with the thoughts about doing something inappropriate with children. Those themes especially increase the guilt and shame. And the reality is that our thoughts are just thoughts. These do not mean that these are actually things that you want to do.
People do not act on these and they're just thoughts. It's just the OCD that is overactive. But the, the guilt and shame attached is very, very real and a very, very common symptom. On top of that, the part of our brain that is giving us the OCD that wants us to stay safe, wants us to not do these things that it's telling us to do. It's the same part of the brain that gives us our guilt and shame type thoughts because it wants us to change our behavior, right? So when the brain wants us to change our behavior, let's say we'll just use any fear of flying, it's going to tell us that that thing is unsafe. It's going to tell us whatever it can to keep us inside, to keep us from doing whatever it is the OCD wants you to do. And it's very different depending on whatever theme that you're experiencing with your ocd. And it's very common to experience different themes and different types of thoughts. So the part of your brain that is trying to protect you or trying to get you to do something different is going to give you different typ of thoughts that are going to cause shame and guilt. And this is why learning to understand your OCD and get the proper treatment for your OCD from a specialist like myself, who can teach you about why these things are happening, where the thoughts are coming from, and actually how to deal with them so that they don't continue to come up as often anymore. And once you do this, you're going to learn how to deal with those same thoughts that provide a lot of guilt and shame and make you want to confess your thoughts or whatever compulsion that they're making you want to do. We can treat this so that you know how to deal with these thoughts so when they do come up, you can handle them properly. And once you actually do the proper treatment, the thoughts are actually going to go away for the most part, right? They're going to go back to a normal level of intrusive thoughts that someone without OCD might get. Or when stress comes up, you might get a couple, but you're going to know how to deal with them once they do come up. And the feelings of anxiety and discomfort that you're feeling right now will not be there. So, as always, I am here if you want to talk more about treatment for your ocd. But when it comes to the guilt and shame, just know that these are thoughts just like your ocd, thoughts that are not helpful, not effective, and you can learn how to get to recovery with your ocd.
Sam.
