Dr Pointer

What if having bad thoughts/ images/ bodily sensations means that I’m a bad person?

We can become obsessed with the inaccurate idea that having “bad” thoughts/ images/ bodily sensations is the same as being a “bad” person. So we try to avoid triggers that we see as bringing on these unwanted experiences, and yet find that we can’t help but experience them.

Can OCD make you feel like you’re going mad?

When we keep doing the same thing over and over, and each time we feel even less unsure of ourselves and what we’ve done and seen than before, it really does feel like we’ve “lost it.” And trying to hide that from other people for fear of judgment makes us even more stressed, and our OCD worse. Dr. Pointer understands

What if my OCD makes me do it?

OCD can make us feel like we have no control over our mind, our body, and our behaviour. We can end up convinced that we will be overwhelmed by an urge to do something dangerous, terrible, and against our values. But in reality, it has no pull over us; we just imagine it has. And it is us imagining this powerful urge then makes it seem so powerful.

What if by thinking or picturing this bad thing, I make it happen?

This is a very common belief when caught up in our OCD. We fear that we will manifest it, and/or that what we are experiencing is a premonition, & therefore we must take action to prevent it ~ maybe by not doing something, going somewhere, warning people, etc., otherwise we think that if the thing we fear happens, then it will be our fault that we did not do everything we could do prevent harm

What if I'm trapped; plagued by my OCD thoughts &/or physical sensations forever, and it ruins everything now & in the future?

This is a very distressing experience; & the more trapped we feel by our thoughts and physical sensations, the more we struggle not to experience what is distressing us.