#mtocd

[disability-shout-outs]

Shout out to folks with Magical Thinking Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder!

[thicc-anxieties]

OCD is traumatizing . Get ERP , do the work , do the exposures , seek out being able to let the thoughts pass without engaging in the anxiety and seeing it as a reason to latch on . But also , allow yourself to grieve . I think this is something that is not talked a lot about in ERP because it is very behavioral based , and that is important , it works. But you are allowed to be upset that this is happening to you, you are allowed to take time to mourn what it was like before this , you are allowed to be angry , because this isn’t fair, it is not fair that you have to work this hard , it is not fair that you have to confront these thoughts every day, it is not fair that you have to train yourself every day to learn something new. Give yourself time to grieve , it is not your fault this is happening. I just wanted to say i see you , i know how painful it is. I am proud of you for every step you have taken and i hope things get easier with the work you absolutely need to put in. You are strong for doing so , and you certainly aren’t alone if you feel like your life has been completely changed, if this has been utterly traumatizing for you, i know it has for me. We will do the work , but the pain you are going through is a lot to handle , and you will never ever be the only one going through this no matter how out there you think your intrusive thoughts and obsessions are. They can be so damaging and its exhausting, and i am proud of any steps you have taken at all , even if you didn’t start realizing it till a minute ago. I see you 

[variant-archive]

Magical Thinking OCD (MT-OCD*): a subtype of OCD where one’s obsessions are centered on superstitious or magical thinking- a concept in psychology defined as believing that unrelated events are causally connected despite the absence of any plausible causal link between them. This is different from spirituality or believing in magic- magical thinking simply means that one believes that doing something will cause something completely unrelated to happen, although people with magical thinking can also be spiritual. People with magical thinking don’t necessarily have OCD; it is a psychological trait related to other disorders such as psychosis and may be unrelated to any disorder in some individuals. In MT-OCD, the imagined results of the superstitious threat may be specific fears such as “if I don’t make the bed my wife will get into an a car crash” or general fears “if I don’t turn my phone on and off three times a day, something bad will happen to my cat”. The fear may even be as general as “something bad will happen”. Because of the fact that magical thinking involves unrelated events, there are nearly infinite combinations of obsessions and compulsions that are possible- all forms of OCD vary in presentation, but MT-OCD particularly does. People with MT-OCD may also have compulsions to perform “counter-actions” to neutralize a percieved superstitious threat- for example, if they see the number 13 and obsessively fear it, they may attempt to neutralize it through a compulsion that the individual with MT-OCD believes will protect them from the imagined danger or “bad luck” that they associate with the number. According to my sources, this particular subtype can be exacerbated when negative events happen in a person’s life- they may attribute the negative event to something unrelated, forming a new obsession-compulsion coupling based on this superstitious thinking to avoid the same event from occurring again. Like all forms of OCD, people with MT-OCD have varying levels of insight- they may be fully aware that their obsessions are unreasonable, may accept that their obsessions could be true or not true, or may have a delusion-like conviction that they are true.

Colors are to represent magic/superstition.

Learn more about Magical Thinking OCD.

*MT-OCD is a shorthand to go along with the other subtypes that have them.