Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is an “anxiety” disorder characterized by recurring, un-welcomed thoughts or images (obsessions) and repetitive behaviors or the urgent need to engage in certain rituals (compulsions). Repetitive behaviors or rituals (such as repetitive hand washing, house cleaning… counting or checking things repeatedly) are performed with the hope of preventing and stopping obsessive thoughts. But these “rituals” provide only temporary relief.
Thoughts come from three places:
the subconscious mind, God, and the Devil.
OCD may be a result of changes in the body’s natural chemistry or brain functions. OCD may also have a genetic component.
Although mental health professionals are able to help their patients live “relatively productive and fulfilling lives,” they have no “cure” for OCD -- because they ignore (or reject) the “spiritual” aspect of the disorder.
Many OCD sufferers are in need of “deliverance” and “inner-healing.”
I once viewed a program on OCD that focused on two heartbreaking cases. In both cases, OCD had a “trigger.” And that trigger was “trauma” -- a “traumatic” event in the lives of the people. Trauma provided the opportunity (the open door) for evil spirits to invade (with the intent to destroy).
OCD is devastating, heartbreaking… and hopeless for people living in darkness. OCD is more than mental illness. It is also a spiritual disorder that cannot be cured by therapy and drugs alone. (The condition is exasperated and worsened by evil spirits that attack areas of weakness, vulnerability… and mental illness.)
TO ADVANCE YOUR INNER HEALING:
1) Spend time each day in silent,
meditative prayer
(at home or before the Blessed Sacrament);
2) Go to Confession (at least monthly);
3) Attend daily Mass (as often as possible);
4) Pray the Rosary every day.
5) Pray the Rosary of the Seven Sorrows of Mary.
SPIRITUAL WARFARE FOR OCD?
“I plead the Blood of Jesus on my mind.
I plead the Blood of Jesus
on every thought in my mind.”
Only Jesus can heal the trauma within a person. And when the trauma is healed, OCD -- and the evil spirits behind it -- will disappear. BUT when OCD is the result of changes in the body’s natural chemistry or brain functions, deliverance and inner healing are not enough.
God may choose to heal the brain and the body’s natural chemistry through prayer. But God also uses medication!
Some OCD sufferers are unable to separate themselves from the condition. For these, medication is needed. As the father of an OCD sufferer once said, “Just enough (medication) to take the edge off.”
Another course of action for recovery from OCD -- or any addictive and dysfunctional behavior -- is a Christ-centered “Twelve-Step Program.”
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