Sometimes it helps to give your ROCD a name (Prudovski, n.d.). That is, think of your ROCD as a separate person. You probably already think of your ROCD as another person because it seems to wield power over you and make you do things you know you should not. You seem...
Overcoming ROCD S3 C2: Triggered vs. non-triggered states
In this chapter, I am going to explain the critical distinction between the two states of being triggered and not being triggered. Sometimes people say distraction is important, and at other times they say distraction is a compulsion. Sometimes people talk about...
Overcoming ROCD S3 C3: The MMA super vision
When ROCD first hits, we do the compulsions because they seem like the right thing to do to help us out of our misery. But even when we get to know that the compulsions don’t help us but hold us back, we still continue to do them. At times, we do not even realize that...
Overcoming ROCD S3 C4: The stages of compulsion handling
When you first start obsessing about your relationship, you don’t immediately recognize your ROCD like you would recognize a headache. By the time you do and discover you have ROCD, a lot of time is likely to have elapsed. In that time, you might end up developing...
Overcoming ROCD S3 C5: Response prevention vs. ERP
Sometimes the ROCD may impair the major part of the day and you may begin to say ‘I am always triggered’. But that is not entirely true. There are moments of clarity which help you understand the irrationality of your triggers. Those are the moments when you feel that...
Overcoming ROCD S3 C6: Neuroplasticity
When we get into the rationalization of all compulsions, you will observe that the methodology for dealing with all of them is almost the same. Why, you would ask. If you observe how your ROCD works on you systematically and repeatedly, you realize that repetition of...
Overcoming ROCD S3 C7: Progress in ERP
There seems to be a common misconception among people that they would be expected to stop everything all at once. Some people come for therapy with a feeling of hopelessness and claim that they have tried to stop their compulsions themselves but have not succeeded....
Overcoming ROCD S3 C8: Intrusive thoughts and anxiety
You would have experienced the following three states from time to time: Anxiety without intrusive thoughts about your relationship Intrusive thoughts without any accompanying anxiety. Anxiety with intrusive thoughts about your relationship. The above three states...
Overcoming ROCD S3 C9: The layered attack of ROCD
Most times, an ROCD attack is not a simple attack. ROCD attacks in various layers, at various levels. When you first learn to use the principles of ERP to deal with your ROCD, you expect that if you stand up to Kay and decide not to do what Kay asks you to do, Kay...
Overcoming ROCD S3 C10: The drug dealer analogy
Before your ROCD is diagnosed, you may have already begun to do some compulsions even if not too many or too severe - such as avoidance or distraction. But in the beginning, what seemed like a coping strategy possibly got out of hand soon and you may have noticed some...
Overcoming ROCD S3 C11: End the debate
When you have an obsession about whether your partner is right for you or not, or whether your partner loves you enough or not, you inadvertently find yourself engaging in a debate. The question that your mind always seems to ask you is ‘Do I love my partner?’ or...
Overcoming ROCD S3 C12: Winning the argument
Think back to when you have had a baseless, futile argument with someone. Who wins a baseless argument? The person who doesn’t listen to the other side. The person who does listen to the other gets so caught up in the other person’s arguments that he believes some of...
Overcoming ROCD S3 C13: Agreeing without accepting
In this chapter, we shall understand the concept of agreeing without accepting. We start off by reiterating that Kay is a liar. Kay is not interested in making you feel better. Kay is only interested in pulling you down. So, Kay will always lie to you. Always! Kay may...