It's really nice to hear you talk about OCD through a far more compassionate lens then it often gets discussed. It makes me feel better about myself and how my brain works.
Thanks so much for sharing my unconventional view @Laura Reich! To borrow from @Matthew Syed, I’m a big fan of rebel ideas. Glad mine resonated with you. :-)
I love the way you took something everyone will understand (the experiment) and used it to explain something others may not understand as much (OCD). It was really smart in getting the message across, especially for someone like me who always needs things to be crystal clear (a default of mine). This was both an informative and heartfelt read. Thank you for sharing.
This is a really interesting take on the OCD mind and empathy. I personally don't feel that way, but I'd certainly like to. That would mean that I'm making better strides than where I am now. I've gotten to a point where I'm being rather self-centered because of my struggles to deal with severe OCD.
Although I've had essentially the same OCD thoughts since age six (contamination), it's been the most extreme sicne the pandemic started in 2020. My OCD has stifled me in so many ways, so I rely on others to help get me through a single day. I am aware of how seeking reassurance is detrimental to treatment. Furthermore it's unfair to those I ask reassurance from.
Perhaps, the fact that I am aware of what I'm doing, and that it bothers me, is a sign of the empathy you speak of. But in general, my OCD thoughts don't take others into consideration because I'm so wrapped up in my fear of contamination.
Adam, you bring up a very good and important point. When OCD really gets more intense and severe, it actually makes us less empathic and more narrowly focused.
I think it's because fear tends to do that, and also, in an ironic way, when we feel such 'superhuman' pressure to be so concerned about things, it doesn't allow us to be humanly 'messy', 'wrong', or 'imperfect.'
I say ironically because sometimes I wonder if OCD is trying to force us to get the space we need by making us LESS CARING about others. Of course, that is not the way that any of us wants to be shown that message and it is enormously painful.
I sometimes wonder if we can allow ourselves to take on some more of the 'messiness' of mixed feelings and to have more support in being with some of the seemingly 'negative emotions', then maybe it can help lower the power of our OCD symptoms.
I hope this makes a little bit of sense, I know it's an unconventional view. In short, my hope and wish is that there's more room for YOU so there can be more room for others. And my biggest hope is that more and more, the OCD can take on less of that role for us and give us the creative space we need to be as attentive to ourselves as we can be--on our best days--to others.
It's really nice to hear you talk about OCD through a far more compassionate lens then it often gets discussed. It makes me feel better about myself and how my brain works.
So glad to hear it! I truly believe there is a much fuller story behind OCD than is currently told, and it has a lot more poetry.
Thanks so much for sharing my unconventional view @Laura Reich! To borrow from @Matthew Syed, I’m a big fan of rebel ideas. Glad mine resonated with you. :-)
I love the way you took something everyone will understand (the experiment) and used it to explain something others may not understand as much (OCD). It was really smart in getting the message across, especially for someone like me who always needs things to be crystal clear (a default of mine). This was both an informative and heartfelt read. Thank you for sharing.
This is a really interesting take on the OCD mind and empathy. I personally don't feel that way, but I'd certainly like to. That would mean that I'm making better strides than where I am now. I've gotten to a point where I'm being rather self-centered because of my struggles to deal with severe OCD.
Although I've had essentially the same OCD thoughts since age six (contamination), it's been the most extreme sicne the pandemic started in 2020. My OCD has stifled me in so many ways, so I rely on others to help get me through a single day. I am aware of how seeking reassurance is detrimental to treatment. Furthermore it's unfair to those I ask reassurance from.
Perhaps, the fact that I am aware of what I'm doing, and that it bothers me, is a sign of the empathy you speak of. But in general, my OCD thoughts don't take others into consideration because I'm so wrapped up in my fear of contamination.
Thanks for this post and the conversation!
Adam, you bring up a very good and important point. When OCD really gets more intense and severe, it actually makes us less empathic and more narrowly focused.
I think it's because fear tends to do that, and also, in an ironic way, when we feel such 'superhuman' pressure to be so concerned about things, it doesn't allow us to be humanly 'messy', 'wrong', or 'imperfect.'
I say ironically because sometimes I wonder if OCD is trying to force us to get the space we need by making us LESS CARING about others. Of course, that is not the way that any of us wants to be shown that message and it is enormously painful.
I sometimes wonder if we can allow ourselves to take on some more of the 'messiness' of mixed feelings and to have more support in being with some of the seemingly 'negative emotions', then maybe it can help lower the power of our OCD symptoms.
I hope this makes a little bit of sense, I know it's an unconventional view. In short, my hope and wish is that there's more room for YOU so there can be more room for others. And my biggest hope is that more and more, the OCD can take on less of that role for us and give us the creative space we need to be as attentive to ourselves as we can be--on our best days--to others.
Thanks so much for writing and sharing Adam! See my message below..