****WARNING: This pertains to a violent obsessive scary thought.*****

My obsessive scary thought of hurting my wife started bugging me about a week ago. I am not sure the cause of it, but I'm sure my cold is helping make the OCD stick around longer. My wife had to run to her mom's today; this gave me the opportunity and privacy to do an exposure treatment. I created and recorded a new scary scenario surrounding the thought. It wasn't easy to do this, and repeatedly listen to it. But I realize doing an exposure session is to OCD what cough syrup is for a cough--it is medicine for OCD. I eventually got my anxiety level down to a normal level, which means I habituated to the thought.

(NOTE: I have done exposure treatment on my own with the ok of my doctor. I have been in exposure therapy since 4/1/03. It is highly advisable to do exposure therapy with your doctor. Only he/she should give you "the green light" to do treatment on your own.)

Congratulations on conquering the obsessions 2Cor5:17! I agree with you that exposure therapy is the key to OCD. It's funny because today I was in church and the pastor quoted from the book of Corinthians where it says to cast down all imaginations that exalt themselves against the Word of God. I realized that exposure therapy can be one of the ways that we get rid of the mental garbage that these thoughts generate which is like casting them down. Just a scriptural insight.

I also read the book Brain Lock by Michael Schwartz and it had a section that dealt with exposure therapy where one man, just like yourself, recorded his thoughts onto a tape recorder. He played it over and over again every day until it did not freak him out so much anymore. For me, I've actually typed out my obsessions and printed them out and I read them as many times a day as I feel the need. It's like taking out the trash in my mind. If I don't expose or face them with the Word and with exposure, they pile up until my mind overflows and then I have to "take out the trash" by releasing these ridiculous obsessions via tape recorder or on paper.

Keep up the good work. Remember that we are more than conquerors even when our minds are working against us.

Congratulations IICor., you rock!! Keep truckin' dude!

Thank you mk1223 and Don53!

MK1223,

Good insight. I guess you can say exposure therapy is casting down those imaginations (the scary thoughts.) Exposure therapy can also be linked to the scripture "I give you power to tread on scoripons." When the anxiety peaks because of the exposure, Psalm 23 comes to mind. Also the story of Christ and the apostles in the boat during the storm.

"Brain Lock" is definitely a good book for obsessive thoughts. I also like the part of the man who is a believer and felt bad about his thoughts but knew God wasn't holding it against him.