Scrupulosity, Religious OCD and The Scheming God
OCD is pernicious, all-encompassing, and very hard to detect. In my experience, it is also one of the most difficult mental health conditions to completely root out. The challenge in treating it lies in the fact that it requires a person to face and endure their most feared situations—whether internal or external—and to remain in them long enough to learn that they can handle it and manage the uncertainty that comes with life. This is not an easy sell as a therapist. Essentially, we often ask the person to take a leap of faith—to trust us and to trust the process. There is no arguing with or trying to convince OCD to take this leap (OCD will find a way to argue out of it every time). The best we can do is explain the process, show how it makes sense, and emphasize that it is better than the alternative—allowing life to be run by OCD. This is all the more true (and all the more difficult) with religious OCD, more traditionally known as scrupulosity.
It is easy enough to see how OCD can develop in a religious context, after all OCD is obsessed with our deepest fears and anxieties. Deeply held beliefs are a prime target for an obsession. It works like this:
Step 1: We develop an obsession about our faith—for example—I have unintentionally committed a mortal sin through my thoughts. This producing intense guilt, shame and fear.
Step 2: This begets the compulsion—for example—I go to confession as soon as I can
Step 3: I get relief from the guilt and shame and I just reenforced the idea that I can unintentionally commit a mortal sin.
Step 4: I begin to spiral and repeat the cycle—as I unintentionally committed a mortal sin. etc. etc. etc.
It’s easy to see how this process can develop and spiral out of control. At its core is an irrational, unrealistic, or obsessive fear—one that we cannot control. The issue is not about deepening or growing in faith, but about the need for control and certainty. This is what distinguishes a normal process of spiritual development from OCD. In a typical process, a person commits a sin, feels genuine regret, goes to confession, and resolves not to commit that sin again. There is minimal distress, and the experience does not spiral out of control.
On the other hand, a person suffering from religious OCD cannot move on from this cycle because they do not have total control when they accidently or unintentionally commit a mortal sin. By definition, they can’t control an accident. This is the obsession that seemingly can’t be get rid of.
For those who care about their faith, religious context can provide ample ammunition for OCD:
Saying the right prayers with the right intentions in the right way for the right amount of time
Fasting correctly
Dressing appropriately and not immodestly
Daily holy hour
Attending services on certain feast days
which religious services are obligatory and which are not
Different devotionals
Difficult scripture sayings, particularly those warning about sin and judgement
Practicing virtues; specifically the Chasity and not having lustful thoughts
Purity of heart and mind focus
and so on…
From this list alone, one can see the prime targets for religious OCD. Each of these instances can become an obsession and drive the OCD cycle. The great irony of OCD is that it latches onto what is most important to a person. Very often, someone with scrupulosity wants—more than anything—to live according to their faith. Unfortunately, OCD begins to undermine this by turning their love for their faith into a psychological mechanism hyper-focused on reducing fear and anxiety. It becomes a negative focus rather than a path of positive growth as a person and as a practitioner of faith.
So How does a person move beyond their obsession(s)?
This is the hard sell. We begin with psychoeducation about what OCD is—and what it isn’t. OCD is a mental and psychological condition that falls within the anxiety disorder family. It arises from biological and environmental processes that have gone awry. While it often develops as an adaptation to certain circumstances, it also has genetic components. Although researchers are not entirely certain about how or why OCD develops, we do know that it is a mental disorder—not a moral failing or a sign of weak character.
Next, we introduce the need to engage in behavioral modification to reduce compulsive behaviors. In other words, we identify the compulsions tied to the obsessions and find ways to gradually eliminate them. This is typically done through a systematic and gradual process to avoid overwhelming the person. In cases of religious OCD, this often involves reducing certain religious or spiritual practices, as these can become the very behaviors that create and perpetuate the disorder.
For instance:
we might recommend a person establish a confession routine that only allows the person to confession once or twice a month at a set time and date.
We might recommend that a person reduces their devotional practices such as only have prayer time once or twice a day.
We might encourage a person to reduce fasting
Through reducing a person’s compulsions, the obsessions become more manageable and less intense over time.
Final Note:
It is paramount that these recommendations are in line with what the person’s faith or faith tradition believes or teaches. The goal is not to make a person care less about their faith and deeply held convictions, but to eliminate the over powering role of fear. If done correctly, a person can actually grow in spiritual maturity because they are no longer dependent on anxiety and fear.
