Tuesday, May 29, 2012

How I use "Brain Lock" to fight my OCD

   I’ve turned off the shower, but I want to push on the water turn-off again to make sure it’s off.
I’ve turned off the light in the laundry area, but I want to turn around and check and make sure it’s off.
I’ve turned off the ceiling fan, but I want to check one more time to make sure the blades aren’t moving anymore.

Are those blades moving?
I want to pray again for forgiveness, for the safety of Larry and the cats and my relatives and the whole world. And again. And again.
I want to drive back and make sure the pothole in the parking lot that I see everyday really isn’t a person that I just hit with my car.

The role of “Brain Lock”

These all are daily, or almost daily, compulsions that I feel the urge to do. Slowly, but surely, I’m following through with the urge to do the compulsions less and less.
The steps that Dr. Jeffrey Schwartz outlines in his book “Brain Lock: Free Yourself from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder” is helping me to do that.
When I started cognitive behavioral therapy, I wrote about how my therapist uses a form of the four steps Schwartz advocates in fighting OCD: Relabel, reattribute, refocus and revalue.
Basically, to relabel is to recognize obsessions and compulsions and call them what they are, OCD.
To reattribute is to name the cause of the obsessions and compulsions: a medical condition.
To refocus is to do something else instead of giving in to the compulsion. It’s learning to shift the attention elsewhere and tolerate the anxiety until it goes down on its own, without doing the compulsion.
To revalue is to place a lower value on the obsessions and compulsions because you know what is causing them.
My therapist taught me to combine relabeling and reattributing and then move on to refocusing.

How I do it

Here’s an example of how I do that.

Is the water turned off?
   After my shower, I turn off the faucet. I want to keep pushing on the turn-off handle. I’m afraid if I keep doing that, though, that I’ll break it. And it’s unnecessary and takes up time. Most importantly, it’s giving in to a compulsive urge.
So after I turn it off, I make myself get out of the shower. I feel some anxiety because I am afraid it’s not turned off properly. I want to reach back and push it one more time. Instead, I focus on drying off and then start blow-drying my hair or getting dressed.
Another example: I turn off the light in the laundry area in the basement. I see the darkness. I turn around and start walking up the basement steps. I really want to turn back and look again. I feel anxious, and I think I won’t be able to relax or forget the light unless I do.
But I keep moving and don’t allow myself to look back. I get to the top of the steps, turn off another light and close the basement door behind me. Then I go off to do something else.

What I’ve learned

What I’ve discovered is that the anxiety doesn’t last very long and I actually forget about the obsession pretty quickly.
If I do give in and perform the compulsion, I still try to tell myself that it was the OCD that wanted me to do it, not me. That’s something that Schwartz recommends.
If I give in to the compulsive urge, I have also discovered that I get more anxious and it’s harder to turn away from it. It’s just not good for me to give in.
I’ve learned the following:
*I can tolerate more anxiety than I thought I could.
*Uncertainty is not fatal.
*I don’t have to have an in-depth thought session on every obsession and compulsive urge. I don’t have to resolve anything about it. I just have to move on.
*The anxiety will eventually go away if I don’t perform the compulsion.
*Focusing on something else is the key to my forgetting about the obsessions and compulsions.
*It’s not the end of the world if I give in and do a compulsion. It just means that I will learn better for the next test.

Have you tried the “Brain Lock” steps? If so, how did it go? How have you learned to tolerate and deal with anxiety that is a part of everyone’s life?

25 comments:

  1. Tina, great insight and I love that line 'uncertainty is not fatal' gosh, how many times do we need to tell ourselves that in many aspects of life?

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    1. Thanks, Tracy. I know--sometimes we FEEL like we're going to die if we're not certain about something, but we don't. And I have to remind myself of that quite often.

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  2. These are great tips for someone struggling.

    I just finished reading Her Fearful Symmetry. Have you read it? One of the key characters has OCD.

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    1. Thanks, Lisa. No, I haven't read it, but I'm writing it down on my "to read" list (that is growing ever so long! :-))

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  3. I need to remember this: "Uncertainty is not fatal."

    You sound just like me with wanting to turn around and make sure the light is off even though it is dark.

    I can't tell you how many times we've had to have the door knobs replaced or the faucet knobs replaced from all the fiddling I do with them that eventually breaks them.

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    1. Elizabeth, Isn't that weird, when we can see that it's dark?

      That's one thing that's helping me with the shower faucet--I don't want to break it!

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    2. Well written Tina and well done

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  4. I'm thinking of a song by Tim McGraw that has the following lyrics: "Temptations may come, that ain't no sin, you get stronger every time that you don't give in." I feel like you're working the brain like a muscle, getting it accustomed to a new way of being. I know personally that it's hard to take those opposite actions, but every time you do so you commit an act of bravery and courage. My hat's off to you!

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    1. Nadine, I love what you said about working the brain like a muscle. I feel like that is exactly what ERP does. Like a good workout, ERP hurts, but eventually your "muscle" gets stronger and the workout hurts a lot less.

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    2. Thank you, Nadine! That makes me feel really good! :-) I like to think of that brain muscle getting stronger!

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  5. Great post, and I also especially like "uncertainty is not fatal." It's also interesting that when you give in to the compulsion you get "more anxious" instead of less........those compulsions are just not worthwhile at all :)......thanks for letting everyone know that!

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    1. Oh, Janet, they really aren't worthwhile. It's as if my body knows that giving in to the compulsion is bad news and the anxiety ramps up. It's a horrible feeling, but it's not fatal either!

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  6. I LOVE the "What I've Learned" section! Every single thing you said is so, so true. The really cool thing that I've learned is that not only can I tolerate more anxiety than I thought possible, but with repeated ERPs, my anxiety doesn't even go nearly as high as it used to. It's like my body got desensitized to the anxiety. Now when I get a rush of anxiety, usually it's less anxiety and it goes away much more quickly.

    Keep up the good work!

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    1. Thank you, as always, Sunny, for the encouragement. That is a good way to put it--the body gets desensitized to the anxiety. I like that!

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  7. I love your post. I know that it works because it has for me in the past, I am just not doing good with it right now. I read part of Dr. Tobin's book last night and usually these books are a comfort and help to me, but last night I actually broke out in a sweat reading it. I don't want to be Debbie Downer though..I do know I will get over this slump and I think I just have some adjusting to do before I can work the program again?

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    1. Krystal, You're not being Debbie Downer. You're being human. I don't always have success, and I don't always feel like working the steps. Sometimes I just get tired of trying. But usually after, as you say, I adjust, I can get back on track. Thanks for your comment!

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  8. GREAT post! I love the book Brain Lock. I think it's right up there among the best. I've re-read it twice, and I probably will again. I learned so much from that book and found it so incredibly empowering.

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    1. I think it's empowering, too. I have a lot of sections underlined and highlighted. It's one of those books that can be returned to over and over. Thank you for stopping by and commenting!

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  9. That's a GREAT post Tina. I love the technique you are using. I love the different statements you gave. Its so helpful, because what you mentioned applies also to depression, not only OCD.Much love <3

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    1. Nikky, Yes, I think it can be applied to depression too. Thank you for your comment, and love to you, too!

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  10. I'll have to give this a try...as that is my main issue. I spent several hours of my day checking. This may help!

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    1. It has really helped me. If you haven't read the book and have the chance, I would recommend reading it. It explains a lot that I couldn't in a short blog post. And it's very inspiring!

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  11. Hi Tina. I actually just bought this book tonight. I can't put it down. I'm hoping it will help me with my OCD until I can finally see a psychiatrist and get some meds. I'm having a hard time trying to find an appointment. Anyway, thanks for writing this. I've heard so many good things about the book. Oh and happy belated birthday!

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    1. Thank you! I'm so glad you like "Brain Lock." It has been very, very helpful to me, and I hope it will be for you too. I'm sorry you're having to wait to see a doc.

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    2. Great post!

      I've myself too beated OCD in big part because of the Brain LOCK book . But contrary too what some people replied , Brain Lock is NOTTTT erp . In ERP you react completely different to the tought than what is writting in brain lock . The only thing brain lock relate to ERP , is the fact that in both you accept the tought BUTT in brain lock you relabel as ''just a tought'' and the firsssssttt thing a ERP zombie therapist tell you is To NEVER say to yourself ''its just a ocd tought''. So brain lock and erp are two both different strategy . I still do not understand why some people are soooooo brainwashed that they see ERP everywhere , last week the Boston Red Sox lost , they should have dond ERP .....lollll

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