OCD
Introduction
Billy's Story
Introduction
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is a condition where a person has recurrent and persistent thoughts, feelings or images about something that is not a real problem in life. This person usually tries to think about it, tries to suppress it in some way or even ignore it.
These thoughts or feelings can cause a lot of distress to a person. To try and get control of this and minimize the distress, the person will have some behavior pattern that help them. With this behavior the person believes that he/she can prevent some event or situation of which they are afraid. The behavior, which the person believes is protecting him/her, takes up a lot of time each day.
Billy's Story
Billy can remember having a happy childhood. When asked he would talk about his loving mother and father and how they went on picnics and Sunday drives. Billy "forgot" about all the drama that usually takes place in a family.
Billy followed his dream of becoming a pharmacist. He was happy and contend to study and did his best. He soon got a job at the local pharmacy and felt on top of the world. For a while.
Billy realized that he felt a strange fear whenever he began to prepare a client's
prescription. As he was counting the pills, a thought would repeat itself over and over:
"It will be your fault. "It will be your fault."Billy did not understand this, but had to do something about it. Billy then started to count the pills twice. This put him at ease for a while, but soon counting the pills twice was not enough. So he started to count them three times. Soon Billy had to count the pills seven times before he gave it to the client.
Billy realized this was abnormal, but the thoughts were so overpowering. Counting took up a lot of time and his clients got frustrated. Billy tried to stop, but could not. After a written warning, Billy was advised to seek help. He started therapy and soon discovered the origin of his thoughts. "It will be your fault."
In therapy Billy was asked to go to the first time he felt as if something would be his fault. Billy remembered being 7 years old. His mother was taking him and his sister to school. Billy's sister was a year younger. The therapist asked Billy what happened and he started to cry. "It is my fault. It is my fault."
Billy described how he did not close the car door properly and there was no working child lock. Billy's sister sat next to the door they used when they got into the car. As they were driving, the little girl pushed against the door and fell out. She was hurt and taken to hospital. The sight of his little sister bleeding and the thought that she may be dead, gave Billy a big scare. He made a subconscious decision that he would make sure that nothing would ever be his fault again.
Every time Billy helped a client in the pharmacy, his subconscious mind warned him and the 7 year old boy within him would get scared and the only way to comfort his irrational inner child was to start counting the pills over and over again.
Billy could express all his emotions in therapy. He could talk to his mother and little sister through role-playing and finally get the forgiveness he craved for so long. Billy could nurture his inner child and let him know that he was just a little boy and that he is allowed to make mistakes. After every session Billy's counting got less and less. He felt proud of the fact that he could function again and felt relieved that he could clear all the pain that he carried with him for so long.
The thoughts, behavior and feelings you have today, are the thoughs, behavior and feelings of your inner child. Through healing the little child within you, these thoughts, behavior and feelings can be healed. Please read The Inner Child, Feelings and Behavior for more information.
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