Unexplained light

[mozart56]

Hi; I’m having a lot of trouble today; we were bringing in groceries from the car in the garage; you have to go through the laundry room to get into the house; I was walking behind my wife and daughter with a grocery sack, and I saw a red dot of light — not very big — reflecting off the glossy finish of the washing machine. I have no idea where this “light” came from, and neither my wife nor my daughter saw it. Now my OCD is telling me that the red light was some from evil force, that I’ll need to carry all the groceries back out to the garage and back in to “undo” the effect of this light; otherwise, our food will be tainted and could harm us if we eat it.

Please help; this obsession is driving me crazy! Thanks.

[aadak18]

Eat the food! If you can do it, that's a great exposure. Avoid reassurance-seeking (don't ask your wife or daughter if they think the food might be tainted, don't look up tainted food signs on Google, etc.)

[lml885]

This is all OCD. No evil force. Kepp resisting the compulsion. Keep telling yourself this is all just OCD and try distracting yourself from performing the compulsions

[trailwalker53]

Try your best to move ahead without seeking reassurance! Its a lot easier said than done, but use this experience as an ERP, try to live with the uncertainty. Its all OCD!

[Ginger61]

Yes I agree with all the advice above.. It is only OCD it is a lie not the truth. Be strong and try to resist the urge to undo the situation. This is really, really hard. But it is true that the more you give in the worse it is. Don’t give OCD power over your life! Eat the food and tell yourself if your daughter and wife aren’t afraid then you probably shouldn’t be either

[Tcba]

Remember that it is the compulsions that drive the OCD. To go back to “undo” the red light image would perhaps give a moment of relief, but cause the OCD to worsen. So, don’t do it! You don’t have to be comfortable to do the right thing, and it will pay off in the future. 💜

[Wheeloffortune]

Ignore, ignore, ignore!!

[Hidden]

Hi - The key here is that your OCD is telling you that ridiculous story (I'm angry at the OCD and not at you) and not the truth. You know this because you said it yourself. Believe your rational self, not the OCD. Are you receiving help/medication if you go through this a lot, because those sound like very tormenting thoughts.

[mozart56 in reply to Hidden]

Thanks for replying. I do take meds, but I’m not in therapy because there aren’t any OCD therapists in my area that accept my insurance. I’ve tried all the SRI’s. I take fluvoxamine. I have an appointment set up to see a dr. on my ins. who does TMS. Will try teletherapy with an in-network OCD therapist in another city. It shouldn’t be this hard, but it is, and I’ve accepted that.

[Hidden in reply to mozart56]

You are so right. OCD can be VERY hard to live with and deal with. I'm glad we all have each other.

[bab5]

The best exposure would be to eat the food and live with the thoughts!