The only way to solve the riddle of OCD
Humans are a species of problem solvers. When faced with challenges, we are hard-wired to try to overcome them. It is how we survived in the jungle and how we put a man on the moon. But what if a perceived problem isn’t really a problem? What if there is no answer to the riddle you are trying to solve?
This is the dilemma faced by those of us with OCD. Our brains, evolved to alert us to the presence of a tiger in the jungle, mistakenly alert us to the presence of a paper tiger in our minds. In attempting to combat this perceived threat, we are actually perpetuating it.
It follows that the only way to solve the riddle of OCD is to stop trying to solve the riddle of OCD. How do we do this? By identifying the behaviours we have been using to combat the perceived threat, and then doing our best to eliminate them. This means going against our deepest instincts. It can be incredibly hard, but it is the only way.
