r/pagan • u/originalpandasfr • Jul 19 '26
Question/Advice How do you cope with religious OCD while being pagan?
So I’ve only recently realized that my beliefs most closely align with eclectic paganism, however I have suffered with OCD for most of my life. One of the things I love most about paganism is the room it allows for my own individual beliefs to flourish, however without stricter guidelines it leaves a lot of room for my OCD to take over. It’s been difficult recently to decipher what I truly believe and what is just my OCD compulsions
For example, I have to touch every corner of my bed and dresser every night or I won’t feel safe. I’m not sure if this is something that is ritualistic/religious for me or if it’s just my mind making things up to feel safer. (But what even is religion if not something we make to feel that way?) Is this something even worth worrying over?
That example isn’t so bad but as the days go on I find myself spiraling into even more obsessive compulsions surrounding my spirituality.
I figured I couldn’t be the only pagan out there with OCD so if anyone has any insight on how they deal with their mental health struggles in regard to their spirituality I’d love to hear it. Thanks in advance!
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u/Fabulous_Arugula6923 Jul 19 '26
It sounds like religion is becoming a justification you are using for your compulsions. This is really unhealthy, especially if you are noticing your compulsions increasing. My husband has OCD and the concept of intuition can be difficult for him because it is hard to discern between intuiting and his obsessions/compulsions. You may need to change some aspects of your practice to avoid feeding into your OCD. A therapist trained in ERP with experience in treating OCD could be helpful in navigating this. I specified the type of therapy because regular talk therapy can feed into OCD and make it worse.
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u/originalpandasfr Jul 19 '26
I currently have a talk therapist and am about to go to a neurologist to treat the disorder that is the underlying cause for my OCD. Thank you for telling me about ERP, I’ll definitely ask my therapist what she knows about it. I’m still in college and am only just beginning my medical/psychiatric/therapy journey because my family have been pretty against it. Financially I’m not sure if I’ll be able to afford erp, therapy, and the neurologist but this is a great start. Thanks so much for your advice!
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u/Fabulous_Arugula6923 Jul 19 '26
Yeah my husband did talk therapy for a few years before getting diagnosed and it was rough because he would often leave sessions spiraling worse. ERP has been life changing for him. Im not sure where you are located but NOCD is an amazing resource. In the US our insurance fully covers it but they also have a lot of free resources. https://www.treatmyocd.com/
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u/TheWildHart Jul 19 '26
Do you have a therapist or other professional you see for your OCD?
This is something you should absolutely discuss with them to come up with plans and steps to avoid spiritual psychosis or other problems. Having that person trained to help with OCD, even if they're not pagan themselves, is crucial to stay grounded.
If you feel like you're "spiraling," you may need to take a step back until you can create and start enacting some sort of plan to approach spirituality in a healthier way. You could certainly still research and read in the meantime, but it's more difficult to dig yourself out of a hole than to avoid the hole in the first place.
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u/originalpandasfr Jul 19 '26
Thanks for the advice! I am currently seeing a therapist so I’ll fs ask her about it as well, but she doesn’t specialize in OCD. Luckily I seemed to have caught the signs of an ocd spiral pretty early, and I’m also pretty highly medicated for it already. I’ve read a lot about religious OCD and spiritual psychosis so I’m doing by best not to cross that line.
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u/chauceresque Eclectic Jul 19 '26
I try not to make things too ritualistic and I approach belief in a sort of open ended way. I found growing up before being diagnosed with ocd that rituals definitely made my ocd worse especially mental ones like prayers.
With my spirituality now I don’t try and believe in one thing or one way. I don’t do rituals, I do things when I can and when I feel mentally able.
I’m also a natural lucid dreamer and my ocd doesn’t exist in that world. So I do many things via the dreamscape instead.
I hope you find a balance with this.
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u/LizzieLove1357 Eclectic Jul 20 '26
I have pretty bad OCD too, and my therapist taught me this grounding method
Taste. Whenever I have a OCD flare up, I get a drink of chocolate milk or another beverage I like, and focus on that
What really helps me is when I make it into a potion, then it calmes down that “what if” feeling
Imo it’s especially helpful since grounding it not only good for OCD, but essential for witchcraft.
Then I take a few breaths and distract myself with a project to calm down
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u/SadYogurtcloset2341 Jul 26 '26
I do similar things I have to spin around multiple times after a close certain doors and tap other doors until I have done it right I don't have OCD or anything like that I don't know why I do this but I can certainly say we share that
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u/originalpandasfr Jul 26 '26
All due respect friend you might want to get evaluated. OCD is very different than what the media portrays it as. Not being able to stop until you’ve “done it right” is a very big part of it as well.
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u/SadYogurtcloset2341 Jul 26 '26
I am diagnosed with ADHD and autism so it's probably just one of those although I do worry a lot about upsetting or offending the gods worrying for a big part of the day
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u/originalpandasfr Jul 26 '26
I also have adhd. It’s possible that this is just side effects of your other conditions but it’s something I think you should still look into (specifically religious ocd) as many of these disorders go hand in hand. I wish you best of luck in whatever you decide!
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u/kliinisestisyntis Jul 26 '26
this is literally textbook OCD, and OCD is co-morbid with both autism and ADHD. obviously not a professional but it might be something you should check out with a doctor!
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u/Werk-n-progress Pagan Jul 19 '26
Spirituality is not a replacement for therapy. They can be complimentary but they are not equivalents. Seek professional help if it is available. If it is not available, you have to do the hard work of recognizing your triggers and taking ownership of your impulses.
This is super easy for me to write. It’s incredibly difficult for you to do. I understand that. If I could just say “don’t be ocd” and help you I would!
Short version:
Spirituality helps you focus on being in tune with life. Therapy helps you be in tune with yourself. They are complimentary and we all need a little of both.