does anyone else have "obsessive rumination OCD"?

[Guest_7878]

hey there..

i recently went to my psychiatrist who mentioned that i could have something called "obsessionality" (which seems not to be a real word but thats what she said so anyway) which is basically the O in OCD. my mum did a lot of research on it and found different kinds of OCD like "pure O OCD" or "obsessive rumination disorder" i dont know if those are the real terms but anyway. they seemed to fit a lot with what im going through (rumination more than pure O) and i was wondering if anyone else is dealing with something similar because it's not very widely known or talked about...

love you all 💛

[geoff]

Hello, I have had OCD for many years and understand what you are saying and if you are able to give us an example or two.

Bst wishes.

Geoff.

[Guest_7878]

hey, just to explain my situation a little:

for the past 5 or so years I’ve been really really interested in the deep philosophical questions about life like whether God is real or how there’s so many colours that humans can’t see so that basically means the world is nothing like we see it... especially different mental disorders. it started around 4th grade when I was being bullied at school (though not even very badly) and my parents were fighting a lot. apparently with obsessive rumination disorder or whatever it’s called, your brain knows somethings wrong (because im sad and tired and whatnot all the time) and so it tries to find a solution by constantly and obsessively ruminating. but the ruminating is the compulsivity part of the OCD so then when you find a solution you can’t stop so your brain debunks your solution and you continue thinking until there’s nothing left that makes sense. that’s basically what happens to me. im in high school now and it’s kind of getting in the way of me having relationships and engaging in my religion (because I’m convinced it’s not real) and I think about this stuff a lot, like all in all about 3-4 hours a day. it’s been happening for 5 years like I said and my psychiatrist says that if it’s not better by the time I see her next she’ll think about putting me on medication for it. I was just wondering if anyone else had the same thing because I’ve never met anyone who thinks even remotely similar.

that’s all,

💛

[romantic_thi3f]

Hi plants_and_lyrics,

Thanks for your post. While I don't have this personally, I have absolutely seen other people with this - you are not alone in what you are experiencing.

Here is another post that you might be able to join in or relate with -

https://www.beyondblue.org.au/get-support/online-forums/anxiety/pure-o-(pure-obsessional)-ocd-#qnWb33HzvGGEbv8AAOnT_A

rt

[romantic_thi3f]

P.S. I found this one as well -

https://www.beyondblue.org.au/get-support/online-forums/anxiety/struggling-with-pure-o-#qqPF7nHzvGGEbv8AAOnT_A

[therising]

Hi plants_and_lyrics

One of the last things you wrote got me curious: 'I was just wondering if anyone else had the same thing...'. Perhaps a strange question but are you obsessed with wondering? You mention being a philosophical person which leads me to ask such a question.

I have found the art of 'wondering' to personally be a natural way of raising myself (to higher consciousness). I can spend hours doing this. For example, I can start to wonder about one thing such as a certain aspect of metaphysics and wonder my way into a certain aspect of the brain which can lead me into wondering about a part of that which may relate to the nature of people in general. As I say, I could quite easily sit in front of my laptop for hours.

I find ways to ground myself out of wondering. I may use time management strategies, routine changes (such as don't go for that 2nd cup of coffee so I can stay in front of the laptop) or I find ways to switch off my daydreaming. I'm a shocking daydreamer. Whilst it can be relaxing and inspirational at times (the stuff that suddenly pops into my head), at other times it's a serious distraction from actively living. I love wondering as long as I don't let it get out of control. By the way, it can get a little out of control at times. Sometimes my husband and teenage kids have to give me a nudge back into activity. Sometimes I can even get so seriously excited about a certain possibility I'm wondering about that it can lead me into a super hyper state - thinking, breathing, heart racing. Basically, I just get a little too excited. I know, sounds weird. I just have a super passionate thirst for knowledge. I'm also a natural solution seeker. I raise myself through challenges. To me, they're like puzzles to be solved.

The thing I ponder most about would have to be human nature; aspects of our most natural self (such as that wonderful self) as well as aspects of what makes up elements of ego.

In our early years we are our truly natural wonderful self and then we're told to STOP IT and stop asking 'Why?' and get with the program so to speak (get more serious and focused). We gradually lose this amazing part of our self, as opposed to having it grounded in a sense of balance.

Whilst Einstein wondered about the nature things, Martin Luther King Jr wondered what it would take for equality to become the norm and Mother Theresa wondered about a greater life for all children, with these examples we witness the power of wonder in action.

🙂

[Guest_7878]

yeah that sounds about right... my psychiatrist said that pondering these questions is definitely obsessive in my case and that I really just need to stop and live because I think about a lot of things that don’t have a definite answer and so I could spend my whole life thinking when I could be enjoying the world as I see it. what happens to me is very very similar to what my mum read and told me about “obsessive rumination” and I basically related to most of what it talked about. it’s really hard to enjoy life when constantly second guessing things is a continuous compulsivity. im actually really excited to see if my psychiatrist puts me on medication because I really want to stop thinking too much (obviously it’s good to be a critical thinking but only to a degree) and just live my life and be happy with the way things are.

💛💛

[geoff]

Hello Plants_and_lyrics, whether or not it's ruminating OCD is not for me to determine, however, what it means is that causes a person to spend an incredible amount of time worrying about, analyzing, and trying to understand a particular thought or theme, that constantly annoys them.

The trouble people have with OCD is that they constantly ruminate over the same thought and much more than someone who doesn't have this illness, but at times it's so difficult to explain why.

Medication maybe your answer, I take it but I still have OCD tendencies, although everyone is different, however, as I've had this for 60 odd years I don't have to ruminate from OCD.

'In hindsight' is such a strong saying.

Whether or not there is a God is for people to decide on themselves, and I mean no harm for those who are believers, but I have other thoughts that I don't question every day.

Best wishes'

Geoff.

[not_really]

Hi plants_and_lyrics,

I completely empathise with your situation! I personally do latch onto thoughts a lot, particularly with philosophical questions, and my OCD makes it a little bit worse. Your situation sounds like it's really affected your life though, and I hope that it gets better as you go along these next few years.

You talking about your religion caught my eye: can I ask if you've done a lot of research on your religion alongside your rumination? I ask this because my own religion was something I dealt with for a long time. I had trouble figuring out whether if God was really real or not, and I generally ended up going around in circles with my thoughts and feeling frustrated. What really helped me was doing more research on it, looking at historical evidence, looking at my religion's text, and having A LOT of discussions with other people. I want to assure you that your religion is not something that others put on you, or one that is rushed. It's your personal faith, and you have in fact your whole life to act upon it. I know that this sentence is a bit contradictory since you've essentially spent your life thinking- but I just want to say that even if you eventually go on meds and that helps to ease your o rumination, to never stop thinking about your faith! You will never land on a definite answer, because in reality the end step is to take that leap of trust (hence why it's called faith). Even the most devout have (and really should have) questions they keep on thinking about.

I know that you started your thread on obsessive rumination and probably didn't centre it around your religion, but I just wanted to add in these words of comfort to let you know that your struggles with religion are completely fine. Hope that you work it out someday :).

[Guest_7878]

Thanks so much, that was really nice to hear.

Yeah definitely religion is something I struggle a lot with, one of the biggest questions that my rumination is focused on. Faith is a very difficult thing for me and I'm not entirely sure why but I do know how difficult it is for me to trust anyone. Not in your classic "trust issues" way, like I can trust people with what I'm going through and i dont generally hide myself from people but I can't trust what anyone says about unanswerable questions like religion and i can't trust my own experiences either. its a little sticky really. im not entirely sure why i am the way i am but i really would like to find a way to fix it because thinking all the time and not being able to trust is not exactly fun.

thanks for everyones support as well, it's wonderful 💛