Sanjay Agrawal

Hello Chemar, This thread really made absorbing reading. And kudos to you for handling so sensitively the issues raised by fellow posters. As moderator on another forum, I know how difficult a task this can be at times. Your observations about CBT, and alternative techniques such as meditation, positive affirmations, et al (http://www.latitudes.org/forums/index.php?...=758&st=15#), are in alignment with the current thinking that OCD is an out-and-out chemical imbalance, and therefore a clinical condition. My views are that the medications being prescribed for treatment have side-effects that far outweigh the benefics. As counsellor, I have experienced that CBT and alternative techniques do have an upper hand in some cases, if not all. I have recorded my ideas and thoughts in my blog, perhaps interested readers might wish to browse through them. Cheers and best regards, Sanjay.

Hello, Of the messages you have posted, I thought it appropriate to respond to this particular one; for it is here that you are being analytical. In my opinion that is a good first step towards understanding why one thinks what one thinks. OCD need not be some physical or emotional aspect that is happening in one's life. It is being too deeply attached to a train of thoughts that one may not be relating with. In your case, you seem to have latched on to the thought process of women sleeping around with whosoever she meets. And you find yourself musing on the different traits of such a character. This muse is quite natural in writers / authors - for it helps them build a well-rounded personality in their story. However, if you are stuck and do not move on, then it is deemed to be a disorder. So why does the mind latch on to one single thought stream, and keeps it running over and over again? The complex entity that mind is, one interesting facet that man has observed is that when you try to suppress a thought, it tends to rebound back with vengeance, like a naughty child who you are trying to hush but who continues to repeat the same irritating act, if only to irritate you further. So what is the solution to unlatching the mind? Researchers have discovered that instead of suppressing a thought when it occurs, you try and shift your thought in the opposite direction. So in your case, no sooner does this thought of an infidel woman cross your mind, you immediately visualize the image of a woman who is not infidel, who is virtuous and loyal to her husband. There is no suppression, but a shifting of the thought. Another solution to strengthen the mind's resolve over the long term is meditation. If the forum's moderators permit, I would like to provide the URL of a post on my blog that talks of just this technique in the context of OCD: http://success-nirvana.blogspot.com/2007/1...e-possible.html. Can't say whether this could be the perfect solution; but no harm in trying. It would be great to know how you are progressing. Cheers, Sanjay.