Can Christianity Cure Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder?: A Psychiatrist Explores the Role of Faith in Treatment

Obviously reading one book will not cure anyone of anything, but I found the concepts in this book very helpful to me as a Christian and as a person who struggles with getting out of emotional spirals (not claiming to have OCD, just saying it was a good book!) This book was recommended to me by a trusted Christian councilor and it was an excellent read. Full of church history and very applicable to anyone struggling with religious scruples.

If you are a Christian and suffer from OCD, this book is extremely helpful,especially when read in conjunction with autobiographical accounts like Jeff Wells' Breaking Free of OCD amd the wonderful resources from the Christian Counseling and Education Foundation.

I haven't actually been to a psychiatric doctor to be diagnosed with OCD, but from 2009-2010 I had a terrible time with what I now know is called scrupulosity. I thought everything I did was wrong. I was afraid of watching movies, having any money (not giving it all to the poor), not meditating on the Bible enough, and many other things. These thoughts plagued me constantly, and I would call my parents several times a day for reassurance that it was ok to...whatever. I felt so guilty because I had always had a great desire to have a close relationship with Christ, and now it was my Christianity which I felt had attacked me. I began to hate the Bible because of the verses that tormented me. I could never remember any verses of comfort, and if I did I would usually find some exception that made it not apply to me. This time was brought on by a series of traumatic events in my life. Over time, and with the help of some medication, I began to improve, but I still had this sense that the most precious thing to me (my relationship with God through Jesus Christ) had somehow betrayed me - that God had turned against me. This book has helped me to see that it was not God who turned against me, but OCD (which I think is both a physical and spiritual ailment), which often attacks where we are most vulnerable (in my case, my spirituality). The stories of Martin Luther, John Bunyan, and St. Teresa were extremely helpful. The author pointed me back to thing that has helped me throughout my life, but which I had lost during this two-year period - simple faith and trust in God's Fatherly love and care for me. The one problem I had with the book was that it seemed to prescribe this kind of faith and trust in a personal, loving God as an "alternative treatment plan" for psychologists to implement, when really it goes so much deeper than just "another form of therapy." I really believe that OCD is both a physical and a spiritual condition, and as far as the spiritual side of it goes, trust in God is THE answer, not just another form of treatment. But I understand that the author was trying to maintain credulity in the academic area, so can see why he approached the ending the way he did. It just seemed kind of awkward to me. However, the book as a whole was extremely encouraging to me, and I would recommend it to any OCD sufferer, especially one whose struggles take the form of religious scrupulosity.

This is the first book I've read specifically geared towards Christians suffering from a psychiatric condition. After reading it, I must say I wish that there were more books out there like this one. I was very impressed. This book is a good read whether you're a Christian suffering from OCD, you have a friend or loved one who does, or you just want to know more about the disease. Besides people suffering from the disorder, I especially recommend this to pastors and Christian therapists, who often seem poorly equipped to know how how to respond to this condition from a Christian perspective. All too often, ill-informed people will give simplistic answers to these problems ("why can't she just snap out of it?", "why can't she just stop the behavior?", etc.).This is a tremendous resource for Christians struggling with OCD. He shows that Christian faith does, in fact, have an answer even for this. No, the solution isn't "just have more faith," but he shows that having faith will transform the way you interact with the disorder.I found the examples he gave from church history to be very insightful, well selected, and helpful. He also seems to be pretty careful about getting the history right for the most part (even though his academic background is in a different topic). These sections were informative and supported his points well. My only complaint, however, is that he tended to focus heavily on their religious compulsions (I suppose because they tended to be the best documented, especially for Luther).My only issue is he has some doubts as to whether it's possible to fully recover from OCD. Coming from the perspective of being free from many of my OCD compulsions for awhile as well as from an addiction, I believe that it IS, in fact, possible. I'm not sure that "you'll always be struggling a little" is accurate (again, at this point I'm mostly free) or encouraging - I found it a little demoralizing at this point.Overall, though, I recommend this book highly.

Dr Osborn analyzes the likely diagnosis of OCD in a number of Christian leaders throughout history, including Martin Luther and John Bunyan. Using their stories, and his own experience with the disorder, he gives hope to those who suffer with OCD and those who suffer alongside them.

I’ve suffered throughout the majority of my life with what I would suggest as mild to moderate OCD. This book truly has helped me understand and believe on a much deeper level that God is completely trustworthy and can handle all of my anxiety and yes awful thoughts. Praise to my Lord. I highly recommend this book to anyone who struggles with this extremely debilitating condition.

It's difficult and lonely being a Christian with OCD. You know intellectually what you should be thinking but the power of the obsessions tells you otherwise and they are immune to any rational explanation. You feel guilt that you can't switch the thoughts off and that this proves that you have either sinned in someway or you are a failure as a Christian.I've been searching for years for a way to get CBT to work for me using my spiritual life, and whilst I have been able to resist compulsions, the obsessions still bark away.I felt an immense relief to learn that I did not have to be responsible for my feared outcomes! That overwhelming freedom from the burden of responsibility that comes through placing our obsessions in God's hands has been a gift.I urge any Christian with COD to read this and experience a lightening of their mental load and that childlike warmth of spirit that comes from feeling that you are held in God's hands.

A helpful analysis of OCD, its causes and a way of trying to deal with it. It is easy to think that OCD is just being fastidious, but until you know someone who suffers from it and the way that it casts such a shadow on their lives you do not understand the tremendous anxiety and fear that it can cause. Ian Osborn is sympathetic and understanding and his suggestion of a way for Christians to deal with this crippling disorder is very helpful

Helpful and easy to understand.

Brilliant