🔼: [[Symptoms of Unresolved Trauma]] ##### Compulsions A term referring to difficult-to-resist behaviors or thought processes meant to relieve or manage the distress or [[💡 Overwhelm|overwhelm]] that our [[💡 Obsessions|obsessions]] cause us. These are [[💡 Reactive Protectors|Reactive Protectors]] using particular [[Protector Strategies 🛡️|strategies]] to soothe the [[💡 Parts|parts]] who feel so overwhelmed or terrified. Compulsions are essentially emotional guardrails that make some part of us feel safe but actually hold us back; they *narrow* our path, they don't keep us on it. Compulsions don't help us learn to live life any more than training wheels teach us to ride a bike. Giving into compulsions reinforces [[🛡️ Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)|OCD constellations]]. ###### Examples of Compulsions **Physical / Visible Compulsions** - Washing - Tapping - Certain movements - "Evening out" our body - Checking - Mental review - Seeking reassurance, explicitly or covertly - Asking others if we're a good person or if we're going to get sick, if they really love their partner. - Researching, especially to see if how we're thinking or feeling is true or correct. - [[🛡️ Avoiding]] the things that trigger [[Intrusive Thoughts]]. - Avoiding children, touching or watching certain things, going places altogether. - Confessing thoughts to relieve guilt and discomfort, maybe to get reassurance **Mental Compulsions** - Counting - Repeating phrases - Reviewing events over and over - Taboo thoughts - Reassurance - Mental Blocking; Pushing thoughts (including images) away - Shaking your head as if tog et rid of them - Turning off a TV show because we don't want an intrusive thought - Reading over a text - Avoiding turning left while driving - Shielding ourself from having thoughts or getting them to go away - [[🛡️ Ruminating]] - "Am I a good person or a bad person?" %% Bring the thought to the forefront of your mind and focus on it. Resist the urge to check or reassure yourself. Instead say "Yeah, cool, maybe." Accept the risk, pull it closer. Your brain learns that you only respond to the threats you can actually see, not what you *think* could happen. And if the problem does happen, we can handle it. %% Compulsions give us *temporary* relief from our [[💡 Anxiety|anxiety]] because we have a temporary sense of certainty, which convinces us that it's the thing to do when we're feeling anxious again, but this does more harm than good because we learn that it's the **only** way to relieve the anxiety and we must do it. [^1]: [OCD and Anxiety | Sneaky Compulsions for OCD and Anxiety](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wx5_Fjfxv_s) [^2]: [OCD and Anxiety | HELP! I only have mental compulsions - Pure OCD](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXxbSbLG2ng)