OCD and magical thinking

'Magical thinking' - for many, this the term may bring  connotations of fairies, gnomes and toadstools, however the reality of magical thinking for people with OCD is quite different. This term relates to the belief, or feeling, that thoughts or unrelated actions have the power to cause external events, and often link to an excessive sense of responsibility. An example of this may be “if I do not count to X number, a loved one will die”. To deal with these thoughts, individuals then undertake rituals such as counting. These may be internal or external, and can cause extreme mental and physical exhaustion.

If you experience magical thinking as part of OCD, and would like therapy to address this, please get in touch.