Denver Catholic

11 DENVER CATHOLIC | APRIL 13-26, 2019 who commits himself to some partic- ular spiritual practice, like praying the rosary every day. It's a wonderful thing to do, but if they miss a day, then they suddenly are in concern that they are in serious sin… or that they didn't pray the rosary with the attention it deserved," he added. "It's hard because maybe there are legitimate things in there, like realizing we could do a better job of praying, but it doesn't mean that we are displeasing to God." Common compulsions of people who struggle with scrupulosity include going to confession very often because they think they're in a state of mortal sin, and "priest hopping " because they don't want the same priest to listen to their confession repeatedly. OVERCOMING SCRUPULOSITY Although Higbie assures OCD is a complex disorder — since people are often genetically predisposed to it and others can acquire it from a history of trauma — she guarantees there is hope: "I think people who get into these pat- terns can become very hopeless and it can feel very overwhelming and out of control. So, to remember that there is hope and that treatment really can help." Both Father Bailey and Higbie high- light the importance of recurring visits to both a spiritual director or confes- sor and a mental health professional to overcome this struggle. For the psychological aspect of this reality, Higbie recommends fi nding a Catholic therapist, since scrupulosity cannot be treated as any other type of OCD. "We have to manage [scrupulos- ity] a little bit di˜ erently than we manage other types of fears," Higbie said. "Frontline treatment for [OCD] is something called 'exposure and response prevention therapy' (ERP). So, if someone is afraid of contamina- tion, an exposure might be having them use a public restroom or not washing their hands… where they actually have to face their fears and not [fall into] other compulsive behaviors. "If we're going to treat scrupulos- ity, we have to take a bit of a di˜ erent approach because, obviously, as Catho- lic therapists, we're not going to recom- mend that someone engage in mortal sin and then sit with it… Instead, I typ- ically take a modifi ed approach where if somebody is questioning, for example, whether they have committed a mortal sin, the exposure might involve sitting with the uncertainty of whether or not they may have committed a sin, and not rushing to confession at the fi rst impulse or fear." Another recommended measure is committing to one confessor or spiri- tual director, who can aid with the spir- itual aspect of scrupulosity. Other than helping the person make the commitment of not going to confes- sion every two or three days, a priest can also help correct the distorted understanding of God that is common in people with this struggle. "People with scrupulosity tend to see God as a punishing God who is out to get them or waiting for them to mess up. There's this constant fear of condem- nation… They do not think about the mercy and love that we know is avail- able to us," Higbie explained. "A part of the spiritual healing is heal- ing who I am before my God," Father Bailey added. "Can I see myself as loved by God the father? Maybe that means that I see myself like the prodigal son in Luke 15… being embraced by the Father." Higbie assured there are many priests in the archdiocese who are "well-versed" in scrupulosity and encouraged those struggling with it to not be afraid to talk to one and fi nd a Catholic therapist. "OCD is very common, and I would venture to say that it's fairly underdi- agnosed," Higbie concluded. "I think there's a lot of people that don't think of OCD or they think of it in just the tra- ditional ways of handwashing, contam- ination or order; but they don't think or know about the di˜ erent ways it might manifest. "If you fi nd yourself having signif- icant anxiety that requires you to do specifi c behaviors in order to reduce that anxiety, it might be good to seek out some professional support in assessing whether or not you would be su˜ ering from OCD." "This could be the best encourage- ment: Remember that Jesus is actually with you and he's actually helping you," Father Bailey concluded. "You're not hopeless, you're not beyond repair. The Lord is going to continue to walk with you and be with you." You're invited! MONDAY JUNE 10 2019 CHERRY CREEK COUNTRY CLUB PURCHASE TICKETS AND SPONSORSHIPS AT GolfforHope.org 20 for GOLF 19 SEEDS of HOPE H O P E TEE IT UP FOR CATHOLIC EDUCATION For professional help with scrupulosity or OCD, visit straphaelcounseling.com. i

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