AmyW
Thinker
- Joined
- Aug 23, 2019
- Messages
- 172
This all sounds very familiar to me. I've done quite similar things because of my OCD, and yes, there have been some shockingly accurate coincidences along the way. However, there have also been many "misses." I remember them when I allow myself to really think about it. Once, I flipped a coin 5 times and got "heads" all five times. That is pretty improbable from a statistical perspective, so I felt the answer to my question - I believe it was something medical that time - was surely a resounding yes.
But it wasn't. The thing I was asking about never happened. Other times, with other things, it did. Still other times, I don't really know whether it did or not. People with OCD tend to search for patterns, often to the point that it tortures them. With me, I think I can't always handle the anxiety of all life's unknowns, so I try to invent these rituals to give me some sense of guidance and meaning. It's still a problem I have, but once I managed to separate the rituals from the notion of an all-controlling God, the stakes felt lower. I hope that makes sense?
Here's something else I've thought about that might help. People with OCD and similar conditions do stuff like what you described above a lot. Because we do it so much, because we're always looking for patterns, we're bound to notice more coincidences and "hits" than the average person. It's not because forces are communicating with us. It's because we're always seeking these patterns and answers, so every time a little coincidence happens, we notice it. And every time some kind of life event happens (like a car crash), we already have some meaning ready to be ascribed to it. That's just how our minds work. So it's not that spiritual forces are causing these events. It's just that we notice them because we're always looking.
That was a bit rambly, but I hope it might help.
Wow thank you. Can you see how my anxiety has increased with this medium saying it was God who answered my divinations though, she's made it so bad for me! Can you see why I am trying to debunk them?