So, if you have OCD and believe in the law of attraction, what should you do?
This is a difficult question because it might feel impossible to abandon your spiritual beliefs, even if it’s a trigger for you.
“If someone has OCD, I would generally encourage them to avoid the law of attraction. This isn’t because I think it is bad per se, but because there is so much potential to get confused with it,” Pizey explains. “If the law of attraction is tied up with your spirituality and you feel the call to apply it to your life, then just try to hold on to it lightly.”
Kress adds that it’s possible for people with OCD to have a healthy relationship with spirituality.
“When it comes to the law of attraction, it can be helpful to reinterpret the belief in a more balanced way,” she says. “For example, we can choose to believe that the Universe knows our true intentions despite our negative thoughts and that we attract our heart’s desire.”
Anyone who struggles with intrusive thoughts, whether they’ve received an OCD diagnosis or not, might benefit from therapy. With OCD, exposure and response therapy, as well as acceptance and commitment therapy, can be helpful.
Personally, I’ve found that many aspects of the law of attraction do work for me. For example, I enjoy visualizing positive things, and I’m able to engage in this without it becoming an obsession. However, I generally find that discussing manifestation or the law of attraction can be a trigger for me.
Beyond that, I’m now more focused on accepting my OCD than trying to control the world around me through manifestation.
I’d much rather direct my energy to therapy, self-care, and enjoying life instead of trying to “attract” anything into it.
As Pizey says, “In my experience, learning to overcome OCD is about gaining greater clarity and peace of mind by being in the moment, accepting life’s challenges, and living according to our values. These are things we should put our energies into.”
Sian Ferguson is a freelance health and cannabis writer based in Cape Town, South Africa. As someone with multiple anxiety disorders, she’s passionate about using her writing skills to educate and empower readers. She believes that words have the power to change minds, hearts, and lives.