Breaking the Cycle: When Religious Devotion Masks OCD

David came to my clinic emotionally and physically exhausted, suffering from an obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). In his case, it manifested as excessively long prayers and mentally draining doubts regarding whether he had prayed correctly.

The encouragement David received from those around him to “keep strengthening” his religious observance increases his levels of stress. While well-intentioned, this only worsened his condition. Deep down, David knew something wasn’t right. He understood that fulfilling religious commandments shouldn’t come with such mental and physical exhaustion. And yet, the fear that he might not have performed them properly pushed him to repeat them, fueling a vicious cycle that drained him further.

This condition is classified in the DSM as Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). It involves performing repetitive actions or engaging in persistent thoughts to reduce anxiety and manage inner doubt.

OCD can manifest in various areas, such as:

• Cleaning compulsions – excessively and repeatedly cleaning surfaces.

• Religious compulsions – such as washing hands multiple times out of fear the ritual was not done correctly.

• Cognitive obsessions – including recurring looped thoughts that play over and over without pause.

The prevalence of OCD in the general population is estimated at 1–3%, with even higher rates among adolescents.

One of the major challenges with OCD, especially in religious settings like David’s, is recognizing the disorder for what it is. The symptoms can easily be misinterpreted as increased religiosity or spiritual growth, which may validate and inadvertently reinforce harmful behavior.

Throughout our sessions, we explored the root of David’s anxiety and reached a key insight: His efforts to suppress or push away intrusive thoughts were, paradoxically, keeping them alive and even intensifying them. The more he tried to calm his mind, the more agitated it became when those thoughts wouldn’t disappear.

The breakthrough came when David learned to stop resisting the thoughts. We worked on inviting the intrusive thoughts in- not with fear, but with acceptance. By allowing the doubt to exist without reacting to it, the intensity began to fade.

We practiced actively triggering those thoughts in a safe environment, and learned how to tolerate uncertainty without letting fear take control.

After a relatively short time, David returned to normal functioning and came to a powerful realization: Even when he wasn’t completely sure everything was done perfectly, life could still go on.

In some cases, as with many forms of OCD, medication such as antidepressants or anti-anxiety treatments, may be necessary o support and optimize the therapeutic process.

Ariel Goldstein is an emotional therapist with the "Nafshi B'She'elati" department.

Suffering from depression, anxiety, and a lower mental state? Contact the "Nafshi B'She'elati" department at Hidabroot. For advice, call 073-3333331 or email sarap@htv.co.il.