How Do I Deal with Negative Emotions Caused by OCD?
Answered by Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat
Question
I experience negative thoughts and feelings of all kinds. I have OCD and I know some of these thoughts/feelings are caused by my OCD and some are just natural human emotions like envy/ arrogance/ frustration, resentment, hate toward others.
What can I do?
Answer
I pray you are well.
It seems that you may have multiple types of OCD. The type which relates to your thoughts is called Intrusive Thoughts. The subject of the thoughts is religion and its practice, as well as other things. Merely ignoring them will not stop them.
OCD is a defense mechanism. It’s there to protect you from repeated exposure to some emotional trauma. You need therapy to address this in order to remove the need to have a defense mechanism.
You do not need to worry about being held accountable for your thoughts. Take the bull by the horns and actively seek out a means to resolve your issues. Intend to use this as a means to improve your relationship with Allah and His creation, and it will be an act of worship.
Please refer to this answer for more information.
May Allah facilitate your healing.
Wassalam,
[Shaykh] Abdul-Rahim Reasat
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat began his studies in Arabic Grammar and Morphology in 2005. After graduating with a degree in English and History he moved to Damascus in 2007 to study and sit at the feet of some of the most erudite scholars of our time.
Over the following eighteen months he studied a traditional curriculum, studying with scholars such as Shaykh Adnan Darwish, Shaykh Abdurrahman Arjan, Shaykh Hussain Darwish and Shaykh Muhammad Darwish.
In late 2008 he moved to Amman, Jordan, where he continued his studies for the next six years, in Fiqh, Usul al-Fiqh, Theology, Hadith Methodology and Commentary, Shama’il, and Logic with teachers such as Dr Ashraf Muneeb, Dr Salah Abu’l-Hajj, Dr Hamza al-Bakri, Shaykh Ahmad Hasanat, Dr Mansur Abu Zina amongst others. He was also given two licences of mastery in the science of Qur’anic recital by Shakh Samir Jabr and Shaykh Yahya Qandil.
His true passion, however, arose in the presence of Shaykh Ali Hani, considered by many to be one of the foremost tafsir scholars of our time who provided him with the keys to the vast knowledge of the Quran. With Shaykh Ali, he was able to study an extensive curriculum of Qur’anic Sciences, Tafsir, Arabic Grammar, and Rhetoric.
When he finally left Jordan for the UK in 2014, Shaykh Ali gave him his distinct blessing and still recommends students in the UK to seek out Shaykh Abdul-Rahim for Quranic studies. Since his return he has trained as a therapist and has helped a number of people overcome emotional and psychosomatic issues. He is a keen promoter of emotional and mental health.
