Understanding Scrupulosity Quotes

“Choose a Confessor Who Can Encourage You It’s not a good idea to enter the healing process without support and encouragement. People with scrupulosity stand alone with their fears and anxieties—no one else can take them away—but they need help and support. An encouraging confessor, spiritual director, and/ or therapist can be invaluable in the process, especially if you tell them you’re actively trying to get better and welcome support and direction. Otherwise, your director may assume that all you want is a listening ear and a comforting word or two.”
― Thomas M. Santa, Understanding Scrupulosity: 3rd Edition of Questions and Encouragement

“Question: I experience frequent episodes of terrible thoughts: insults to God and the saints, doubts of faith, and so forth. They’re very brief, but they fill me with intense guilt and depression because I can’t seem to conquer them. My rational mind tells me I’m a true believer, but these thoughts worry me. What can I do? Answer: Such thoughts are not unusual in some states of scrupulosity. It helps to regard them as the rust on the outside of a water pipe that carries pure, sweet water. The rust outside doesn’t in any way touch the water inside. You don’t want these thoughts, and there is no sin in the fact that they come to you.”
― Thomas M. Santa, Understanding Scrupulosity: 3rd Edition of Questions and Encouragement

“Prayer need not be put into word form. Prayer can be done through other signs. You can just sit in your chair with the palms of your hands turned upward and your arms comfortable on the armrests. No words are necessary. God is there. God sees you. God loves you. God knows your heart and your intentions and your sentiments, even though you don’t formulate them into words. God accepts you as you are. Your open hands are a way of telling God you love him, that you appreciate his love for you, that you’re sorry for wrongdoing, and that you want to grow closer to him. That is genuine prayer even though it’s not in word form. Try to pray that way. With practice, it will become a natural and comfortable way of praying.”
― Thomas M. Santa, Understanding Scrupulosity: 3rd Edition of Questions and Encouragement

“St. Alphonsus states, “The confessor may command people with scrupulosity to conquer their anxiety and disregard it by freely doing whatever it tells them not to do.”
― Thomas M. Santa, Understanding Scrupulosity: 3rd Edition of Questions and Encouragement

“People with debilitating anxiety find it almost impossible to enjoy ordinary experiences of normal life. When people feel apathetic and can’t motivate themselves or engage in even the most ordinary tasks, the result is isolation: the tendency to withdraw physically, psychologically, emotionally, and spiritually from family, friends, and even spouses. To prevent or break out of social isolation, people must share their deepest feelings and experiences with another person. If in the sharing they feel misunderstood, perceived as too difficult or too sick, or even frightening, they begin to believe they can’t be understood or helped by anyone. Feelings of hopelessness and even despair take root, further enhancing the feeling of isolation.”
― Thomas M. Santa, Understanding Scrupulosity: 3rd Edition of Questions and Encouragement

“Tell him you’re sorry for every way you may have offended him, for everything remembered, and for everything forgotten. Tell God you will try to love and serve him well this day. That alone is what really matters.”
― Thomas M. Santa, Understanding Scrupulosity: 3rd Edition of Questions and Encouragement

“First formula: Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. It has been [time] since my last confession. I have scrupulosity and OCD. I am filled with fear and anxiety about sin, and I do not trust God. I love God, but I struggle to believe God loves me. Since my last confession, I have tried to do good, but I am aware that I have often failed. I am sorry for all of my sins, especially for the sin of [name], which I am confident I have committed. I ask for your absolution and for your penance. Second formula: Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. I am a sinner, and I have OCD and scrupulosity. I am filled with anxiety about sin, and I struggle to trust God. I love God, but I do not easily believe God loves me. Since my last confession, I have tried to do good, but I have often failed. I am sorry for all of my sins as God sees me guilty.”
― Thomas M. Santa, Understanding Scrupulosity: 3rd Edition of Questions and Encouragement