PART 3/11 The previous parts have already described key obsessive thoughts, meta-installations that gave rise to anxiety and fear. However, not a word was said about the second group of symptoms, so characteristic of OCD - methods of “defense”. In L.’s case, behavioral rituals of neutralization were noted: “correctly” tying shoelaces, changing clothes, putting objects in the right places, avoiding numbers and the color black, as well as mental rituals that are often not recognized by people as a manifestation of neurosis: changing one’s mind, redoing one’s own thoughts. This option is also perceived as a way to correct some mistake or neutralize a threat, the likelihood of which L. increased with her own thoughts. Speaking about the beliefs that inevitably surround rituals, it is worth noting the following typical options: a ritual helps me avoid a threat, without a ritual it is difficult to calm down. It is also worth noting the belief that prescribed specific behavior: it is necessary to look at the right point without bad thoughts in order to avoid a threat. These beliefs make a negative contribution to the overall clinical picture, making rituals more stable and resistant to change. Identifying and changing them is necessary in preparation for exposure therapy, which will be discussed in the next part. As part of the first steps towards change, we had to learn to look at our own thoughts differently, not as a reflection of reality and not as uncontrollable insanity, but as on a process that can be controlled and which has its own patterns. To do this, we discussed the fundamental idea of ​​cognitive psychology - the determinism of human reactions (ABC): various events are possible that do not initially have any meaning, for example, someone looked at us (A), then our psyche interprets them in one way or another, in In particular, it gives a mental assessment (those same automatic thoughts), for example, “something is wrong with me” (B), then various emotional, bodily and behavioral reactions arise, for example, anxiety, tension, etc. (C).Everything is linear and understandable; the event of the external world was given a meaning of an alarming nature. But the same thing can happen with events in the inner world, i.e. a thought can itself be subject to evaluation; thoughts and beliefs about thoughts are metacognitions. Using the example of L.’s case, the following logic is obtained: (A) An event in the external world - an advertisement on TV for funeral services (B) An event in the internal world - the automatic thought “this is a sign - someone may get sick” (M) Metacognitive assessment of this thought - “my thoughts are strong and prophetic” (C) Reaction – fear of one’s own thoughts, an attempt to neutralize them, correct them. Before metacognitive assessment, this thought could only be characterized as alarming and completely understandable, normal for a person faced with the previously described events. But it is after this assessment that the thought begins to become obsessive. Understanding this mechanism is at a minimum the foundation for the necessary changes, and sometimes brings relief in itself. In the next part we will talk about the correction of this process, as well as the role of conditioned reflexes during rituals and the essence of exposure. If you have any questions or need to better understand your neurosis, then you can always ask me a question on the website or in the VK group: Freedom from OCD