I think a key difference between the healthy mind and the obsessive compulsive mind is that the obsessive compulsive mind is programmed to work from the inside-out, rather than the outside-in. You firmly believe from a place within your mind that the world is scary, so you perceive the world as scary. You don’t fear touching a doorknob because you have superhuman vision that allows you to see every microscopic germ on the metal knob. You fear touching a doorknob because there is an inner conviction telling you the doorknob is irrevocably contaminated with germs.

The OCD masters this process where your skewed beliefs from your distorted mind spill out into the real world, subsequently skewing your sense of perception. And you don’t recognize that you are seeing the world at a warped angle because, to you, the outside is in perfect alignment with the inside.

You believe, then you perceive.

-Valerie Parente (4-18-16)