An inflated sense of responsibility is at the core of magical thinking OCD. Here's how realizing the limits of one's power in the world can help soothe the superstitions of a sufferer.
At the heart of superstitious behavior is superstitious thinking—the perception that an action or ritual can prevent bad things from happening to oneself or loved ones. Mental health professionals refer to this form of thinking in OCD as “For instance, an individual might have an intrusive thought:. To alleviate the fear that this thought brings, they may avoid the coffeemaker and perform a series of rituals to counteract the frightening notion.
Although a little magical thinking can be healthy—for instance, by giving one a sense of comfort during tough times—an overreliance on magical thinking causes emotional suffering and creates needless roadblocks in one’s day-to-day life.Magical thinking OCD may begin with a single emotional trigger that causes a perceived association. Consider a child playing with a new toy when suddenly, their parents get into a terrible argument.
Following a single initial association, mtOCD may begin to spread to more events and more associations. Over the natural course of time, the child’s parents will get into new arguments, and other unwanted events will transpire. Maybe someone teases the child at school or the TV breaks, and Dad gets angry. Each time, the child associates the negative occurrence with something they touched, did, or thought.