If you’re reading this, you may be familiar with the overwhelming anxiety that comes with Scrupulosity OCD—this persistent fear that you’re doing something wrong in a religious or moral context, no matter how hard you try to do things “right.” It’s like having a constant internal alarm that goes off every time you feel like you’ve crossed a line, and the pressure to perform perfectly spiritually becomes suffocating.

I know this experience all too well. Scrupulosity OCD can make you feel like you’re always failing or falling short. You might find yourself obsessing over your actions, thoughts, or even what you’ve said, worrying that you’ve sinned or that you’re not living in alignment with your faith. These thoughts can become so intrusive that they dominate your mind, and trying to seek reassurance, perform rituals, or ask for guidance from spiritual leaders only provides temporary relief—if any at all. But I want to share with you that there is hope.

What Is Scrupulosity OCD?

Scrupulosity OCD is a specific type of OCD where the individual experiences obsessive doubts and fears about their moral or religious beliefs. It’s not about the beliefs themselves—it’s about the fear of being “wrong” or doing something sinful. These fears might feel like they stem from your core, but they are just symptoms of OCD, not a reflection of who you are or your actual beliefs.

I’ve had clients in my OCD Coaching Program who’ve struggled with this very thing. One woman, for example, would repeatedly ask for reassurance from her religious community that she wasn’t sinning. No matter how much guidance she received, the doubt would keep creeping in. If she forgot to pray at a certain time, or if she thought a “wrong” thought, the fear would escalate, making her question everything she’d ever believed. It wasn’t until she started working with me and using the tools of Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) and the Letting Go technique that she started to feel a sense of peace and relief.

Common Thoughts People with Scrupulosity OCD Experience:“Did I say something that offended God?”“What if I’m not praying the right way or in the right spirit?”“I didn’t help someone when I had the chance—does that mean I’m a bad person?”“What if I think something sinful or immoral? Does that make me a bad person?”“Did I do something wrong that I don’t remember, or is there a sin I’m forgetting?”Compulsions and Rituals in Scrupulosity OCD

Along with these intrusive thoughts, people with Scrupulosity OCD often engage in compulsions to ease their anxiety or avoid doing something they feel might be sinful. These compulsions may feel like they’re protecting your spiritual integrity, but in reality, they just reinforce the cycle of OCD. Here are a few common compulsions:

Reassurance Seeking: Frequently asking clergy members, spiritual guides, or others if you’ve sinned or if your behavior is morally acceptable.Excessive Prayer or Rituals: Repeating prayers, rituals, or spiritual practices excessively to ensure that everything is “perfectly” aligned with your beliefs and to prevent any potential sin.Mental Checking: Overanalyzing past actions, words, or thoughts to check if you’ve done something wrong, or rethinking conversations to ensure you didn’t say anything offensive.Avoiding Certain Thoughts or Situations: Trying to avoid certain topics, people, or situations that may trigger the fear of sinning or being morally wrong.The Key to Breaking Free: Letting Go

The secret to overcoming Scrupulosity OCD, and really any subtype of OCD, is learning to let go. In my own journey, and through working with my coaching clients, I’ve learned that the more we fight against the intrusive thoughts or try to push them away, the stronger they get. The key is to accept that the thoughts exist, without needing to react to them or give them meaning.

Letting go doesn’t mean that you have to believe the thoughts. It simply means you stop engaging with them. When my client learned to stop compulsively checking her actions and stop seeking reassurance, she began to experience real relief. By practicing letting go, we stop feeding the OCD’s demands for certainty, which helps reduce the power of those thoughts over time. The more we let go of the need for certainty, the more peace and calm we start to feel.

This is why our OCD coaching program has a 97% success rate. We guide our clients through the process of facing their fears, resisting compulsions, and using the Letting Go technique to reclaim their lives from OCD. This holistic approach—combining ERP with acceptance and letting go—creates a solid foundation for long-term recovery.

If you’re struggling with Scrupulosity OCD or any other subtype of OCD, I invite you to apply for my hands-on OCD coaching program. This program is designed to provide the support and guidance you need to stop battling OCD and start living a life free from fear, guilt, and doubt.

Click here to apply now and start your journey to freedom from OCD.

Take care,

Zach W.

Founder, OCD Coaching Services