Need help with a fear of hell

[charly233]

I still have a lingering fear of Hell that hits me from time to time. This is due to childhood conditioning. My higher Self tells me that I am God and that god is Love and that there is nothing to fear. But the self hater or negative ego within me insists that this is the worst kind of blasphemy and that I am doomed to be sent to the most dreadful of hell realms as my eternal punishment.

I know I must be patient with this. That the conditioning was so severe that it is no wonder that the fear still hits me every now and then in spite of all the healing I have experienced. I even had a vision of Jesus where he told me that I was okay and to not worry.

I still feel angry towards the fundamentalists who peddle these hell fire myths. I feel that this is a righteous anger and that I have every right to feel angry.

[Luminary]

I also struggle with the same fear - not as much as I used to, I now recognize it as a common symptom of Religious OCD, also called Scrupulosity. Another symptom is "reassurance-seeking," asking others for insights to assure one their fear won't be realized, but it's a trap of OCD - sometimes the sense of reassurance is found in someone else's words, but what happens in the OCD brain is this - it triggers the next cycle of fear. At that point the brain has already registered that reassurance seeking has resolved it before and so naturally turns to it, and one reaches out. But it won't work as well and it will take more and more reassurance-seeking to resolve the fear and the cycle starts again. It can become quite hellish.
If you are interested, I can suggest some resources, groups, coping skills, and common treatments. If you have it, this is a brain disorder, and spiritual insight may do more harm than good in the long run. I am still a very spiritual person and crave oneness with spirit and have found a new way to facilitate that. You can still thrive as a spiritual person.

[charly233]

Thanks for your reply. Sorry you also experience this fear. I think that maybe a lot of people experience this.

Yes any resources and tips etc for dealing with this hellfire fear would be very helpful.

I am glad you believe you can still thrive as a spiritual person.

[Miss Hepburn]

I probably said this before...Trust God. You will always be in the perfect place this way.
Never a care, a worry or fear!
Sorry it's so simple.
I know the mind likes things more complicated.
The simple gets passed over.

[charly233]

Originally Posted by Miss Hepburn

Trust God. You will always be in the perfect place this way.

Brilliant!

Thank you.

[Luminary]

Originally Posted by charly233

Thanks for your reply. Sorry you also experience this fear. I think that maybe a lot of people experience this.

Yes any resources and tips etc for dealing with this hellfire fear would be very helpful.

I am glad you believe you can still thrive as a spiritual person.

The most informative resource I've found is Dr. Ted Witzig's video on YouTube - Scrupulosity: Overcoming Obsessions and Compulsions. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gE6D2Ra2Yc
It's full of a wealth of information and resources. Watching it was like, "Wow. Finally. This makes sense. It's not me." And I was able to get the help I needed. I ended up deconverting from the Christian faith because it was so triggering and am now working on rewiring my brain with the help of pharmaceuticals and therapy (the brain has elasticity and really can be rewired with intention, mindfulness and meditation, and learning the true nature and character of love). Witzig is actually a Christian, but keeps the video clinical and it's the most exhaustive resource I've been able to find. He does make one reference to his spiritual beliefs about demonic activity (trigger warning) - he says the disorder is purely a chemical imbalance and that the dark force can sometimes ride it like a surfboard. It's a long video and you might want to take it in sessions.

Those with Religious OCD want certainty and perfect security and do not feel "okay" without it. But certainty for those with Scrupulosity only triggers the next cycle of fear. Counterintuitively, learning to live with a little uncertainty has the ultimate effect of being able to "live in the moment" more, and frees one from dwelling too much on the pain of the past or fears of the future. I have a mantra when I do get a wave of anxiety: "Nevertheless, this is my NOW." And I focus mindfully on what I'm grateful for in the here and now.

Lastly, there are FB groups for people with the disorder. Some are too full of reassurance-seeking and -giving and faith-based solutions to a medical issue (which most often are maladaptive). A more healthy one is: Secular Scrupulosity OCD - https://www.facebook.com/groups/1035876703961770

Abundant wellness and love to you.

[charly233]

Many thanks for the info and kind wishes. I have been watching the video and feel that I have been afflicted with religious OCD In the past without realising it. Nevertheless I have received a lot of pharmaceutical assistance and therapy over the years and it has helped a lot. I have addressed the issue of my hell fire fears in therapy and have received a lot of healing.

As I said I still get lingering fears but no longer to the extent that I would describe myself as currently having OCD.

I feel that the solution now is to simply trust in the true God of love. But I am not sure I would have got to this point without the help of medication and therapy.

Blessings to you.