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An obsession or compulsion is an unhealthy attention to something or someone. It begins with a thought that is accompanied with anxiety or fear. Because it involves taking an action that results in a relief of the anxiety or fear, a cycle of repetition takes root, leading to greater attachment to both the anxiety and the now compulsive behavior that relieves it. We come to believe that if we don’t do the compulsive behavior, terrible things will happen. Obsessive behavior shows itself in many forms and can include personal cleanliness, environmental manipulations, or bodily actions. The compulsive behavior is in effect addictive for its ability to relieve the fear. There are many good healing approaches to compulsive or obsessive behaviors, which left unchecked often cause harm or result in unwelcome consequences.
