This past weekend OCD Missouri held the first official St. Louis OCD Walk to bring together OCD sufferers, their loved ones, and OCD therapists. The event was a beautiful display of the healing power of community.
Being a part of the St. Louis OCD community for almost 20 years, I’ve had the privilege of attending and speaking at many events put on by various organizations. While this one did not involve a support group session or professional speaker series, it was amazing to witness the healing occur in another way.
As the crowd gathered in and around the pavilion at James McDonnell County Park, I saw so many big smiles and hugs between therapists who hadn’t seen each other in awhile, and those who work together every day. I saw familiar faces from past OCD events, and witnessed those with OCD come up and introduce themselves to a familiar face they couldn’t quite place. I saw new connections being made, as strangers introduced themselves to others and seemed to instantly find some important connection that they had.
It’s hard to put into words what made this event so powerful, but I think it must be related to the healing power of connection within this community. When Beth Brawley, the co-founder and co-president of OCD Missouri, got up to speak, she couldn’t hold back her tears. She had just learned that this event alone had raised over $3000 through donations from those in the OCD community. As she continued to speak, she became choked up again as she explained how she created OCD Missouri to help those with OCD and their loved ones to know that they are not alone.
“You are not alone,” is something we often say to our OCD clients. When I tell one client that I have another client who has experienced something so similar to what they just told me, I see the shame melt away as tears well up in their eyes. “I thought I was the only one who thought this way,” I often hear, along with immense relief in learning that in fact they are not.
This walk was a literal demonstration of this. Seeing so many people come together to show OCD sufferers that they are not alone was heartwarming. My hope in writing and sharing about this is that many more people who live with OCD will truly see that they are not alone.
If you would like to be a part of the St. Louis OCD Community, please join OCD Missouri’s next free event in just a few weeks! The OCD Awareness Mini Conference will be held at St. Louis Behavioral Medicine Institute on Saturday, October 19th from 9am-2pm. Email Angela@ocdmo.org with any questions or to sign up. Breakfast and lunch will be included.
