What We Hope to Accomplish with this System
What you have before on this website is a new cutting-edge, psycho-technology that is hyper-targeted to overcoming OCD checking.
Lots of big words I know!
Funny thing is that while the above statement is completely true this new technology is actually thousands of years old.
Before I developed OCD checking I had always had an interest in the ‘human potential movement.’ And because of this intrigue, I researched memory systems.
You should Google Memory World Records to see what’s possible.
For example, Domonic Obrien memorized every question and answer to the Trivial Pursuits game.
And no Dominic hasn’t inherited any super-power.
But the one thing he does have on his side is…
…a trained memory.
And if memory expert Akira Haraguchi can recall 111,700 digits of Pi then how hard can it be for you to remember if your front door is locked?
With a trained memory remembering everything you’ve checked is safely off, locked, and closed is easy.
So it’s not just the destination that’s important. It’s the mode of transport you use to reach that place as well.
Most therapy and treatment intended to help OCD are like pulling teeth. It’s darn difficult.
Traditional therapy while life-changing is like trying to learn the Digits of Pi through the rote method.
Repeat, repeat, repeat. Using the rote method to push this dry information into the memory is cumbersome at best.
You may be able to memorize a couple of hundred digits of Pi if that. But even this small feat would require a monumental effort on your behalf.
The ‘Look, Lock, Label and Leave System’ is a piece of cake. And by utilizing these systems on this website you will be born again.
This is the first day of your recovery. This is your freedom birthday.
I don’t say this lightly. The changes you are able to make with The 4L’s System will be remarkable.
Literally-Life-Changing.
So these are our objectives below:
- Reduce the number of times you check
- Reduce the amount of time you spend on each check
- To drastically reduce the overall anxiety associated with your checking
- To make this transition as easy & enjoyable as possible.
But before we do this let’s look at the four components of this revoultionary system.
What is the 4L’s System?
The 4L’s System stands for ‘The Look, Lock, Label & Leave System.’
It is a four-part technique based on memory systems that have been strategically designed to overcome OCD Checking.
With the 4L’s we’re able to boost our memory capacity as we’re physically checking each thing.
And since our memory is most engaged through the visual modality, we’ll use coded images to help us remember that everything is off, locked, and closed.
And when it comes to our memory our motto is ‘Weird Works!’
We’re able to recall our memory images much better if they are unusual, vivid, and interactive. These images will be exaggerated, ridiculous, bizarre, and yet logical as well.
The Components of the 4L’s System
Here is a summary of each of the parts of the ‘Look, Lock, Label and Leave System’.
- Look: Look at the thing you’re checking with your eyes open. And keep looking at the thing you’re checking until the rest of the steps are completed.
- Lock: Place your specially coded image onto the thing you are checking.
- Label: Now place this coded image onto a body part.
- Leave: Stop looking at the thing you’ve just checked and move on to the next thing.
Now when you leave your house and you start to worry if the kitchen faucet is still running, all you have to do is ‘scan your body’ for the image you labeled to it.
We know that that image was placed there as we were physically checking. And that we carry that information and confirmation with us wherever we go.
By applying this system we completely remove our doubt.
No Doubt- No Anxiety…No Anxiety-No Compulsive Checking…No Checking-No OCD (no checking OCD that is.)
One of the key reasons why this memory system works so well is because it’s based on our imagination.
When we check something in our house or place of work or car as soon as we leave it behind we start doubting ourselves.
- “Did I engage the handbrake?”
- ‘”Did I turn the stove off?”
- “Did I accidentally put the cat in the fridge?”
So this is where I come in.
I replace doubt with certainty.
We’ll replace our OCD mantra from “What if?” to “I know!”
Your OCD checking won’t stand a chance.
We will override our checking OCD images of our house burning down with more bizarre images of the stove being off.
These images will be so unusual that they can’t but help stay in our memory.
So now we know how to defeat this illness with our imagination we can dig down a bit and look into two forms of The Look, Lock, Label, and Leave System.
How Hurt Can Heal
Trigger Warning: You may find the content below disturbing. Do not read if you have Harm OCD or you are under the age of 16. And don’t read if you find graphic imagery unsettling.
When I first developed ‘The Look, Lock, Label and Leave System’ it came with a major flaw.
‘Labeling.’
When I first developed the labeling part of the 4L’s System I automatically used imaginary pain to help the labeling images to stick to the body.
For example.
If I was checking the front door I would imagine a giant large 3-foot long bolt lock attached to the real door. This is the ‘Lock’ part of the system.
When I labeled this image to my body I would imagine a drill piercing through the lower middle part of my nose. Then I would imagine a small steel bolt going through the piercing, then bending into a v-shape and driving up the interior of it.
And as a result, I would see, feel, smell and taste imaginary blood and tissue dripping onto my mouth.
Here’s why I did this.
The labeling images would stick better because I was engaging more senses than just the visual. And because the images are so graphic.
I even used to seal off the nose with something that I use to call ‘Putting on the Armour.”
In truth, imaginary pain and putting on the armor are no longer necessary.
However, in certain instances, I will still use imaginary pain just because it’s convenient and I’m so familiar with the process. And because it makes the labeling coded images a bit more stickier.
I now refer to the old imaginary pain (as well as ‘putting on the armor) as ‘Standard Checks’.
The checks I do now involve no imaginary pain (with some exceptions as noted earlier) and I have termed these as ‘Soft Options.’
Standard Checks had a number of flaws.
- They may have affected those with Harm OCD.
- They weren’t ideal for children to use.
Now the way is clear.
I hoped you have enjoyed this article.
In the coming weeks, I will be adding the specific Standard Checks and Soft Options that I use to use or currently use.
See you soon and remember,
Victory Awaits Us!