Overcoming Hoarding Disorder
For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. (Luke 12:34)
The March 2024 National Geographic magazine includes the article “1 in 40 people in the US has a hoarding disorder. A new treatment could help.” Author Daryl Austin pulls back the curtain behind the hoarding crisis in our nation. As a pastor, I am often invited into people’s homes. Through almost four decades of ministry, I have witnessed many kind, faithful people who struggle with the debilitating disorder of hoarding. For many years, people made jokes about this disability because they didn’t understand it was a more difficult struggle than being messy. It wasn’t until 2013 that Hoarding Disorder became “a real psychiatric disorder.”
While many treatments and cures for illnesses exist, hoarding has been largely ignored. But as Austin shares, “Now scientists at Stanford University are exploring a new strategy that uses virtual reality technology to help individuals with hoarding disorder experience the sensation and benefits of decluttering.” Seventy-eight percent of the time, according to Austin, hoarding participants were able to “increase real-life discarding.” The healing was even more profound when the medical community used sensation technology and home visits from a therapist.
If you are concerned that your collections and other “stuff” may be taking you down the road to hoarding, reflect on the following statement: “Indeed, one sign that the accumulation of belongings has become an issue is when it begins to impede one’s life or prevents rooms from being used for their intended purpose.” If this description leaves you uncomfortable or concerned, you can follow up by going to “the International OCD Foundation hoarding center website.” The website will guide your support through practicing patience and self-compassion.
Today, pray for those you know who struggle with this debilitating disorder. Walking in Jesus’ footsteps of divine kindness begins with refraining from making jokes. Instead, seek ways to provide compassion through offering support and options for care. If you are struggling with hoarding, admit you have a problem and address your situation with God and those you trust. Begin taking items you haven’t used in the last year, and thank God for the impact the item made in your life. Celebrate the gift the item was, then thank God for the difference it made, and finally, state why it is no longer necessary in your life and throw it out. The more you go through the practice of honoring and discarding, the easier it will be to let each item go. It is time to stop making excuses and start making meaningful changes.