Skip to content

Scrupulosity Explained: Is It a Sin or Is It OCD?

August 12, 2026 · 20 min

Show notes

Saint Ignatius of Loyola once considered walking off a cliff because he couldn't stop confessing sins he wasn't even sure he'd committed. That's scrupulosity and it's more common than most Catholics realize.In this video: what scrupulosity actually is, how it's different from a normal working conscience, where religious OCD fits into the picture, what saints like Ignatius and Alphonsus Liguori actually did about it, and what real, practical help looks like.. spiritually and clinically.If any part of this sounds like your own experience, please don't sit with it alone. Talk to a confessor who understands scrupulosity specifically, and consider talking to a therapist too. Getting help isn sometimes the most direct way back to get back to your spiritual.#Catholic #Scrupulosity #ReligiousOCD #CatholicGuilt #Confession #CatholicMentalHealth

All episodes of AfterMass

Settings

Display

Language

Decides which stations you see first on the home page.

History

Recently played stations and episodes and your latest searches are only stored in this browser.

Notifications

A short notice when a podcast you follow has a new episode. Turn off single podcasts with the bell on their page.

Account

Save favorites – in the app and on the website.

Keyboard shortcuts

/
Open search
Space
Play or pause
← →
In the player: back 15 s, forward 30 s (episodes) · in a row: next tile
↑ ↓
In a row: target within the tile
Home / End
In a row: first or last tile
Esc
Close window or menu
?
This overview
Now playing

Go to station page

Play next

    Add episodes with “Play next” – they play after the current episode.