- Username
- 6756
- Date posted
- 3y ago
Yeah it’s a phenomenon people can have without ocd but given how uncomfortable it can make you feel you obsess over it, derealization is common with people that have anxiety or depression and presumably as someone with ocd I can imagine you’re anxious. You’re not abnormal for feeling that way, for me personally just ponder if it even matters if it is or not. Everything could be unreal but as Descartes said “i think therefore i am” even if it’s all fabricated or simulated etc, you still are experiencing something, you don’t have to suffer from a nihilist perspective on it either, i mean if anything if it’s all not real than the weight of your problems in the grand scheme of it all are truly insignificant and you can make the best out of what this experience is real or not. There’s always going to be uncomfortable uncertainties we are completely out of control over, what we can control though is how we respond to them. Hope that can help it has for me.
Most people with existential OCD have these thoughts I think. And like anxious had said probably even some that don’t have OCD, they just have thought and move on. If you can allow that thought to just come and then go , refocus on anything else it’ll leave just as quick as it came. It’s the energy we put into the thoughts we think need our attention. Everyone has their take on it. I mean I took a philosophy class which is devoted to it. You can choose which thought you want to give attention to though.
I'm dealing with this right now and it's so so hard.
Horrible aint it.. does it terrify u? Do you get exactly the same thoughts?
Yes, I've been dealing with it on and off for about 6 months
Anyone else with existential OCD where you question whether or not you or anything else actually exist?
Hi, so I'm struggling at the moment with existenal ocd... where i keep thinking how do I now anything or anyone is real... to the point even typing this I think how do I know this group and the people in it are real etc, also things like how do I even know my thoughts are real, what are thoughts etc etc... is this normal with existenal ocd? Also then with harm ocd it doet of mixes into it.. like.. what it none of this is real then what difference does it make if I were to harm someone.. then I panic and think how do I know I'm not gna going to or even start believing everything might not be real and go crazy etc? All sounds abit nuts I know but its the only way I can explain it... is this sort of thing normal with Existenal ocd? I'm trying my hardest not to gel with the thoughts as best I can etc.. and I'm not looking for reassurance... but will this ever go away?
I'm currently experiencing really bad Existential OCD and I'm looking for ways to practice ERP for it. My intrusive thoughts are "What if life isn't real" What if you don't really exist" "What if your family is just imagined" "What if it's all pointless" "What if life is just a dream". I'm horrified of believing these thoughts and I'm afraid ERP will convince me that theyre they're true. I'm reaching out in hopes of tips and possible ideas and scripts for my OCD. Thank you.
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