- Date posted
- 3y ago
- Date posted
- 3y ago
I have the book. I highly reccomend that you read it. It teaches you skills that are essential to managing OCD. The main takeaway from the book in my opinion is when the author states that "while OCD might mimic reality, reality never mimics OCD". In saying this, I think he is highlighting the importance of realizing that the sensations that we experience are false messages, and have no place in reality.
- Date posted
- 3y ago
Yes!! I totally highlighted that sentence in my copy.
- Date posted
- 3y ago
@Jon w/ OCD That sentiment is essential to recovery.
- Date posted
- 3y ago
@adhd&autism Essentially, OCD tries to make you feel like what you are thinking is reality, or what is ‘actually’ happening, but it’s just a feeling and not real. Reality will never mimic symptoms of OCD
- Date posted
- 3y ago
Just bought it and want to read it soon.
- Date posted
- 3y ago
Oh my goodness yes! Taught me so much on how to sit with uncertainty and continue on with my day. How to recognize intrusive thoughts for what they are.
- Date posted
- 3y ago
I haven’t I’ll check it out
- Date posted
- 3y ago
I bought it a couple years ago but never read it. I'm going through a really hard time with my ocd right now and actually just tried to read it 30 minutes ago. However my mind is so all over the place I can't focus enough to take anything away from it right now :(
- Date posted
- 3y ago
I started it years ago, but still haven’t finished..
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 3y ago
Hi there! I have never read that, but from the comments, it sounds amazing! I will definitely be adding this to my Amazon cart. That "reality" statement is so powerful. Thank you so much for sharing!
- Date posted
- 3y ago
The book has helped me immensely!! I hope you enjoy it
- Date posted
- 3y ago
Yes, it’s AMAZING. Started me on ERP and changed my life. My therapist loves it!
- Date posted
- 3y ago
Perhaps I should mention that I learned that it’s possible to learn negative behaviors from others, as my therapist at the time suggested that I put the book down for a bit…which is why I have yet to finish it.
Related posts
- Date posted
- 12w ago
New to this app. Do members find it helps, I'm worried I will start obsessing over things I hadn't thought about before when I read other people's OCD triggers...
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 12w ago
Looking back, my introverted nature and struggles to find belonging in high school may have set the stage for how OCD would later impact my relationships. I had my first relationship in high school, but OCD wasn’t a major factor then. It wasn’t until my longest relationship—six years from age 18 to 24—that OCD really took hold. The relationship itself wasn’t the issue; it was what happened after. When it ended, I became obsessed with confessing past mistakes, convinced I had to be completely transparent. Even when my partner was willing to work past them, I couldn’t let go of the intrusive thoughts, and that obsession landed me in the hospital. From there, my struggle with ROCD (Relationship OCD) fully emerged. For years, every time I tried to move forward in dating, doubts consumed me. I would start seeing someone and feel fine, but then the questions would creep in: Do I really like her? Do I find her attractive? Is she getting on my nerves? What if I’m with the wrong person? I’d break things off, thinking I was following my true feelings. But then I’d question: Was that really how I felt, or was it just OCD? I tried again and again, each time hoping I could “withstand it this time,” only to fall back into the same cycle. The back and forth hurt both me and the person I was with. By the time I realized it was ROCD, the damage had been done, and I still hadn’t built the tools to manage it. Now, at 28, I know I need to approach dating differently. I recently talked to someone from a dating app, and my OCD still showed up—questioning my every move, making me doubt my own decisions. I haven’t yet done ERP specifically for ROCD, but I know that’s my next step. Just like I’ve learned tools for managing my other OCD subtypes, I need a set of strategies for when intrusive doubts hit in relationships. My goal this year is to stop letting uncertainty control me—to learn how to sit with doubt instead of trying to “figure it out.” I want to break the cycle and be able to build something healthy without my OCD sabotaging it. I know I’m not alone in this, and I know healing is possible. I’m hopeful that working with a therapist will help me develop exposures and thought loops to practice. I don’t expect to eliminate doubt entirely—after all, doubt is a part of every relationship—but I want to reach a place where it doesn’t paralyze me. Where I can move forward without constantly questioning whether I should. And where I can be in a relationship without feeling like OCD is pulling the strings. I would appreciate hearing about your experiences with ROCD. Please share your thoughts or any questions in the comments below. I’d love to connect and offer my perspective. Thanks!
- User type
- Therapist
- Date posted
- 11w ago
So you got to ask me anything… Now I’d like to ask you something! I’ve heard from Members that they were so scared coming to their first ERP session. They were terrified that I would think they were crazy, that I would tell them their worst fears were true. That I would confirm they are some form of a terrible person or have them hauled off to prison for their thoughts. I’ve also had Members share how they’re very scared to begin ERP treatment because they’ve researched enough to know it means facing the fear, without the compulsions that have kept them feeling safe (but not really safe) this entire time. They struggled to see how they could be capable of doing this, while simultaneously acknowledging that they did not want to live like this anymore. If you have had your first session, what were your thoughts before? Did you have any hesitations or fears going into it? How did it turn out? If you haven’t yet begun to work with an ERP specialist, what is holding you back?
Be a part of the largest OCD Community
Share your thoughts so the Community can respond