- Date posted
- 3y
- Date posted
- 3y
i was wondering the same đ
- Date posted
- 3y
i did one session of therapy but i had to reschedule my next appointment due to money problems âšď¸
- Date posted
- 3y
Start small. Start accepting your thoughts, (this will become easier as time passes) start ceasing avoidance and start independent exposure excercies (a good one is looking up the word âchildâ on google. For whatever reason, this is an hard as voluntarily sticking a needle into your arm to fellow POCD sufferers. You could go a step further and pick a specific though and look up the exact appearance, though I havenât done that because thatâs easy to close to being a creep for me. You want to do anything and everything that doesnât make everyone else around you too suspicious, though your perception of this is sensitised, as so your OCD does that. Some exposure has made me feel dirty and overworked inside, but if done well enough, you would have felt like youâve conquered your thoughts, at least for a bit. Your next job after triumphs like an ERP sesh well done is to watch out for compulsions, and probably little seeds of doubt. Donât try to logically combat them, as this will NEVER work against OCD. Instead, just pretend not to care. Turn the other cheek or whatever.
- Date posted
- 3y
thank you so much omg
Related posts
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 24w
Looking back, I realize Iâve had OCD since I was 7. though I wasnât diagnosed until I was 30. As a kid, I was consumed by fears I couldnât explain: "What if God isnât real? What happens when we die? How do I know Iâm real?" These existential thoughts terrified me, and while everyone has them from time to time, I felt like they were consuming my life. By 12, I was having daily panic attacks about death and war, feeling untethered from reality as depersonalization and derealization set in. At 15, I turned to drinking, spending the next 15 years drunk, trying to escape my mind. I hated myself, struggled with my body, and my intrusive thoughts. Sobriety forced me to face it all head-on. In May 2022, I finally learned I had OCD. I remember the exact date: May 10th. Reading about it, I thought, "Oh my God, this is it. This explains everything." My main themes were existential OCD and self-harm intrusive thoughts. The self-harm fears were the hardest: "What if I kill myself? What if I lose control?" These thoughts terrified me because I didnât want to die. ERP changed everything. At first, I thought, "You want me to confront my worst fears? Are you kidding me?" But ERP is gradual and done at your pace. My therapist taught me to lean into uncertainty instead of fighting it. Sheâd say, "Maybe youâll kill yourselfâwho knows?" At first, it felt scary, but for OCD, it was freeing. Slowly, I realized my thoughts were just thoughts. ERP gave me my life back. Iâm working again, Iâm sober, and for the first time, I can imagine a future. If youâre scared to try ERP, I get it. But if youâre already living in fear, why not try a set of tools that can give you hope?
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 20w
Hi guys! Iâm new to the community and Iâve recently received my OCD diagnosis (tho Iâve known about it since childhood). Iâve been somewhat spiraling lately as I wait for my first ERP session (hooray!) I was just wondering if any of you guys have received ERP for existential OCD and if it was successful? My existential OCD compulsions are more so mental and have been affecting me in the sense of dream/memory flashbacks and giving me a sort of âuncannyâ feeling about everything around me. Any advice is appreciated! Thank youâ¤ď¸
- User type
- Therapist
- Date posted
- 20w
So you got to ask me anything⌠Now Iâd like to ask you something! Iâve 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. Iâve also had Members share how theyâre very scared to begin ERP treatment because theyâve 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 havenât yet begun to work with an ERP specialist, what is holding you back?
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