- Username
- 6756
- Date posted
- 2y ago
I’ve struggled with this type of Existential OCD before and still stuggle. It’s a tough thought process that mixes in with my suicidal OCD theme petsonally, so I can relate with the theme mixing in with your harm ocd. Just want you to know you’re not the only one stiggling with thus type
I struggle a lot with this as well and it helps me to think 1) "so what" and 2) that not every potential "what if" scenario is bad. Not every thought that pops up has to have a negative feeling attached to it. Let's just say for the heck of it that nothing is real and this is a simulation (which is extremely unlikely, but let's just pretend that it's true). That thought isn't required to be scary or bad. In this life, or "simulation," I have had many laughs, lots of delicious meals, I haven't died once (lol), and I've met so many kind and loving people and I'm willing to bet that you've experienced some of these joys as well no matter how small they may be. On the extreme off chance that life as we know it is not real, that does not inherently mean that whatever "life" is is a bad or harmful thing. I don't know for certain if everything is real or not, but so what? I have enjoyed so much of what I've experienced and I will continue to do so. And so can you, friend. I feel your struggle, but it really does get easier. I've had the same thoughts you have and you're not alone. You will have better days.
I experience the same thing. I’ve gotten so much better and one of the biggest things that helped me just saying “so what” go all of those thoughts. Accepting that I literally will never know the answer. It all might be real, it all might be fake. I’ll never know. And it doesn’t really matter. I just try to shrug the thoughts off as if they were a high dude at a party trying to get me to go down some trippy rabbit hole with him. Maybe he’s right, maybe he’s just high. Who’s to say? Definitely not me so I don’t give power to the thoughts or waste my energy finding answers to things I will never have certainty about. Hang in there. I know it can be so so terrifying. Just know there is hope. If I can handle these thoughts better, you can too.
This is from an article about the GOOD PLACE- a show on NBC. Solipsism (thinking only you exist) "pretty juvenile" form of philosophy, and that she might as well be nice to people in case she's wrong and her entire reality isn't a figment of her imagination. "Why not treat them better just in case they're real?" he says. "What do you have to lose by treating people with kindness and respect?" She's receptive: "Keep talking, probably-fake-but-maybe-real philosopher man." Always, it's just a silly skit from a TV show but I found it comforting.
You’re definitely not alone, dealing with both themes myself!
I am dealing with the existential theme and have been since June. It’s what finally pushed me to properly get diagnosed and start medication. Please know you’re not alone! When I start to feel unreal and have derelization and depersonalization it’s horrible. My psychiatrist said to try “grounding techniques” note 3 things you can smell, see, and touch
Don’t see many people with existential OCD posting on here. I have bad existential (am I real, are the people around me real, am I in some kind of Truman show/matrix world etc.). With existential I think reassurance from other people is basically impossible because we understand that you can never know if the world is real, and I think that’s why doing something even like posting on this forum for support can feel unhelpful and meaningless. But maybe that can be a good exposure for us, like by allowing this forum to mean something we will fight against our OCD? Idk just a thought. Also these thoughts are just so scary that talking to people about them can seem very scary. Like how do you tell somebody you think they might not be real? I avoided talking to anybody about this for years until recently because I thought I was going crazy (I have some schiz-ocd as well) after this thought came to me after an LSD trip. Wondering if anybody relates to this, and maybe we can get some more existential posts in this forum as I think it’s under-talked about, and it’s something that probably will get worse as a society with all the dystopian tech themes in movies and stuff. Also how have you been doing ERP exposures? I’m just starting
Please comment from or advise me from personal experience if you’re currently seeing a therapist and undergoing ERP to treat existential thought OCD. I don’t understand how ERP could work on thoughts like ‘what if my own family or kids aren’t real’ I know with contamination ocd they expose you to your fears by making touch objects or things and with harm ocd they might get you to hold a knife but low does the same principle apply to Existential thought OCD? I’ve been on the ocdf website and couldn’t get any answers …. Please comment
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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