- Date posted
- 6y ago
- Date posted
- 6y ago
I am totally recovered, I was told there is no cure like you say only manage it. I am here to tell you can recover. I found these books excellent. Dr Claire Weeks
- Date posted
- 6y ago
Wow thanks for sharing! I personally don’t have a success story (yet), but I like mark freeman! He overcame it and his view on life and mental health is inspiring!
- Date posted
- 6y ago
I think the whole thing about 'manage, not cure' is largely because some people have expectations that aren't very useful. Like feeling less anxiety, or having fewer intrusive thoughts. That's not under anyone's control, and everyone experiences both those things. But you can definitely stop doing compulsions, you can definitely be OK with intrusive thoughts and anxiety, and you can definitely live a completely normal, happy life having OCD. The thing people really don't get as well is you have to work at your mental health CONTINUOUSLY, not just for a year in your life when it got really bad. That's like only exercising when you got really unhealthy, stopping when you got fit and then wondering where all your muscle went! For the record, I think I'm doing way better with my OCD and my mum also had ERP for OCD a few years ago, and she's sixty. So it's never too late!
- Date posted
- 6y ago
I didnt fully beat it yet but Ive been dealing with ROCD sincd November and there have been days where I cant eat or sleep and Ive had long panic attacks. I still have my bad days, but I got my life back and Im excited about life again. I definitely think this will get easier and easier. It was all a matter of learning that the thoughts arent true. If they were, I wouldve acted on them by now.
- Date posted
- 6y ago
I have many reasons to suspect that as a child I had scrupolosity. I thought that I was a terrible person, and not had an illness. I was constantly checking if I had done something offensive in church or if I had said something. It was horrible. I suffered in complete silence. I was less than 10. Then one day, it was gone. I don't know when, I don't know why, but it was gone. Much of these memories faded with time, but truly, I did nothing to get rid of it. I think recovery is very possible for ocd, but you're prone to get it again afterwards. For me, it was many years later. And also, I'm not sure about this, but I think that perfectionism is a trait of many people with ocd (not tidyness necessarily, but having high standards for things in general).
- Date posted
- 6y ago
Yeah that sounds about right! My theory is that you’ve gotta had some kind of trauma as a kid, like a tragic event or like, very mild abuse that pokes at your self esteem. All the people I’ve known with OCD or any other kind of anxiety can all agree that they had some unsettling childhood experiences that built an unsecure base in their minds. I myself had a bit of both, and about a year and a half ago I went to therapy for overthinking (thinking back it was just Pure-O, but that doesn’t exist yet in my country’s diagnostic book) and the whole anxiety, overthinking and obsessing went away when I looked a little at my self esteem, beliefs and my self image. Then I kinda stopped believing myself again and woop, it came back 100x harder
Related posts
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 13w ago
Looking back, I realize I’ve had OCD since I was 7. though I wasn’t diagnosed until I was 30. As a kid, I was consumed by fears I couldn’t explain: "What if God isn’t real? What happens when we die? How do I know I’m 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 didn’t 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. She’d say, "Maybe you’ll kill yourself—who 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. I’m working again, I’m sober, and for the first time, I can imagine a future. If you’re scared to try ERP, I get it. But if you’re already living in fear, why not try a set of tools that can give you hope?
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 10w ago
Hi everyone, I’m Cayla. I’m a mom that’s lived with OCD since childhood, but my breaking point came more recently after having my son. I was consumed by terrifying thoughts—What if I hurt him? What if I did something awful without realizing it? I was so afraid of my own mind that I couldn’t be alone with him. The shame and exhaustion were unbearable, and I convinced myself I was broken. In 2024, I finally sought help. ERP therapy at NOCD was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, but it saved my life. Even now, I have tough days, but I know I don’t have to be ruled by OCD. When my 12 year old daughter began showing signs of OCD, I felt overwhelmed with guilt. I never wanted her to go through what I had, but I knew what to do. I told her that I have OCD too and made sure she knew it wasn’t her fault—and that she wasn’t alone. One of the hardest parts of this journey was trusting someone else with my daughter’s OCD. I knew how vulnerable it feels to share intrusive thoughts, and I wanted her to feel safe. Her NOCD therapist was able to establish trust and genuine empathy from the start, and that relationship gave her the confidence to face ERP head-on. Seeing her build that trust made me certain she was in the right hands. ERP has helped both of us reclaim our lives, and it is beautiful to see my daughter managing her condition and making visible progress. Parenting with OCD while raising a child with OCD isn’t talked about enough, but I know so many parents are struggling with these same challenges. If you have questions about managing OCD while parenting, helping your child through ERP, or breaking cycles of guilt, drop them below—I’d love to share what I’ve learned. I’ll be answering all of the questions I receive in real-time today 4-5pm ET.
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 10w ago
Hi everyone, I’m Andrea and I am a member of the Intake Team here at NOCD. In junior high, I was known as the “aneurysm girl” because I was convinced any small headache meant I was dying. At just 12 years old, I read something that triggered my OCD, and from that moment on, my brain latched onto catastrophic health fears. Any strange sensation in my body felt like proof that something was seriously wrong. I constantly sought reassurance, avoided being alone, and felt trapped in an endless cycle of fear. Over time, my OCD shifted themes, but health anxiety was always there, lurking in the background. I turned to drinking to numb my mind, trying to escape the fear that never let up. Then, in 2016, everything spiraled. I was sitting at work, feeling completely fine, when suddenly my vision felt strange—something was “off.” My mind convinced me I was having a stroke. I called an ambulance, launching myself into one of the darkest periods of my life. I visited doctors multiple times a week, terrified I was dying, yet every test came back normal. The fear never loosened its grip. For years, I cycled in and out of therapy, desperately trying to find answers, but no one recognized what was really happening. I was always told I had anxiety or depression, but OCD was never mentioned. I was suicidal, believing I would never escape the torment of my mind. It wasn’t until 2022—after years of struggling, hitting rock bottom, and finally seeking specialized OCD treatment—that I got the right diagnosis. ERP therapy at NOCD was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but it saved my life. Today, I’m 34, sober, and living a life I never thought was possible. Do I still have hard days? Absolutely. But I am no longer a prisoner to my fears. The thoughts still come, but they don’t control me anymore. They don’t dictate my every move. Life isn’t perfect, but it no longer knocks me off my feet. If you’re struggling with health OCD or somatic OCD, I see you. I know how terrifying and isolating it can be. But I also know that it can get better. If you have any questions about health & somatic OCD, ERP, and breaking the OCD cycle, I’d love to tell you what I’ve learned first hand. Drop your questions below, and I’ll answer all of them!
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