Anonymous
- Date posted
- 3y
Myke GMyke G
- Date posted
- 3y
Familiarize yourself with ACT.
AnonymousAnonymous
- Date posted
- 3y
Ok
AnonymousAnonymous
- Date posted
- 3y
@Anonymous Thanks for responding.
Myke GMyke G
- Date posted
- 3y
@Anonymous Of course
- User type
- Therapist
- Date posted
- 3y
I think coming into exposure therapy with a willingness to do the hard work is a great way to prepare. Exposure work is intended to increase the anxiety around your intrusive thoughts, but eventually anxiety will start to come down the more you practice exposures. The good news is you won’t be alone, you will have your ERP therapist along side you! NOCD also offers many support groups and other resources. I would recommend using as many of these resources as you can!
JoyeberryJoyeberry
- Date posted
- 3y
First of all, congratulations on starting this journey. Even just thinking about it is a big step and shows your OCD that you're not messing around! :) 1. Know that your NOCD therapist is not going to be fazed by anything you say. OCD comes up with *all kinds* of things and your therapist has heard them all (or at least enough to not be shocked haha). 2. Remember that you will go at your pace. Your therapist's job is to help YOU create your path to recovery. You will not do any exposures until you're ready (and by the time you get to your "hardest exposures" they won't be as bad anymore... that's how it works!). 3. Trust the process. My therapist told me that ERP doesn't typically make OCD worse at the beginning, but you will be intentionally doing things to trigger your distress. The cool thing is that when you do that, you're also intentionally sitting with the discomfort and watching/waiting for it to subside. And again, never to an overwhelming point. Your therapist is trained to help you get familiar with it first and follow your pace. I hope this helps. I know it is so scary, and I also know that you're capable to do this! The fact that you're here says so much. Keep going!
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Jennifer Dal...
- User type
- Therapist
- Date posted
- 25w
Let’s talk about Therapy
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?
bee.buzz
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 24w
curious!!
i am starting NOCD therapy on monday and was just curious on others’ experiences! what happens in your sessions, generally speaking? how do you feel during and after? i’m excited but also nervous to start. i’ve been in talk therapy for years with minimal improvement with my ocd, so im hopeful to start feeling better.
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tayanominous
- Date posted
- 19w
Can therapist make you feel worse?
So I’ve been going to an ocd therapist for abt 2-3 months now and she’s starting to make me feel very nervous and anxious I even started crying, she wanted me to do exposures that were to much for me and I got rlly upset and Burt out into tears and she just didn’t say anything and just sat there for a good 10 seconds doing nothing this is starting to repeat nearly every session and I’m very frustrated should I get a new therapist or do I just be nice and tough it out?
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