- Date posted
- 3y
Praise reports?
Would love to hear some of your recovery stories or progress reports since starting therapy.
Would love to hear some of your recovery stories or progress reports since starting therapy.
i first remember experiencing ocd in 2019 and that subtype lasted 6 months. i honestly thought i would never recover from it, but i did!! i am currently dealing with a different subtype, but i just keep reminding myself of how i got through that previous one and that one day i will look back on this in the same way đ
Wish you your speedy recovery
My intrusive thoughts have decreased since starting therapy
Hey! I've had a really drastic turnaround since starting ERP. I started out spending four years bedbound from chronic illness that actually turned out to be extremely severe OCD, and doing mental compulsions pretty much the whole time I was awake (and often in my dreams.) A year on, and it's like I'm a totally different person and in a totally different life--I can leave my house and go for walks or to events, I'm able to work part-time where before I hadn't been able to work for over 10 years, there is so much joy back in my life that I never thought I'd have again, and even when my OCD does flare up, it's less like it's at the steering wheel and more like it's in the back seat. Sure, it's still kicking my seat and sure, it's still annoying, but it doesn't have the power to control my life it used to have. ERP is hard work and no fun, don't get me wrong--but it's way less hard work and no fun than continuing to live with OCD. I would enthusiastically recommend ERP to absolutely everyone with OCD. Not only has it made a huge difference in my own life, I've seen it make a huge difference in the lives of many of my friends with OCD. I really hope this helps--and best of luck for your own recovery journey!
I spiraled into high-functioning depression because of my obsessions; I slowly recovered into a semi-functional state but still struggled with rumination and fear. I couldn't access counseling until well over a year after that episode, but when I was finally able to begin, a huge weight lifted off my chest. I've been working with my therapist for a few months, and I have never had a better relationship with my own emotions and mind; the difference is night and day. I feel much healthier and more alive inside. The progress has been slow and difficult but incredibly rewarding. Would recommend 10/10.
People who went from a really bad time with OCD to a better time now. Is it really possible? What was your theme? Did you take medication?
December 14, 2024, marked two years since my first ERP therapy session with my NOCD therapist, Mixi. And October 2024 marked a year of being free from OCD. It was not an easy journey, confronting my fears face to face. Exposing myself to the images and thoughts my brain kept throwing at me, accepting that I might be the worst mother, that my daughter wouldnât love me, and that I deserved to be considered a bad person. It was challenging having to say, âYes, I am those things,â feeling the desire to run, but realizing the thoughts followed me. At the start of my therapy, I remember feeling like I couldnât do this anymore. Life felt unbearable, and I felt so weak. I longed for a time before the OCD, before the flare-ups, before the anxiety, the daily panic attacks. I thought Iâd never be myself again. But I now know that ERP saved my life. The first couple of sessions were tough. I wasnât fully present. I lied to my therapist about what my actual thoughts were, fearing judgment. I pretended that the exposures were working, but when the sessions ended, I went back to not sleeping, constantly overwhelmed by fear and anxiety. But my therapist never judged me. She made me feel safe to be honest with her. She understood OCD and never faltered in supporting me, even when I admitted I had been lying and still continued my compulsions. My biggest milestone in therapy was being 100% transparent with my therapist. That was when real change began. At first, I started smallâsimply reading the words that terrified me: "bad mom," "hated," "unloved." Then, I worked on listening to those words while doing dishesânot completely stopping my rumination, but noticing it. Just 15 minutes, my therapist said. It wasnât easy. At one point, I found myself thinking, âWill I ever feel like myself again?â But I kept pushing through. Slowly, I built tolerance and moved to face-to-face exposuresâsitting alone with my daughter, leaning into the thought that my siblings might die, reading articles about my worst fears, and calling myself the things I feared. Each session was challenging, but with time, the thoughts started to lose their grip. By my eleventh session, I started to realize: OCD was here, and it wasnât going away, but I could keep living my life despite it. I didnât need to wait for it to be quiet or go away to move on. Slowly, it began to quiet down, and I started to feel like myself again. In fact, I am not my old self anymoreâIâm a better version. OCD hasnât completely disappeared, but itâs quieter now. Most of the time, it doesnât speak, and when it does, I know how to handle it. The last session with my therapist was emotional. I cried because I was finishing therapy. I remember how, in the beginning, I cried because I thought it was just startingâbecause I was overwhelmed and terrified. But at the end, I cried because I was sad it was ending. It felt like I had come so far, and part of me wasnât ready to say goodbye, even though I had already learned so much. It was a bittersweet moment, but I knew I was walking away stronger, equipped with the tools to handle OCD on my own. If I could change anything about my journey, it would be being open and honest from the beginning. It was the key to finding true healing. The transparency, the honestyâit opened the door to lasting change. Iâm no longer that person who was stuck in constant panic. Iâm someone who has fought and survived, and while OCD still appears from time to time, I know it doesnât define me. I'd love to hear your thoughts and comments. Have you started therapy, is something holding you back? Is there something you want to know about ERP therapy? I'll be live in the app answering each and every one today from 6-7pm EST. Please drop them below!
i am starting NOCD therapy on monday and was just curious on othersâ experiences! what happens in your sessions, generally speaking? how do you feel during and after? iâm excited but also nervous to start. iâve been in talk therapy for years with minimal improvement with my ocd, so im hopeful to start feeling better.
Share your thoughts so the Community can respond