Is freedom possible?

I think it is possible. It’s going to be a hell of a road to get there, but there’s hope.

Of course, but it’s a lot of work to get there. It’s worth every step though.

Hi! I'm sorry to hear that you had a breakdown. That's definitely a normal thing for OCD sufferers to deal with and I can relate to the pain you must be feeling. Dedicated commitment to getting better can really help. I will say that my progress slows down when I don't commit to doing my therapy homework. Perfection won't occur of course, but putting in the effort is the best way to see results. Bad days will occur from time to time and I can still remember my lowest point, but what you may notice as you continue to move forward is that your may never go back to your lowest low. I used that as a marker of my progress. I may have a really bad day but will remind myself that I've come so far since two years ago. Maybe you can remind yourself of other bad days that you've managed to get through? OCD is chronic and is lifelong, however, a lot of people do get better to a point where their thoughts hardly bother them anymore. Everyone's path to recovery is different and even people in recovery may still have not so great days or may have flare-ups of symptoms during times of stress. Maybe a shift in perspective can help? Because OCD is chronic and lifelong, one cannot be "free" of OCD, but we can certainly have the freedom to not let OCD control our lives and prevent us from doing the things that we truly value. Taking back the power and control that OCD has over us is freeing. We have the power to do that and conquer OCD!! Here's a video about OCD recovery: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bgt5Xd0kOGE You got this! I wish you the best! :)

Your stepfather sounds cool!!!