Cheetahvionic
- Date posted
- 2y ago
ERP
This question is for those who have already started ERP: Do your obsessive themes seem realer to you for a little while after doing ERP?
CheetahvionicCheetahvionic
- Date posted
- 2y ago
I mustered up some courage to begin ERP, and now my whole body is in a state of anxiety hours after I started. I cannot even sleep now😔
Lukej91Lukej91
- Date posted
- 2y ago
Make sure you take little steps and don't flood yourself too quickly
BatsBats
- Date posted
- 2y ago
I think as you are facing your fears with erp in a very straightforward (and brave!) way, the anxiety that accompanies this may feel be heightened so thoughts could feel real/extra scary. But I guess that's the erp doing it's job - exposing us and showing us that it's just a thought. I remember when I started Erp my thoughts would go wild, and as soon as I let them be there they'd jump on to new ideas and anxieties. It was scary but you start to see how the pattern of ocd works, and being able recognise them for what they are. Small steps but your brain learns! Weeks ago there were sentences I couldn't even say, now I can shout them if I wanted to. Keep it up if you can, sit with the anxiety and good luck 🥰
- User type
- Therapist
- Date posted
- 2y ago
This is common. Often people are confronting their fears for the first time ever. This can make them more salient, and appear more intrusive, intense, and/or "real." This tends to go away after a short period of time, however.
flowerboyflowerboy
- Date posted
- 2y ago
yes for certain ones. like for my problems with spiders the anxiety went up a lot and lasted because i had to actually look at pictures/touch the pictures which i always avoid/never do bc i know how scared i will be. but with my erp for counting it was more of an in the moment anxiety because i wasn’t being shown something that shocked/scared me, i was only trying not to count, which still stressed me out but once i was done it didn’t make anything different for me
Related posts
Josh M
- Date posted
- 15w ago
Winners
Those of you who have overcome at least a bit, if not all, of your OCD. When you went through the CBT and ERP, did it feel like the end of the world? And how did you face the fact that your fears and uncertainties might actually come to life?
Sosa2loud
- Date posted
- 5w ago
Kind of Spiraling
Hi guys! I’m new to the community and I’ve recently received my OCD diagnosis (tho I’ve known about it since childhood). I’ve been somewhat spiraling lately as I wait for my first ERP session (hooray!) I was just wondering if any of you guys have received ERP for existential OCD and if it was successful? My existential OCD compulsions are more so mental and have been affecting me in the sense of dream/memory flashbacks and giving me a sort of “uncanny” feeling about everything around me. Any advice is appreciated! Thank you❤️
Girlypop
- Date posted
- 4w ago
ERP for fear of cancelation? (Event/False Memory)
What ERP or other techniques do you use to combat fear of cancelation? Especially curious about those with taboo thoughts, false memory ocd and event ocd based off of real events where the fear of cancellation may actually hold some validity. I once did my own ERP not under a therapist but just on my own I decided to create an anonymous account on Twitter and defend a friend who was receiving online criticism. I knew that this would be semi-controversial so I was expecting backlash and when I recieved troll replies it actually seemed to be a really helpful low-stakes exposure activity. Is this something that others have done? Low stakes online posts etc. that you know will recieve negative responses? I have had severe OCD as a kid as pretty much every subtype under the sun, and as an adult I pretty much have all the types under control except for this real event and false memory and taboo thought OCD. It seems like a different beast since it's somewhat realistic in the camcellation culture today, and it's confusing to address. Ive shut down almost all social accounts and it's keeping me from progressing in a career where I need to have an online presence :/
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