My daughter is really struggling with intrusive thoughts. She is currently in therapy, but she seems to really struggle between sessions. It hurts to see her in so much pain. How can I help her with her thoughts in between sessions?
This is very kind of you! My advice would be to keep her busy, plan activities, make her leave the house and plan things she loved to do before these thoughts occurred. My thoughts mellow down when I’m busy and don’t have time to think. Always reassure her that the thoughts aren’t real and they don’t define her. I deleted social media for a bit and that helped too! X
yes social media too. i deleted all of mines except for discord to keep in contact w friends and tiktok just to keep me busy whemever im bored. it helped plenty
I wish my family had kept me more occupied. Idle hands are OCD's plaything. Also please make sure your daughter is seeing a therapist who specializes in OCD. Medication can also help make ERP easier and she may not need it later in life if she resolves it now. I wish your daughter the best of luck on her healing journey!
ur such an amazing, thoughtful person for being considerate and helping ur daughter get the help she needs to recover: that's what anyone needs. a supporting, loving parent. i think a lot of the times; telling someone u know about ur ocd would be relieving but it could come with constant confessions, re assurance seeking etc. if this ever happens, don't let ur daughter confess or re assurance seek as it is a compulsion and will only make her ocd worse. what helps me personally is spending time with the people i love, going outside is a big distraction. i hope ur daughter recovers
I would say the fact that you asked this shows you’re a great parent. When I was young I had parents who basically told me to “get over it.” It resulted in going untreated until now (I’m 33). My best advice would be to be gentle with her but also be gentle with yourself. Help her use the tools she’s learning in therapy. And use it as an opportunity to learn something fun and new. Does she like art or creating or sports, etc? I always felt best when I was younger when I could dive into a passion. Hugs to you!
Give her as much love & support that you can without feeding her compulsions. The therapist should be able to guide you. Hope this helps.
What are some strategies you use to keep intrusive thoughts at bay between therapy sessions?
I don’t know what to do! My 13 year old son has suffered with intrusive thoughts for years. He feels guilty of things he’s done in the past when he was super young and obsesses over it to the point that he has to come clean about everything!! He fears that he may be a phedophyle at times because of intrusive thoughts. He’s on Zoloft 75 for it, it was getting better for a bit but it’s getting aggressive again! He is so kind and such a good son and person. He is in counseling but his counselor doesn’t specialize in OCD. I don’t know if I should have them change his medication, idk if there’s a medication that will help him more. I’m so scared I suffered with intrusive thoughts as a kid and teen, I never got help but I’m good now.
Hi, what are some helpful coping skills that my son can use to manage his intrusive thoughts. He suffers from Religious OCD and his first therapy session isn't until December 28. He needs some relief from the thoughts or at least some ways to push through them until he starts therapy. I appreciate any suggestions.
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