Riverbend
- Date posted
- 6y
RickyaveRickyave
- Date posted
- 6y
I used to be hopelessly over encumbered by POCD thoughts at 16 and was working up to ending it all because I had no idea what was going on and didn’t see a future with how I was thinking. I’m 21 now and since then I’ve explored many different areas of life. I’ve been in a couple relationships that gave me great insight to myself and what I want, picked up guitar and starting writing music, climbed out of my introvert shell and became way more extroverted, made connections through school and work, currently have my own DJ equipment with side gigs for extra money (it’s great), and I’m in school focusing a lot better than I did when I was 16. Since then I’ve had a couple more OCD outbursts which were Pure O (haven’t had external OCD since childhood) but each time I’ve learned to give less and less of a shit, which is awesome. Right now I’m still deciding for the long run what I want to do, but I’ve developed a great interest in people and the brain since I’ve researched endlessly about why we’re like this. Im not saying my life is great, but when I was in the hole all I could think about was how suicide can potentially be the answer. I started doing hard shit and thought “if I don’t want to do this anymore I know I have the willpower to just kill myself” which actually helped despite how morbid saying that to myself was. After accomplishing a few things I saw the light again and slowly lifted myself up. Apart from that I’ve been addicted to smoking weed purely to get out of my head, I didn’t even like smoking that much I just did it over and over to help the thoughts. I kicked that and now I’m back in the gym and becoming more aware of my surroundings. Also, I’m currently in a clinical study for OCD and therapy. It’s taken me many many years to get the courage to get the proper help. If there’s anything I can say, it’s to go against your brain and find a therapist, a good one too. Trial and error until you hit the right one. If like me you probably don’t want to do it, but I swear on everything if you get the right help you’ll never look back on these moments you’re experiencing right now. Take care friend and good luck.
ThrockyThrocky
- Date posted
- 6y
Yes, I’m 52 and have lived a full and meaningful life despite external OCD as child (undiagnosed) and then having been hospitalized myself several times in my twenties for incapacitating depression (pure OCD was the primary driver of the depression but as well, not diagnosed at the time) these periods had me utterly convinced there was no way I could function in this world without every second being torture and failure, suicide seemed inevitable and I feared and fought it with all my mite. My recovery journey (pardon the cliche) is way too long to share here but know this...you can get on a path to make these compelling suicide ruminations irrelevant. I think ACT and ERP are powerful relearning tools. There is hope beyond hopelessness.
RiverbendRiverbend
- Date posted
- 6y
Rick and Throcky a million thanks for sharing your stories. I greatly appreciate it. For a long time I had a mindset that my brain and what it does is in my control (pure ocd) and this led to what I call a disaster that lasted for 5 months. 5 months of extreme annoyance . I'm learning to let go of that mindset and leave my brain alone. It's funny for me that for this long I was thinking that an absolute impossible thing was possible! at times I would be extremely tormented because of this mindset but I would somehow convince myself that It's fine to be this way.
RickyaveRickyave
- Date posted
- 6y
Yes! That’s very important I’m proud you’ve figured out that it just isn’t in your control. Since it’s a biological issue, no form of logic is going to cure it instantly. I’ve rejected 7 medications but finally decided to try one last one out. I’m on celeXA 20mg rn and I’m not going to credit much to it but it does give me a more hopeful mindset since this issue isn’t depression or anxiety alone. It’s a whole different monster that coincides the two previous. I can’t wait until you see how powerful and energetic your mind can be once you’re on the right path. It’s truly beautiful and I know you’ll get there.
osfosf
- Date posted
- 6y
I attempted it again a month back but have gotten myself back into work, taking it very slowly though
js94js94
- Date posted
- 6y
In terms of what ?
RiverbendRiverbend
- Date posted
- 6y
in terms of the depression that led to it
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bradylouison
- Date posted
- 20w
As anyone ever struggled with making friends
I use to be good at making friends but since my OCD and my mental health got bad I struggled with making friends I am know in OCD recovery and have been struggling making friends.
AnonymityK
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 18w
Two Years of Recovery: My Journey Through ERP Therapy. Ask Me Anything in the comments below!
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 wouldn’t love me, and that I deserved to be considered a bad person. It was challenging having to say, “Yes, I am those things,” feeling the desire to run, but realizing the thoughts followed me. At the start of my therapy, I remember feeling like I couldn’t 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 I’d never be myself again. But I now know that ERP saved my life. The first couple of sessions were tough. I wasn’t 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 small—simply reading the words that terrified me: "bad mom," "hated," "unloved." Then, I worked on listening to those words while doing dishes—not completely stopping my rumination, but noticing it. Just 15 minutes, my therapist said. It wasn’t easy. At one point, I found myself thinking, “Will I ever feel like myself again?” But I kept pushing through. Slowly, I built tolerance and moved to face-to-face exposures—sitting 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 wasn’t going away, but I could keep living my life despite it. I didn’t 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 anymore—I’m a better version. OCD hasn’t completely disappeared, but it’s quieter now. Most of the time, it doesn’t 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 starting—because 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 wasn’t 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 honesty—it opened the door to lasting change. I’m no longer that person who was stuck in constant panic. I’m someone who has fought and survived, and while OCD still appears from time to time, I know it doesn’t 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!
Anonymous
- Date posted
- 10w
How has your life changed with medication?
For those who have had success with medication for OCD/anxiety, how is your life different now compared to before starting medication?
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