- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 2y
Therapy
Is anyone else doing acceptance therapy? It's only been 2 rounds of it but I feel like it's bs and only makes me more scared.
Is anyone else doing acceptance therapy? It's only been 2 rounds of it but I feel like it's bs and only makes me more scared.
Thank you for your comment. If you are referring to Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, it has some similarities to ERP in that you are accepting thoughts and feelings (accepting does not mean believing them or liking them) and choosing to engage in the behaviors that are important to you. ERP is about intentionally experiencing your fear, not for the purpose of of being afraid, but to learn that you can tolerate some anxiety or negative feelings without needing to engage in compulsions to make you feel better right away. We find that in this way, the fear will reduce in its own natural way and you can still be able to get on with life. Also, the more discomfort you experience without engaging in safety behaviors leads to more resilience and less discomfort over time. It is ok to be scared and you face your fears, and in the beginning it can seem challenging but don't give up!
I find my mind trying to"like" the thought. I saw from another therapist that it's a safety thing your brain does to try to relax. How can I prevent this? Any tips? I'll be talking to my therapist too
Current me, yes. I'm doing ACT and CBT and then I'll be doing specifically ERP. ACT can feel like a hole in the water sometimes but that's totally okay. Give everything the time. I know how cliche this sounds but patience is the key. When the thoughts come, allow them to stay, like "oh i see you're here, you wanna "talk" but you can continue talking, i wont talk to you. I'll choose to remain silent". Hope this helps any littleš¦
I've just started ERP therapy What's the acceptance therapy?
I just feel like therapy isnāt working⦠like I get to talk about myself and understand myself⦠but Iām already incredibly self aware. My therapist thought I was like 5 years older than I am⦠and she gives me such basic strategies that do absolutely nothing for me. And a psychiatrist prescribed me with Zoloft⦠but I donāt know if T want to take medication. Iām scared of side effects⦠and Iām scared of getting better⦠Iām scared of letting my guard down. I know it will make me less cautious which makes me less likely to push myself to perfection like I currently do, which I canāt have happen. Every time I talk to my mom about it, sheās always like āLetās talk about this some other time, Iām busy with other thingsā, and then never remembers. But in the rare moments we do talk about it, she treats it like Iām signing up to be a drug addict. I also feel very guilty for spending so much of my parentsā money- therapy⦠medication⦠etc⦠and also the idea of my being unlovable is so deeply engraved in my brain⦠I genuinely, truly believe it. No therapy or medication can fix it. I canāt change my mind. My therapist tells me my misophonia is not a ādeal-breakerā and that someone would be lucky to have me as a partner⦠but then why hasnāt anyone ever liked me? My own FAMILY canāt stand me. How do I believe something I know isnāt true? Thatās even harder to accept than me being unlovable. I canāt see someone loving me. And it is so incredibly exhausting to seek love,e I know I cannot have. My sister says, āIt will get better with ageā¦ā It has only ever gotten worse. To the point I donāt want to get better. It has reached the severity where I feel more safe and successful with anxiety. My past 3 birthdays have been me wishing for therapy. And now I have therpay- and medication, the potential key⦠and I refuse? Am I too deep in? I cant get out, itās too late. How did absolutely no one notice how much I had and have been hurting? Why did no one listen to my cries or worries? I feel really depressed and hopeless right now. It takes so much effort to get up every day⦠Iām so tired.
(21+ ONLY: TRIGGER WARNING) I have therapy today and Iām nervous. I just started going to therapy and I really like my therapist. She talked to me about doing ERP and Iām really nervous about it. Iām scared to tell her the extent of my OCD, and my themes. Iām scared to tell her about my false memory OCD, because Iām scared that what I did was real and Iām just excusing it as false memory, although I have no memory of it. Iām scared that I am truly a monster and Iām using OCD as an excuseāand that sheāll find out and distance herself. Iām just scared that my whole world is gonna fall apart, all around me.
Iām thinking about doing erp but my ocd is so severe the thought of accepting my fears happening to me makes me sick to my stomach. I also believe in the power of my words and saying I accept this Bad thing will attract it into my life. Iām not sure what I should doš„²
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