- Date posted
- 6y
- Date posted
- 6y
I haven’t ever been symptom free since my OCD started 10 years ago. I do find it interesting though because I have seen people on here talking about how their OCD comes and goes but for me it has always been a constant. There are times when it’s worse than others of course but I can’t remember a day of it ever being completely gone. I guess it varies by person! I would absolutely love to experience that period of calm.
- Date posted
- 6y
i was symptom “free” for about 3 years — it wasn’t truly symptom free but it was more mild compulsions such as checking my alarm, constantly checking for my wallet, etc.
- Date posted
- 6y
@Anxiousashley I think I would look at it a little differently. You have experienced what it’s like to live without OCD before, so you KNOW that it is possible to not have to always live with it. Where I’m coming from is a little bit different. I think the fact you have experienced life without OCD before should actually give you more hope because you know from first hand experience it’s possible.
- Date posted
- 6y
honestly, no idea. i think my flareup that happened was due to the stress-caused by my brother’s near death experience. it took me a few months to recover but i did & i even kind of almost forgot about it. all i really remembered about it when someone brought it up was that i was extremely suicidal. reflecting back on it after getting a diagnosis this past year i realize that it was ocd. i think my flareups are entirely tied to stressful/traumatic experiences as my flareup this summer was after the death of a close family member. but yeah i honestly dk how i maintained it for so long !!
- Date posted
- 6y
@anxiousashley, In your original flare up did your ocd have multiple themes or just one?
- Date posted
- 6y
I have never been “symptom free”, but in junior high (so about 3 years) I was at my best in terms of mental health
- Date posted
- 6y
@pineapple it is incredible if you are ever able to experience it. But when it comes back it makes it hurt much more I think because u then know what it’s like to be normal for awhile
- Date posted
- 6y
@waluigi what do you think got you to that point? And how were you able to maintain for so long?
- Date posted
- 6y
@pineapple that’s a good way to look at it!
- Date posted
- 6y
@worriedDriver I had harm OCD in my first flare up but looking back I can see multiple themes
Related posts
- Date posted
- 22w
People who went from a really bad time with OCD to a better time now. Is it really possible? What was your theme? Did you take medication?
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 19w
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!
- Date posted
- 9w
I’ve seen wayyyy too many negative posts on here (I totally get it)…but can someone please share some positive experiences? Doesn’t have to be so grand, it could be just that you achieved a small goal with your ocd! I don’t want to continue feeling drowned by this debilitating disorder. I want to see what has helped some of you! So we can all encourage each other! 😊
Be a part of the largest OCD Community
Share your thoughts so the Community can respond