False memories

This sounds so hard, thank you for sharing. Our thoughts feel so real in OCD because our brain is sending us danger signals even when there is no danger. It feels real in our bodies because the anxiety is real. The trick is to change how we respond to the anxiety/anxious thoughts. I know you said the maybe/maybe not approach (which is one way ERP teaches us to respond by accepting uncertainty) is not appropriate here, and I’m wondering what you mean? There are lots of other non-engagement responses you can try that don’t follow this exact format but still serve the same purpose of helping you sit with the uncertainty and allow anxiety to pass. I know it’s counterintuitive, but the only way to move on from a certain theme is to accept the uncertainty. Because ultimately the content doesn’t matter. OCD will bring us more and more doubt as long as we buy into the idea that the problem is our thoughts themselves, rather than how we respond to those thoughts.

God I've been dealing with this. I had dealt with the false memory before and honestly had gotten through it, but I decided to ruminate and BAM got an immediate spike over a "memory." For me though it seems logical because it kind of goes in with my real event but I feel like I'd know if I did something like that because I do remember my real event you know ? Now I don't know if its false or real because the spike was the same spike I got when I first had a spike over my actual real event. Th thing thats getting to me now obviously is, its hazy but I have real memories that are also hazy so theres no way to tell if its false or not. I also have a feeling I've "done" it just like how I have feelings with real things as if I've done those things and later it turns out to be true. My mind then comparss that to my false memory feeling and it just makes me feel even worse :( So sorry this is happening to you 🫂💕

I can see that you totally understand where I’m coming from. I guess I just feel stuck and don’t see a way out without getting more reassurance which I know is totally the wrong way to approach this. I’m sorry too that you’re going through this. It’s horrible.

Thank you for taking the time to help. You’re right there are lots of mental compulsions. Trying to remember word for word previous reassurance my husband has given me, like months ago! Reasons the thoughts can’t be true etc. That then becoming blurry itself making me desperately want to hear it again. I know so much about ocd, how it works, what keeps it going etc but I don’t seem to be able to resist the urge to prove these thoughts wrong. So many times I’ve thought about trying NOCD therapy but I’m just scared of being made to do ERP where I have to for example make loop tapes of my fears or write them out over and over and then my brain finally believing this stuff rather than at least recognising it’s ocd which I know deep down.