We just talked about Jeffrey Dauhmer in my sociology class and all the crazy things he did. Now my mind keeps thinking/picturing everything and it’s making me sick. Then my harm ocd gets triggered and says I’m like him and tries to imagine me doing worse things..anyone else? Any tips? I start erp in two weeks.
My first bout of harm OCD was triggered by watching the series. It was so graphic and disgusting. It lasted for a good while. I’m feeling better now. I realized my thoughts were worse when anxiety was bad. So if there’s anything you can do to lessen anxiety that might help. I also read overcoming unwanted intrusive thoughts by sally winston (that makes you feel like a normal person). Kinda crazy but I also started taking this supplement called SeroPlus that was developed by a psychiatrist for people with OCD and anxiety. I’ve only been taking it a week but my thoughts have almost disappeared or when they re surface they don’t cause anxiety. This supplement aids in serotonin which helps the sticky thoughts get unstuck! Long winded sorry but I was in your place just a few weeks ago.
@Nell. Should not that you can’t take it if you are currently on any SSRIs
@Nell. Thank you! I read that book and it’s amazing, I just got caught off guard by these thoughts.
My ocd rn was triggered by the series abt him as well
My tip would be to use this as a time for a real life exposure. This is a super important example of why using our coping skills outside of therapy can be beneficial! Instead of resorting to compulsions, use this time to lean into the anxiety those thoughts cause. I know you haven’t really practiced ERP yet, so be gentle on yourself. This will feel super challenging at first, but you will feel better breaking the cycle of OCD instead of listening to it and using compulsions to get out of the thoughts.
Yikes ! That’s quite a topic for someone with harm OCD. I am sorry it is difficult - and congratulations to you that ERP starts in two weeks. Here are some tips: When the intrusive thought comes in, try and best you can to let it be there without doing anything with it - in other words try your best to not compulse. As you will learn with ERP that compulsing makes ocd stronger. I recognize this is new so do the best that you can. Another approach would be to acknowledge the thought with a non-committal response. You could say something like maybe I am like him, and maybe I am not - I guess we will have to wait and see. Here is the exposure Thought - you are like Jeffrey Dahmer. You - maybe I am and maybe I am not. I am not going to try and figure it out. I am going to continue to live by my values and if there is a situation that comes up when I am acting like Jeffrey Dahmer I will deal with it then. OCD hates it when you say you are not going to do anything and you are going to live by your values which to this moment does not include harming people. Yes, there is a chance in the future, but for the present moment - which is all we have - your values do not include harming someone. And finally - ALWAYS be kind to yourself. This is a difficult disorder and being kind to yourself is important. You have taken the first step - getting ERP. May you find all the success you are wishing for - and know this community is routing for you and we are here to support each other.
@Jeffrey Thank you so much, this means a lot
As scary and triggering as it can be to watch a documentary like this, it is also extremely beneficial for exposure work. Try not to do compulsions while watching the series/after, lean into the anxiety and icky feelings and let the anxiety ride the wave and lessen. It will be tough at first but you can do it! It will help show you the thoughts and feelings can be there but won’t hurt you.
Anyone want to talk about harm ocd?
Okay, so for the most part, if you have harm ocd/intrusive thoughts, you’ll understand (hopefully). If you haven’t seen, everyone is talking about the Netflix documentary “Dahmer”. Most harm ocd sufferers (myself included) that I’ve gotten to know all struggle with fears of being evil in any way (like a sociopath/narcissistic, etc). Do we need to make ourselves watch it? Even some of my friends without OCD say they couldn’t do it. The reason I don’t want to watch it is because I’m afraid it’ll trigger me. I’ll look for any common traits (this is what I do) and it’ll send me into a panic attack. But aren’t we SUPPOSED to on purpose watch things that bring us distress? The series has everyone talking about mental health and it SUCKS because OCD is considered “mental health” and I feel like it lumps us all into a giant category. Everything true crime triggers my harm ocd. I don’t even want to know humans are capable of such things because then it reminds me “it’s all possible”. I don’t know if I explained it well, but does ANYONE understand where I’m coming from 🥺🥺🥺🥺
just a couple days ago i experienced this for the first time from watching the new DAHMER series. Im having intrusive images and thoughts of me harming or killing my loved ones and its so scary because i would never do it. It has me questioning if im crazy and im having severe panic attacks over 3 times a day. Im mentally and physically drained, i’ve told my mom about it and we are going to see a therapist tomorrow. Im scared to because idk if they specialize in OCD and if i tell them my thoughts they are gonna put me in the mental hospital or say im crazy and don’t have OCD, can any therapists on here or fellow people with Harm OCD let me know if you think im showing signs of it, i just want it to go away and to be able to sleep at night without severe overthinking.
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