- Date posted
- 2y ago
Ocd getting worse?
Ever since I started ERP I feel like my OCD is only getting worse. I have more intrusive thoughts and memories and they feel worse than they did before. Am I doing it wrong?
Ever since I started ERP I feel like my OCD is only getting worse. I have more intrusive thoughts and memories and they feel worse than they did before. Am I doing it wrong?
My biggest issue is just figuring out whether I’m ruminating or sitting with it correctly without paying much attention to it. I feel like I’ve been ruminating and that’s what has made it worse
@🚀 Same, I just messaged my therapist because I’m so frustrated not knowing am I ruminating or what
@68273 Lemme know if she provides any tips! Lol
@🚀 She just said if you are trying to solve a problem then it’s ruminating, but I still dont know. It’s just feels like I have no control
Yep I think I got confused by all the stuff online about “sitting with thoughts” and “not pushing them away” and interpreted it instead as pretty much focusing too much attention on them. When I do what I mentioned above about just moving on to something else, I always feel a lot better after a few days. But obviously then OCD makes me worried that I’m doing it incorrectly and making it worse in the long run Lmao.
I’m sorry you’re feeling so frustrated. Mental compulsions can be so tricky, and I definitely understand the confusion around how to stop ruminating. It took me a bit to figure out the difference between “sitting with” the anxiety and ruminating, too. For me it was helpful to understand that sitting with the anxiety doesn’t mean going back and forth with the thoughts or answering OCD’s questions. It just means you acknowledge the anxiety is there: “ok I had this thought, thanks OCD *sarcasm*” and let it pass with time rather than urgently trying to make it go away with compulsions. This sounds like a great question to check in with your therapist about. It’s super common for anxiety to rise before it levels out as part of ERP, so they should be able to talk through it with you! I went through it, too. Last thing I’ll say is that ERP does take time, practice and patience. It’s ok if it doesn’t feel pleasant or natural right now. Stick with it and try to see the process through. The goal isn’t to do recovery perfectly, it’s to gain new tools to practice as a lifestyle. You’ve got this!
@Killian Also thank you by the way!
I’m getting so frustrated.
Hi! It’s normal for OCD to get worse when you’re starting ERP. It was very overwhelming for me in the beginning but I’ve stuck with it for about 3-4 months now and it’s sooooo much better now. Don’t give in to the compulsions and hang it there!! Good luck!
Following , I just started erp
And I think when I try too hard to sit with the thoughts really what I’m doing is directing my attention towards them in a bad way instead of just letting myself having a thought, being okay with it, and then moving on to something else
@🚀 What you are describing is exactly the way to go about it (I think) just to have the thought, sit with the anxiety, now engage in a conversation with the thought, and direct your attention to what you’re doing before. It just takes practice. I hope you have a therapist that can guide you through all this :)
Is there a world in which even responding to the thoughts is too much attention towards the thoughts? For me it feels like responding to them is too much attention and makes me feel worse and like it falls under the ruminating category?
@🚀 I guess the response to the thoughts is supposed to prevent ruminating in itself? Because if you respond to it with “yep sure” and then move on it doesn’t really leave room for ruminating?
@🚀 🤔
Hi, I don’t know what to do anymore Pocd kills me I had many themes before but this theme is the hardest for me. I’m tired. I’m on therapy and meds but I barely do erp . I don’t have a reason I just don’t want to do it but today I will because I have to. I’m taking meds and they help with the anxiety for sure. But the obsessive part is still here . I’m almost 2 months on it (40 mg on Prozac) but I’m still super obsessed like I can have thoughts 24/7 every second of the day and not leave me alone. I have experienced a thought right now for a month + . It’s a thought to do compulsion/urge. My therapist says to let go and gives me tips how to she also tell me to do more erp. But I have this thought to do compulsion for more then month. Im scared what if I don’t have ocd the thought is 24/7. Do you think I should switch meds im so tired.
Hi guys! I’m new to the community and I’ve recently received my OCD diagnosis (tho I’ve known about it since childhood). I’ve been somewhat spiraling lately as I wait for my first ERP session (hooray!) I was just wondering if any of you guys have received ERP for existential OCD and if it was successful? My existential OCD compulsions are more so mental and have been affecting me in the sense of dream/memory flashbacks and giving me a sort of “uncanny” feeling about everything around me. Any advice is appreciated! Thank you❤️
Can someone please tell me at what point did you finally accept that it’s OCD? When did the ERP click for you? When did you just stop buying into the lies of OCD and finally let go? Like what does it take. It’s been 2 years of this for me and I’m in ERP currently and it’s just not clicking 😣 is it just me???
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