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Hey one thing that might help you is starting to focus on what these thoughts mean. Thoughts are just words, or perhaps images in our heads and the only way they mean something is when we assign meaning to them. A good erp is practice saying in your head, as much as you can per day, “Maybe I am a pedo, Maybe I am not” do this for as long as it takes for you to get bored, then go further. Do that exact exercise (u can switch the language if you want) multiple times a day and it will show you that thoughts don’t mean a single thing. Right now I just told myself the roof is gonna fall down on me.. but guess what it didn’t… its because thoughts aren’t rooted in reality!!! Lmk if any of this is useful, you are strong!

I am sorry that ocd is being difficult. Ocd loves to change scenario all the time. That is why compulsions don’t work - because ocd will throw another what if at us. I have learned with ERP to say yup - maybe we will have to wait and see. At this moment I don’t have pedophelia as one of my values but maybe it will change in the future. It helps me to remember that ocd is like a narcissist- change the scenario to fit its own agenda. We cannot control the intrusive thoughts thrown at us - but it is up to us to decide whether we want to show up to OCD’s compulsion party. Sometimes I will answer ocd with something like not my circus not my monkey.

I always tell people if one day you act on the thoughts (whatever they may be) well then that day you can try and figure out why- when you have OCD there will always be a what-if- so when and if that what-if ever happens then you can cross that bridge and until then, it is just thoughts. This is very treatable. Have you done any ERP yet? The goal of ERP is not to get rid of intrusive and unwanted thoughts. ERP teaches the individual that everyone has similar thoughts, they just respond to them differently. The more the person with OCD responds to the thoughts, or engages with the thoughts, the more likely they are to continue to have these. Specialty-trained, qualified, and licensed OCD specialists will never ask you to do things that go against your values or that will cause you or others harm, nor will they ever force you to do anything that you are unwilling to do. Instead, a successful ERP therapist will guide, support, and motivate you. They will come up with reasonable and creative ways for you to gradually face the fears that are holding you back from living the life that you want to live. If you have any questions about starting ERP therapy or need more information about the treatment, please don’t hesitate to book a free 15-minute call with our care team. On the call, we’ll assist you in either getting started with a licensed therapist at NOCD who has specialty training in OCD and ERP, or connect you to other resources that might be helpful.