hlrose
- Date posted
- 2y ago
AnonymousAnonymous
- User type
- Staff
- Date posted
- 2y ago
Well, there's a bit more to it, but it is allowing fear and discomfort without engaging in behaviors (compulsions) to neutralize the feelings if that makes sense. I recommend watching some youtube videos by NOCD or Nathan Peterson- they will give more detailed education on OCD treatment. It is believed that people who suffer from OCD misinterpret the importance of their thoughts. In other words, they want to know why they have them in the first place. They give the thoughts meaning, particularly if the thoughts are bothersome to them. Individuals with OCD often experience an inflated sense of responsibility, believing that they are able to control external events and prevent “bad” things from happening to themselves and others. People who have OCD also tend to feel the need to control their thoughts and they often view thoughts in and of themselves as being dangerous. It makes sense then that ERP would work to disprove the person’s fears through exposure. ERP is a form of cognitive behavioral therapy, that focuses more specifically on the behavioral components. 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.
KyleKyle
- Date posted
- 2y ago
I look at it like leaning into the fear, while resisting reactions and compulsions. When we can limit our reactions to something, it can lose meaning. And that can stick over time! The key in my opinion is resisting compulsions. ERP can teach you many ways to go about this.
Related posts
Josh M
- Date posted
- 22w ago
Winners
Those of you who have overcome at least a bit, if not all, of your OCD. When you went through the CBT and ERP, did it feel like the end of the world? And how did you face the fact that your fears and uncertainties might actually come to life?
hopefulxmess
- Date posted
- 20w ago
Do/did you have this issue? Please help😪
When an intrusive thought comes I can’t just say “that’s not true” and just move on. I always feel like I have to disprove the thought and be able to say it with confidence but the problem is that the ocd doesn’t allow me to feel and say it with confidence so I get stuck for hours or even days. How can I stop feeling like I need to do this?
Ok_Paint758
- Date posted
- 11w ago
Is telling myself "it's just ocd" a compulsion?
When I was a child, before I knew this was OCD, I struggled with constant "magical thinking" compulsions (don't step on the crack or mom's back will actually break, etc). When I later learned this was OCD, it almost immediately solved it. Any time I got a magical thought, I would say to myself "that's just an OCD thought. ignore it." and it just stopped coming! Like seriously it fixed the magical thinking stuff forever. But of course the OCD has resurfaced in other ways. So naturally, I've tried to use the same strategy since I had so much success with it previously. But I wonder sometimes if telling myself "that's just OCD" is almost functioning as a reassurance compulsion? I hate how meta this gets. For example, I have ROCD that comes and goes. So sometimes I'll get a thought like "what if i'm still in love with my ex?" and then I'll tell myself "that's obviously just an ROCD thought" and will feel relief, almost like reassurance. But it comes back. So is telling myself that it's OCD a reassurance compulsion ?? It's just so weird because it worked so perfectly as a kid with the magical thinking thing.
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