ERP Harm OCD

yeah its common, but beware not turning it into some kind of checking compulsion, the thing with erp is to teach your brain there isn't a danger around (insert theme) because when we have that dread feeling that something is going to happen it happens because we enter in fight or flight, so what erp does is it teaches your brain, dont do it while thinking "see? i wont do x" because it will make erp pointless, sit with the anxiety and accept it, after a while you'll feel better

Hi, yes OCD is designed to make you feel uncomfortable. You can do uncomfortable things! Are you working with a therapist? Do you have an ERP plan?

I definitely think I know what you mean. A tricky thing about OCD/ERP is that doing exposures can feel “irresponsible” because we are so used to fearing these things. It feels like genuinely scary thing because our brain is sending us danger signals, like false alarms. At the same time, doing exposures doesn’t actually make us more likely to act on our obsessions. With time that distress should pass more quickly as your brain “habituates” to the idea that you can confront your fears. You’re not alone in this at all, it’s a hard part of the ERP process but super worth it in the end! Another thing that helps me when I’m deciding how to approach a harm related obsession (for example where to start with exposures) is to remember that the purpose of ERP isn’t necessarily to do scary/risky things just for the sake of it. It’s to help you be able to live your life without the fears getting in the way of your values. Is the ERP you’re doing with a therapist or by yourself? If you do see a specialist I think this could be a great thing to bring up with them!