- Username
- agronace7
- Date posted
- 1y ago
ERP ideas dealing with existential OCD
Hi there! I really wonder.. is anyone out there that ever worked on ERP dealing with existential OCD and managed to get through this situation? If so, any ideas? Any tips?
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- Username
- agronace7 agronace7
- Date posted
- 1y ago
Yes. I'm in CBT therapy two years now and in medication (enlift) also. Last year I was getting better and better. Even if some intrusive existential thoughts may came then they left. The dose of medication was reduced to a half. But about 3 months ago I got stuck again. Am I alive? Do I actually see this? Is anything real? Some of the context. The truth is I'm getting better again. I once again increased the pill dose (this was advised by my psychiatrist/psychotherapist).
- Username
- MK30MK30
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 1y ago
@agronace7 I’m sorry that you’re going through this, however I’m happy to hear that you’re on the right track. OCD loves to keep us stuck any way that it can. We never can give it 100% certainty, which is what he wants.
- Username
- MK30MK30
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 1y ago
@MK30 What it wants* sorry, typo.
- Username
- Rayna_lp25Rayna_lp25
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 1y ago
I find what works best for my existential OCD is ACT (acceptance commitment therapy). Finding triggers for existential stuff has been pretty hard for me because I find it acts up the most when I’m doing something I enjoy. And I don’t really want to turn things I enjoy doing into exposures but I’ve been trying to! I find when I’m doing crafts or planning my future, my brain will be like “what’s the point of doing this if i could die tomorrow and it would mean nothing?” and I’ll just agree with it. “Yep for sure I could die tomorrow. Oh well!” “Thanks for that thought, maybe that’s true maybe it isn’t!” The more you find triggers and the more you kind of learn what your “true” fear is you can learn to accept the outcome of the fear as a possibility. It’s taken a while to be able to take my life back from existential OCD, but I’m slowly getting there. I can get excited about things now without having existential dread. I’m not sure if that makes much sense, I am extremely sleep deprived right now 😂
- Username
- Fe.Fe.
- Date posted
- 1y ago
@Rayna_lp25 “I can get excited about things now without having existential dread.” I can relate to this! Has your experience of existential dread helped you, in terms of being more intentional with what you choose to spend your time on?
- Username
- Rayna_lp25Rayna_lp25
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 1y ago
@S.C. I still have a few struggles with doing mundane things- I’ll get some “what’s the purpose of this?” Quite often. But I’m able to just disregard the thoughts for the most part. It hasn’t really changed my perspective of life much, although I’m finding that I don’t get frustrated or angry with people really at all anymore. I’m not sure if it’s related to the existential stuff or if that’s just a coincidence
- Username
- Stacy QuickStacy Quick
- User type
- Therapist
- Date posted
- 1y ago
These are some good resources: https://www.treatmyocd.com/blog/existential-ocd, https://youtu.be/CDJI0hS4_Oc, https://youtube.com/shorts/F6xgZss94uU?feature=share
- Username
- MK30MK30
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 1y ago
Hi there - are you currently in therapy for OCD?
Related posts
- Username
- piinj
- Date posted
- 2y ago
Success treating existential ocd?
Has anyone had success recovering from existential ocd? I’m so sick of the constant thoughts and anxiety around death and non existence. I’m doing ERP but I’m finding it challenging to find good exposures. Just looking for some hope that it’s possible to get better to keep me going. Also and tips on exposures would be appreciated!
- Username
- enoughocd
- Date posted
- 2y ago
ERP for existential thoughts
Please comment from or advise me from personal experience if you’re currently seeing a therapist and undergoing ERP to treat existential thought OCD. I don’t understand how ERP could work on thoughts like ‘what if my own family or kids aren’t real’ I know with contamination ocd they expose you to your fears by making touch objects or things and with harm ocd they might get you to hold a knife but low does the same principle apply to Existential thought OCD? I’ve been on the ocdf website and couldn’t get any answers …. Please comment
- Username
- Kids4Christ
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 2y ago
Existential OCD
Any tips on this theme? Some of my thoughts with this them are bizarre. To someone who has been through it what did you do ab your thoughts
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