Does anyone else feel like ERP is making things worse? I haven’t been doing it long but it feels like I’m struggling more than I initially was. Would love to hear any success stories or anyone else who can relate?
It gets worse before it gets better. You have to retrain your brain and of course it’s going to push back because you’ve given in for SO LONG that it is confused when you drastically change.
I think that ERP makes you more aware of what you were previously unaware of. That awareness makes me think about things more specifically and clearly; and that has made things more overwhelming. As I applied the response prevention, I have been noticing that I either resist the thoughs and do not ruminate as much as I have in the past, or think of the opposite alternative of what I was afraid of. Its kind of like when you are cleaning and things get messier before they ultimately get cleaner. Hope this helps.
It gets worse before it gets better. It’s heightening your anxiety! Also make sure you aren’t compulsing during exposure as this could make it worse. Accept uncertainty in this and everything though
I read about ERP and have seen information about it on here. One of the goals is to say, "maybe I am this or that...ect." That terrified me. The thoughts and images that go in my head are disturbing and upsetting. I don't want to even think about saying, "maybe this or that." It's devasting to have these thoughts and question why you're having these thoughts. Doesn't the "maybe" make it worse? The one thing that helps me is that is to remind myself that these are just thoughts and I know I'm not a monster, even if I feel like one. Is ERP not for everyone? Has anyone else had a problem with the techniques used in this kind of therapy? I had cognitive therapy for years with an OCD specialist and that seemed to help a lot. Writing out the worst case scenarios would make me suicidal. Im having a difficult time not obsessing over the "maybe" after intrusive thoughts now. It doesn't make it better.
Anyone else feel like they just sit there during sessions? Like I can’t wait for it to be over so I don’t have to do this twice a week anymore. I think I’m putting in effort but sometimes feels like a huge waste of time and I’m not making progress but maybe that’s just my ocd?
My theme is suicidal OCD. I’ve been doing ERP since last year November and the overall intensity of my thoughts have not reduced at all. I have these thoughts 24/7 and my life feels like a living hell. Not two minutes goes by throughout the day where I’m not suffering from relentless thoughts. I don’t want to take meds because of the side effects and my insurance is coming to an end so it’d be difficult to ween off them by myself. I’m starting to feel so hopeless because I’ve done the toughest of the toughest exposures and I’m not getting better at all. My life is a living hell and I don’t see my condition with OCD getting better anytime sooner.
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