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
