i’m going to try to discuss my intrusive thoughts and feelings with her, but i’m afraid that she won’t understand since she’s not an OCD specialist. i’m scared that if i’m truthful, she have to report me or something. any advice??
Hi Anon, do you know if she’s familiar with OCD? If possible, I’d recommend trying to find a therapist who specializes in OCD + uses ERP (Exposure Response Prevention) therapy. I know I tried non-OCD therapists before I found NOCD but they weren’t equipped to help me. I did tell them about my intrusive thoughts and they didn’t report me. But they didn’t do ERP and therefore weren’t the best choice for me. I’m not sure where you’re based, but I definitely recommend giving NOCD a call for their free consultation. They were a lot more affordable than my local OCD therapists and they also take some insurances. I know how scary it is to start therapy, but know you aren’t alone. And you should be proud of yourself for seeking help. I believe in you!
I am happy you are making a decision to get treatment. This is a HUGE first step. I do think it is very important to seek a therapist who knows OCD and ERP. I think that seems you are scheduled I would recommend that you provide lots of education on what you have learned about OCD already- if it seems like it's not a good fit then you can always look into finding a specialist. I wish you the best.
@NOCD Therapist - Stacy Q. so i just done with our session, and she didn’t really understand that my intrusive thoughts were OCD. she was really only familiar with the rituals OCD and not of pure O. she recommended me to a psychiatrist for medication but i’m not super confident
@Anonymous - I am sorry that that happened. I think, if possible I would reach out to someone who is a expert in OCD. Pure O can be so nuanced and having someone with experience can really help you to develop a individualized treatment plan to address this.
@Anonymous - Our Care Team will typically begin with a 15-minute call to discuss treatment, answer any questions you have, and book your first appointment. Please feel free to schedule a convenient time that works best for you here: https://learn.nocd.com/scheduler You can use this link to locate therapists in your state that may be a good fit for you: https://www.treatmyocd.com/therapists/overvie
@Anonymous Like Stacy said, reaching out to NOCD might be a good choice for you. It’s important to have a therapist that is trained in OCD and understands it. I went to a few therapists before NOCD and it felt like my therapists were learning and experimenting on me as they had little to no experience with OCD. Reaching out to NOCD is a good option, but if that’s not an option I would reach out to different therapists and ask them if they have worked with Pure O OCD before and have done ERP. How many times have they done it? OCD is a tough thing to deal with and it’s important to do it with someone who totally understands what you are going through.
I totally agree with what Amber and Stacy wrote. I'm in my 60's and have had OCD in many forms all my life. The professionals I went to were clueless. They either didn't know much about OCD, or recognized that I'm OCD but didn't know how to treat it. It's only been in the last 18 months, when I found NOCD, that I've recovered. DEFINITELY by sure your therapist is specialized in TREATING OCD, particularly ERP.
You need an OCD specialist. I’m getting sessions thru NOCD and my therapist is AMAZING. Literally zero judgement. She’s understanding and so helpful. I’m definitely improving. It’s hard but it’s worth the work. A regular therapist will shove meds at you. That won’t fix your situation. You NEED an ocd specialist. Call NOCD.
So I’ve had some anxiety crop up related to POCD this week. Intrusive thoughts, etc. it’s happened once before but I wasn’t educated on OCD then or seeing my therapist so I’ve never talked about it. I’m terrified to tell my therapist because I’m terrified of being reported. I’ve never done anything harmful or even WANTED to do anything harmful. I am NOT a danger and I know it! I just want help dealing with the thoughts but am scared to share in therapy. Anyone else experience this?
i want to start erp therapy but i’m so afraid to say my thoughts out loud bc even though i know i don’t be judged i’m so scared bc i feel like the therapist might judge me in her head and that i’ll be extremely embarrassed
Hi everyone, I decided to join this app because I believe I need more support when it comes to being open about intrusive thoughts and how scary it can be to share them. Yesterday I had a therapy appointment and I decided to open up with her about a recent panic attack I had that followed with intrusive thoughts. I rarely experience them now or can mitigate the anxiety that comes from them because I am on medication, but I thought I wouldn’t be judged and felt comfortable opening up about them to my therapist. Following after that, she began to ask mandated reporter questions and I became scared because she seemed to think I would act on the thoughts I’ve had. So despite me opening up with her about them I feel like I can no longer share because people who have never experienced them think i would act on the intrusive thoughts, when in reality I know I would never and have avoided people, places, and things because of them. Intrusive thoughts are debilitating and cause people to question who they are and go into complete panic! And I guess I’m just frustrated because though there are people who understand it’s still very weird for others and it just saddens me.
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