Was curious to hear what recovery looks like for some of you? If you’re doing better or if you would consider yourself “recovered” whatever that looks like lol
I’ve been recovered for 4 years now and I still have intrusive thoughts and images but it’s not a big deal. So, it never becomes an obsession and I don’t do any compulsions.
@Nica Oh my gosh, the goal!!! Congratulations!!
I would consider myself “in recovery”… not recovered because OCD doesn’t ever go away. But let me tell you… it gets better IF you do the work… IF you resist the compulsions… IF you do ERP. The best thing I did for myself (besides all of those things I just mentioned) is educate myself. Oh, and got the best therapist who specializes in OCD. Hang in there! :)
I believe, the recovery means that we no longer do the compulsions. We also realize and understand that we have no control over when the thoughts pop so that we let go of the struggle and be free from it. When they pop, they no longer have any effect on you or maybe when it does trigger you, you do not engage with it as much as you did before. For me, I still have to urge to ruminate and every time I do not give in, I win and I feel better a lot these days. :) And you try to divert your focus to something worthwhile, things you enjoy and or maybe has a benefit for others. Hoping all the best for your recovery. You can make it through that road.
And to add, we can't get rid of the intrusive thoughts. They just do appear but they don't have to affect us anymore as much as before. We also have no control over these obsessions. We try to carry on with our day. Thoughts are just thoughts. They do not define us.
Since 2019 I've met with 7 different therapists and slowly made more and more progress as I found therapists who better suited my needs. I was just paired with a therapist who does both PTSD work and OCD, so I'm feeling confident about the future!
Recovery looks different for everyone. I’ve been in recovery for a year and it’s been up and down but the downs are not nearly as bad as they used to I’m able to recognize them and push myself to do the work I need to to help myself get back on track. My advice to anyone in recovery or seeking it is just to be compassionate your will can take you a long way especially if your kind to it And that having a down period does not mean your back to square one You’ve got this
Im in recovery right now but yeah as you know doesn’t dissapear but we learn to live with it. Im still struggling with different themes that come up as new but im more conscious about myself and can stop compulsions and just do ERP when im having ocd attacks and sitting with it even if is hard
Those of you who have overcome at least a bit, if not all, of your OCD. When you went through the CBT and ERP, did it feel like the end of the world? And how did you face the fact that your fears and uncertainties might actually come to life?
December 14, 2024, marked two years since my first ERP therapy session with my NOCD therapist, Mixi. And October 2024 marked a year of being free from OCD. It was not an easy journey, confronting my fears face to face. Exposing myself to the images and thoughts my brain kept throwing at me, accepting that I might be the worst mother, that my daughter wouldn’t love me, and that I deserved to be considered a bad person. It was challenging having to say, “Yes, I am those things,” feeling the desire to run, but realizing the thoughts followed me. At the start of my therapy, I remember feeling like I couldn’t do this anymore. Life felt unbearable, and I felt so weak. I longed for a time before the OCD, before the flare-ups, before the anxiety, the daily panic attacks. I thought I’d never be myself again. But I now know that ERP saved my life. The first couple of sessions were tough. I wasn’t fully present. I lied to my therapist about what my actual thoughts were, fearing judgment. I pretended that the exposures were working, but when the sessions ended, I went back to not sleeping, constantly overwhelmed by fear and anxiety. But my therapist never judged me. She made me feel safe to be honest with her. She understood OCD and never faltered in supporting me, even when I admitted I had been lying and still continued my compulsions. My biggest milestone in therapy was being 100% transparent with my therapist. That was when real change began. At first, I started small—simply reading the words that terrified me: "bad mom," "hated," "unloved." Then, I worked on listening to those words while doing dishes—not completely stopping my rumination, but noticing it. Just 15 minutes, my therapist said. It wasn’t easy. At one point, I found myself thinking, “Will I ever feel like myself again?” But I kept pushing through. Slowly, I built tolerance and moved to face-to-face exposures—sitting alone with my daughter, leaning into the thought that my siblings might die, reading articles about my worst fears, and calling myself the things I feared. Each session was challenging, but with time, the thoughts started to lose their grip. By my eleventh session, I started to realize: OCD was here, and it wasn’t going away, but I could keep living my life despite it. I didn’t need to wait for it to be quiet or go away to move on. Slowly, it began to quiet down, and I started to feel like myself again. In fact, I am not my old self anymore—I’m a better version. OCD hasn’t completely disappeared, but it’s quieter now. Most of the time, it doesn’t speak, and when it does, I know how to handle it. The last session with my therapist was emotional. I cried because I was finishing therapy. I remember how, in the beginning, I cried because I thought it was just starting—because I was overwhelmed and terrified. But at the end, I cried because I was sad it was ending. It felt like I had come so far, and part of me wasn’t ready to say goodbye, even though I had already learned so much. It was a bittersweet moment, but I knew I was walking away stronger, equipped with the tools to handle OCD on my own. If I could change anything about my journey, it would be being open and honest from the beginning. It was the key to finding true healing. The transparency, the honesty—it opened the door to lasting change. I’m no longer that person who was stuck in constant panic. I’m someone who has fought and survived, and while OCD still appears from time to time, I know it doesn’t define me. I'd love to hear your thoughts and comments. Have you started therapy, is something holding you back? Is there something you want to know about ERP therapy? I'll be live in the app answering each and every one today from 6-7pm EST. Please drop them below!
What’s one small win or act of bravery you’ve had this week, even if it felt really hard? **OCD recovery isn’t about perfection—it's about progress, even if it's tiny. Maybe you delayed a compulsion by 30 seconds. Maybe you showed up here today to express you struggles or support others. These are wins, and they matter. Let’s celebrate them together.
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