- Date posted
- 6y
- Date posted
- 6y
I am not currently in therapy I have been for hand washing /checking etc side of ocd in the past but I was too ashamed / afraid to talk about my pure o thoughts. Plus I feel like I know the tools on how to tackle it but it’s like a feel at a point just now where nothing will work. I have a stressful job that can often trigger it too. But I may look into finding an ocd specialist! I will definitely have a look at the link though! Thank you!
- Date posted
- 6y
Hi pure o life! That is a really good way of looking at it! I thinking your absolutely right I’m looking for the conformation and a definite answer - which will never happen. Have you had success in overcoming it with that kind of erp like I feel like I’m never going to get anywhere or overcome it - I recently changed my meds as well so I’m thinking that might be making me worse at the moment
- Date posted
- 6y
I do get these ideas, too. My mind is repeatedly trying to convince me that I would be able to commit any crime of which existence I know about. It absolutely makes me believe that I am a bad person and I even think about killing myself because I don‘t want to live with this burden. BUT — THAT is exactly the point that differentiates me from an ACTUAL criminal. And the same applies to you! The fact that we are disgusted, devastated, horrified and experiencing every other negative feeling because of these thoughts is absolute PROOF that we are NOT what OCD is telling about us. A criminal person doesn‘t question if their immoral thoughts are right or wrong — they just act upon them and possible even like what they think. We ABSOLUTELY don‘t. Your intrusive thoughts are the exact opposite of who you are and your OCD places them in your head to make you feel that you‘re a bad person but your recognition that these thoughts are bad proves the opposite. You are a good person.
- Date posted
- 6y
Thanks for that icreatcharacters it’s gives me hope and relief that it can be overcome when your share your experience! And as we all know on here too well. We know it’s the opposite of what we are however does anyone else get the nagging from their ocd mind that your the exception to ocd and you actually are that person - I take it that is also part of the ocd making you think it’s not the ocd!
- Date posted
- 6y
Sounds like OCD to me. Don’t confess: that’s a compulsion. Also, remind yourself that right now your OCD is making you seek out a certain conclusion (that you’re a bad person, a killer, a pedophile, etc) so your mind is primed for confirmation bias. When you see something that supports these “conclusions” say to yourself: “is it possible I’m making this conclusion not because it makes rational sense, but because of confirmation bias?” And if the answer is “yes, it’s possible” then reframe the thought. “Yes I felt X or thought Y or said Z, but there’s nothing to conclude from this. Maybe I’m secretly a XYZ, but maybe not. I can’t prove/disprove this based on this observation.” And sit with the anxiety that uncertainty produced until it naturally subsides. My therapist told me to imagine myself in a courtroom: if you were to present your evidence to a group of unbiased peers, would they convict? Most of the time, the answer isn’t just “no,” but that you don’t even have enough evidence to make a case to begin with. You’d get thrown out immediately.
- Date posted
- 6y
Oh, I get the exact same thought! Like, what if I am the first human being to ever ACT upon intrusive thoughts? But this is also a symptom of the mind-wrecking illness that OCD unfortunately is.
- Date posted
- 6y
What I’m describing is CBT, specifically restructuring cognitive distortions. Practicing this will definitely help over time. There are lots of cognitive distortions you can learn to challenge: https://psychcentral.com/lib/15-common-cognitive-distortions/ and here’s how to deal with them: https://psychcentral.com/lib/fixing-cognitive-distortions/ But ERP is a separate CBT exercise. Are you working with an OCD specialist? Setting up a proper fear hierarchy and getting help doing exposures is very helpful. Many people do mental compulsions without knowing it, so having a professional introduce you to the right way to do it is super helpful when first getting started.
Related posts
- Date posted
- 25w
does anyone else get flashbacks of things they’ve seen due to giving into their compulsion??? whenever i’m having a remotely normal time or having fun or thinking of making a big decision i have flashes of videos or pictures or just made up scenarios that are related to horrible things i’ve seen and compulsively watched and did stuff with. it immediately kills my mood and makes me ruminate about it and i think about it over and over. i find myself wondering if ocd drew me to do those things or if it was genuine attraction. what if im a horrible monster who’s into awful and illegal and morally wrong stuff??? what if im using ocd to cover it up and it’s not ocd it’s just i thing i was into??? these thoughts are never ending and show up at the worst times. i’m terrified all the time. it renders me sick & unable to make any decision because i’m afraid if i choose to do so it’ll make everybody aware of the things child me/young teenage me did. it feels like all my past traumas and experiences are being blasted on a jumbotron. i’m even scared to post this. again does anyone else know what i mean + does anyone know how to “get over” this feeling/any tips???
- Date posted
- 22w
maybe a therapist can respond or anyone who relates and experiences this also?? im trying to make sense . ever since ocd started, specifically harm ocd and pocd, sexual themes ocd in general, my brain makes everything sexual or gross. or just makes inappropriate connections with quite literally anything. or any person I see I wonder if they are a p, or if they are “like me”, because im fully convinced at times that im some weird or bad person, and then when i see actual criminals etc i cant help but compare myself to them it’s so weird?????? or sometimes I feel like i cant judge a p because im no different than them?? idk its so weird. rn writing this ik im not a p like what im just struggling with really bad ocd and trauma I hope :( It’s just my brain distorts everything and then it makes me feel worse, like “ur an actual p or pervert because see??? ur brain is sexualizing everything?” hopefully this makes sense
- Date posted
- 21w
I deal pretty heavily with this. The last couple days, I’ve had what I think are urges. Something pops into my head intrusively and then what stems from that is me WANTING to just indulge in it even though it’s gross. I get worried bc I used to struggle w thoughts about my dad for a long time until eventually I just purposely thought of him while self pleasuring and got off to it. While that’s something I did, it is NOT me. It all stemmed from my mental health declining a couple years back, I was never this way before. So I get worried that it almost happened or might happen with my pocd cuz I could never live with myself if it did.
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