Okay so I tried erp and I feel so confused because I did what I was supposed to do and tried to expose myself but it never made me triggered cause I knew it was just not a real situation. Like I get so much more triggered in real life situations but I don’t in erp and I try to make it really painful in erp but it doesn’t work.
Classic compulsions like “hopelessness sorrow, worry and anger (which no one ever told me were compulsions) were keeping me stuck in the ocd loop
@Graham B Didn’t know that wow
@LuziaColey Yes! Huge eye opener for me. Wishing it wasn’t so Blaming other people And freezing up when ocd gets activated are also classic emotional and freezing compulsions that maintain the ocd loop
@Graham B Hi - can you expand on this please? You’ve noted down emotions that I feel with my theme, but how are they compulsions?
@gp Emotions such as Worry, hopelessness, anger, wishing it wasn’t so. Freezing response in your body when ocd is activated. Impatience with the timing of treatment
@Graham B And these are compulsions?
@gp Yes. Along with sorrow, guilt, blaming others.
@Graham B Very eye opening. Would you happen to have a link or anything to explore how these emotions are compulsions?
@gp The book “healing from OCD” by david keuler takes a much deeper dive into this. It’s helped me suffer much less over the last few months.
Btw I used this book along side ERP and seen some huge progress.
Ate you still in treatment? ERP is meant to been used between the sessions too. You have to apply the same techniques in daily life. ERP does work but it sounds that you need guidance how to do it when youare triggered in daily life.
@Estrid I stopped doing erp in therapy and I have been trying to just respond to the real life situations like maybe maybe not and stuff like that. And trying to accept it. But the sitting down and trying to expose myself to something like writing down something super distressing that I’m afraid of doesn’t hardly effect me. So I gave up on that and started just doing it everyday when triggered by life stuff.
@LuziaColey Ok, and how does it work? Are you doing progress? Check out for subtle compulsions like analyzing, rumination, avoiding and work ln getting rid of them all.
@Estrid I was doing better actually then this past weekend I thought oh I’m so glad I don’t have to really worry about this obsession anymore and then it came back worse.
@LuziaColey I get you, this is so common. Continue to do the work, and try to not hope for the anxiety to go away, you know when we focus on that we give it to much attention and the obsessions get wild. Try to work on willingness to have the thoughts and the discomfort, the more you work ln that the less they will bother you.
Is this good enough tho or should I be doing the actual erp therapy too
@LuziaColey The fact you’re doing it on your own with experience from doing it in a session I believe is progress. I had the same thing during a session of ERP. I wasn’t currently in the mood and I could talk about it but wasn’t triggered. So it’s a real thing. You could always suggest to your therapist to try a different approach to your ERP. But it’s good you’re applying the techniques that you were doing in therapy ERP. Because even if it was working for you in therapy you’d still do it on your own.
@JordTheNord That’s encouraging to hear. I mean I’m just concerned now that I just am doing the wrong thing cause now I’m not even doing any erp purposefully I’m just living my life and I get triggered multiple times a day and I try responding to it like I don’t care.
@LuziaColey Can I just add that ERP is about learning to live with the sensations and thoughts and changing our response to them. It sounds like you are doing the work though! Try to drop any expectation when you are triggered. and try to meet the present moment without going into battle
@LuziaColey 95% of my ERP was done by myself before I even knew what ERP was and diagnosed with OCD. It’s latching onto “I must do it perfectly for it work”. Because of course we all get triggered through our day. Prime opportunity to practice ERP.
@JordTheNord Okay that’s good to hear
@LuziaColey You got it 💪🏻 practice practice practice
@LuziaColey Even when you master your OCD (you will) thoughts still come but you just manage them way better.
Also there’s a really good book that I can recommend is you haven’t already read it. “Healing from ocd” by david keuler. I was in the same situation as you up until a few months ago and started to feel hopeless. This book enabled me to weed out any compulsions that I was still engaging in but didn’t know
@Graham B Thank you so much
Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is one of the hardest but most effective treatments for OCD. If you’ve started ERP, what has been the biggest challenge in resisting compulsions?
Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) isn't always easy, but as one of the most effective treatments for OCD, it's worth it. If you've started ERP, what has been the biggest surprise you've experienced in learning to resist compulsions? If you haven't started ERP yet, what is holding you back from starting?
I find while doing exposures, rarely does my anxiety lessen. It usually amps up and stays that way for the remainder of the day. I could be having a fairly decent day, but dutifully do my exposures and then the rest of my day is anxiety filled. I guess that’s just how it is now? Also, I’m wondering if my therapist even believes I have OCD. I totally understand my therapist cannot provide reassurance. But it’s to the point it seems my therapist acts like I actually did the thing I fear. I feel so isolated.
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