- Date posted
- 1y ago
Has anyone ever had success without therapists?
I just want to know people who have recovered from OCD without therapist and using self help books and online resources
I just want to know people who have recovered from OCD without therapist and using self help books and online resources
Personally for me I feel combination approach works best to include the book Brain Lock by Dr. Schwartz and Mark Freeman on You Tube has free resources.
i’d say the best option would be to commit ourselves to genuinely participating in the necessary treatment. i think it’s basic criteria of being a good health professional not only respect the patient’s sovereignty but also to support them to developing their own tools to taking care of themselves. we ain’t no objects to any form care, we must be subjects of it — and that involves advocating for our own needs such as sustaining an open mind and heart to serious support.
Following for sheer curiosity
Ive been having ocd for over two years and for my contamination ocd at some point I actually started to get better but then randomly it came back again. For things like pocd, hocd etc I also managed to overcome and ignore the thoughts for some time but then randomly it will be so convincing that I’ll be back in the cycle. So personally for me it hasn’t been possible yet.
I don't the answer to this. Plus success is different per individual. I do believe it's going to be incredibly difficult alone as a lot of the vital things therapists do is intricate and tailored to our needs. It's hard doing that with everyday stuff, nevermind ocd. I'll be working on something for the next few years to help people manage ocd without therapy but it's a long way off. It will never be a replacement for therapy
Has anyone actually “conquered” OCD? I feel like I’ve never heard a story of someone actually overcoming it or living with it?
I tried contacting NOCD, but they said that they didn't accept my insurance, and even if they did, I'd have to provide co-payment. I felt devastated because I'm afraid of going to a therapist who will misunderstand me. I can't afford therapy at the moment but I might be able to in a few months. Are there any alternatives for self therapy?
Looking back, I realize I’ve had OCD since I was 7. though I wasn’t diagnosed until I was 30. As a kid, I was consumed by fears I couldn’t explain: "What if God isn’t real? What happens when we die? How do I know I’m real?" These existential thoughts terrified me, and while everyone has them from time to time, I felt like they were consuming my life. By 12, I was having daily panic attacks about death and war, feeling untethered from reality as depersonalization and derealization set in. At 15, I turned to drinking, spending the next 15 years drunk, trying to escape my mind. I hated myself, struggled with my body, and my intrusive thoughts. Sobriety forced me to face it all head-on. In May 2022, I finally learned I had OCD. I remember the exact date: May 10th. Reading about it, I thought, "Oh my God, this is it. This explains everything." My main themes were existential OCD and self-harm intrusive thoughts. The self-harm fears were the hardest: "What if I kill myself? What if I lose control?" These thoughts terrified me because I didn’t want to die. ERP changed everything. At first, I thought, "You want me to confront my worst fears? Are you kidding me?" But ERP is gradual and done at your pace. My therapist taught me to lean into uncertainty instead of fighting it. She’d say, "Maybe you’ll kill yourself—who knows?" At first, it felt scary, but for OCD, it was freeing. Slowly, I realized my thoughts were just thoughts. ERP gave me my life back. I’m working again, I’m sober, and for the first time, I can imagine a future. If you’re scared to try ERP, I get it. But if you’re already living in fear, why not try a set of tools that can give you hope?
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