- Date posted
- 1y
Can anyone explain?
Hi, I pretty much understand ocd but can someone explain it to me in a simplistic way. Thanks
Hi, I pretty much understand ocd but can someone explain it to me in a simplistic way. Thanks
I can't stop this awful thought and keep looking in mirror and telling myself it's the OCD and I'm not my OCD but every time I go to walk away OCD throws it at me again absolutel tourcher driving me out of my mind trying to hold on
Hey hang in there. I was once where you are. I literally spent hours a day locked in the obsessive-compulsive cycle. Have you reached out to NOCD for therapy? It was life changing for me. There is hope, have you explored NOCD's YouTube channel, there is great info there. A book that helped me so much was "Needing to Know for Sure" by Winston and Self. Something that helped me was to understand we are not trying to stop the thoughts (no matter how terrible they are). The things we do to try and relieve our distress is actually making the OCD worse. Rather than trying to stop the thoughts or convince yourself you are not your thoughts, learn to accept that you have OCD, you have intrusive thoughts, the thoughts make you uncomfortable AND that's ok, but don't engage with the thoughts in any way. Let them be there while you go do things you value. It's going to feel horrible, irresponsible and that's ok. By allowing the thoughts to be there, and doing nothing about them, you are showing your brain these thoughts are not important. It takes time and practice, but over time, you will get less and less of the thoughts and the emotions that accompany them. You see, when we pay attention to the thoughts it's like we are shining a big old spotlight on them and of course it's hard to ignore something that a spotlight is shining on. It definitely takes practice living your life anyway, but I'm here to say, it does get easier. Wishing you all the best.
@VGH Hi, thanks can I do what you said without a therapist?
@Chris85Floki Yes, I believe it’s possible. Of course, having a therapist trained to deal with OCD is ideal. It’s difficult to be objective with ourselves, especially when we are triggered and in heightened emotional states. If you don’t have a therapist, it’s important to have support from people who understand how OCD works. I tried for years without a therapist, I was never able to do the really difficult exposures on my own. But, I didn’t have any support. There are more affordable options/programs that can help. Nathan Peterson, Jenna Overbaugh, Kimberley Quinlan all over alternatives that are more affordable. I’d suggest you read/learn what you can, reach out for support. Here is a link to a discord server that is very supportive and allow direct messaging I am GH there, I’d be happy to offer support https://discord.gg/WJdNFd45tY
@VGH Thank you nocd doesn't take my health insurance but I'll check out that book
Let me try, obsessive-compulsive disorder is a cycle of behaviors that we do to alleviate distress caused by a thought, feeling, urge or sensation (these are called the obsessions). We get a thought, feelings, urge or sensation that causes us distress. The distress may come in the form of thoughts, urges, feelings/emotions, and sensations. They are very uncomfortable (and that is putting it mildly). We then try to get rid of these thoughts, feelings, sensations, urges. We may try to prove them wrong, figure out what they mean, ask for reassurance from others or try to reassure ourselves. We may even perform behaviors such as washing, checking, counting, praying, the list is endless based only on a person's imagination. Sometimes these behaviors we do to alleviate the distress work and for a time we will feel better. Sometimes. However, and this is why this disorder is the OCD cycle or loop, the next time the same subject comes up (or it can be a totally different subject that creates doubt and uncertainty) we will feel the need to do the same or similar behaviors (compulsions) to get rid of the thought, feeling, urge, sensation. To recover from OCD, we have to break the cycle. When an obsession (thought, feelings, urge, sensation) comes up, rather than trying to get rid of the distress by doing compulsions (behaviors such as reassurance seeking, checking, ruminating, praying, etc.) we learn tools to use such as ERP, ACT, Mindfulness. We learn to allow the distress and not engage with the thoughts, urges, feelings and sensations. There are effective therapeutic tools. I had untreated OCD for over 35 years and I was able to overcome it. I hope this helps.
I asked chatGPT to explain it in a simple way and this is what it came up with: “A person with OCD experiences obsessions and compulsions. Obsessions are thoughts, feelings, or images that bother you a lot and won’t go away. They can make you feel scared, sad, or angry. Compulsions are things you do over and over again to try to make the obsessions go away or feel better. They can be actions, like washing your hands or checking the door, or mental, like counting or praying. But compulsions don’t really help, and they can make your life harder. People with OCD have both obsessions and compulsions that they can’t control. OCD is a problem in the brain, but it can be treated with therapy or medication”
Is there a specific part of it that you’d like to understand better?
@Ellie4 Thanks :) what I struggle with is I know it’s just a thought and not doing a compulsion won’t make bad things happen but I still feel I have to them.
@Chris85Floki I have the exact same experience, I think it’s part of OCD. I even pray sometimes as a compulsion and I am an an atheist!
I know I would never do such a thing but OCD is a real evil bitch
I get asked about the name NOCD a lot. People might want to know how it’s pronounced, and they’re curious about our story. Every time, I’m excited to share a bit about what the name means—in fact, it’s an opportunity for me to talk about something everyone should know about OCD. First things first: it’s pronounced “No-CD.” And it actually means a couple things, both central to our mission: To restore hope for people with OCD through better awareness and treatment. The first meaning of our name is about awareness: Know OCD. Though we’ve come a long way, not enough people truly know what OCD is or what it’s like. How many times have you heard someone say “Don’t be so OCD about that,” or “I wish I had a little OCD. My car is a mess!” Things like that may seem innocent, but they trivialize the condition and keep most people with OCD—around 8 million in the US alone—from getting the help they need. The second meaning of NOCD is about treatment: No-CD. To go a bit deeper: Say “No” to the compulsive disorder. On one level, this is also related to knowing OCD—noto means “to know” in Latin. This inspired the name NOTO, the operations and technology infrastructure that powers NOCD the way an engine powers a vehicle. But this meaning goes even further. It has to do with how you can manage OCD symptoms—learning to resist compulsions. This is the foundation of exposure and response prevention (ERP) therapy, the most effective, evidence-based form of treatment for OCD. Learning how to resist compulsions with ERP changed my life, and it taught me how important it is to get treatment from a specialty-trained therapist who truly understands how OCD works. I’ll give you an example. When I was 20, my life was going according to plan. I was thriving on the field as a college quarterback, doing well in school, even winning awards—until OCD struck out of nowhere. I started having taboo intrusive thoughts, things that horrified me and went against my core values and beliefs. Desperate for help, I saw several different therapists—but no one diagnosed me with OCD. At one point, I was instructed to snap a rubber band against my wrist whenever I had an intrusive thought. It was supposed to stop the thoughts, but it only made my symptoms worse. Driven into severe depression, I had to put my entire life on pause. Once I started ERP with a therapist who understood OCD, I learned why: you can’t stop intrusive thoughts from occurring. Everyone has them—and the more you try to get rid of them, the worse they get. Anything you do to suppress them is actually a compulsion, whether it’s counting in your head, snapping a rubber band against your wrist, or using substances to drown the thoughts out. To get better, you have to learn to resist compulsions and accept uncertainty. OCD doesn’t get to decide how you live your life. How do you educate the people in your life about OCD? Whether friends, family, or strangers, I’d love to hear how you share your understanding and raise awareness about OCD.
OCD is so much more than just being 'neat' or 'organized'—it’s relentless, exhausting, and often deeply misunderstood. The intrusive thoughts, the compulsions, the anxiety—it can feel like a never-ending cycle that others just don’t seem to get. Many of us have had experiences where even therapists didn’t fully grasp the depth of our struggles. I myself faced difficulty being misdiagnosed and my talk therapist not understanding the full extent of what I was going through until I found NOCD. So many prior therapists wrote off my symptoms as general anxiety, not realizing it was actually OCD all along. If you could sit down with a therapist who truly wanted to understand, what do you wish they knew about OCD?
OCD isn’t just about compulsions—it’s a mental battle that can be completely exhausting. The anxiety, doubt, and pressure to "get it right" can feel unbearable, especially when others don’t understand what’s happening beneath the surface. What’s the hardest part about living with OCD that others don’t see?
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