Healing IS Possible.

To see my life now compared to two years ago is unbelievable. There has been such a dramatic shift between who I was then and who I am now. I had my first intrusive thought at age 11. I wasn’t officially diagnosed with OCD until I was 36. I never knew what it was but was glad to put a name to it. A lifetime of suffering. I have struggled with at least four subtypes of OCD. POCD, SO-OCD, Self-Harm/ Suicide OCD, and ROCD. I can now look back on moments throughout my life and say, “wow, that was OCD and I didn’t even know it.” Regardless of the subtype, it’s all OCD. And when you learn how to adjust your behavior and response accordingly, you can heal. I started with my NOCD therapist in January of 2023. I avoided everything-people, places, church, things I loved…all because of OCD. I used sleeping as an avoidance behavior. I couldn’t even drive down the road and go grocery shopping without feeling anxious and triggered. I was ready to do something different. The meds were not working for me. Sure they helped the anxiety and depression to a degree, but they didn’t stop the intrusive thoughts which is what I wanted them to do. I now know and fully understand that you cannot stop your thoughts. You cant stop your obsessions BUT you can control how you react to them. Recovery is not linear by any means and I’ve had MANY ups and downs the past year and a half. But I’m here. I have made it to the other side. And it’s a beautiful place. If you made it this far in reading this, thank you. I want you to know there is hope. You can reach recovery and you can begin to heal. ERP saved my life. I can now step out into situations and settings without totally falling apart. I have learned to handle discomfort. I can spend time with my family, do the things I love and enjoy my life again. Most importantly, I have learned to be self-compassionate. If you’ve been hesitating to start ERP with an OCD specialist, I hope I can encourage you to make that step. It changed me in a wonderful way and I’m so thankful to be equipped with the tools to manage OCD for life!

Anonymous///

Date posted: 1y

SO SO PROUD OF YOU!!! Thank you so much for sharing this it gave me so much hope!!!!

blazed

User type: OCD Conqueror

Date posted: 1y

I loved reading your story - super inspiring! Thank you for sharing and big congrats on the all progress you’ve made so far 🩷

Honeyshark

User type: OCD Conqueror

Date posted: 1y

Woo!! Well done and thanks for sharing your journey!!

ProofByCorey

Date posted: 1y

Much appreciated! We will see how I faire.

Jennielouises

Date posted: 1y

Well done! I used sleeping as an avoidance behaviour too. How did you get over that?

Robyn🪴🧘🏻‍♀️🧠

User type: OCD Conqueror

Date posted: 1y

@Jennielouises I had to make the commitment to stop using it as an avoidance compulsion. It took a lot of work to conquer.

Amara

Date posted: 1y

I'm glad for you.

Brenna - NOC...

User type: Staff

Date posted: 1y

"when you learn how to adjust your behavior and response accordingly" yes.. this is extremely important! You can't control the thoughts that pop in your brain!!

helpneeded

Date posted: 1y

This makes me happy for you and gives me hope again

needtoescape...

User type: OCD Conqueror

Date posted: 1y

Congratulations on recovery!!! So proud of how far you've come ❤ Thank you for the encouragement, too 🤗

MichelleV

User type: OCD Conqueror

Date posted: 1y

This is beautiful. I am so happy for you, and so proud of you. Thank you for sharing your journey.

buebue

Date posted: 1y

I don't want to self diagnose but honestly, all of the symptoms of HOCD were matching on me. It was the night of January 15 when suddenly a thoughts kicks in to me, the thoughts is to harm my loved ones. I panicked and my hands were trembling and sweating. Why would I think that way? Am I bad person? And the feeling of urge like you really want to do it is so scary. I really didn't sleep well that night. I feel like it was a nightmare. I didn't ate well also. It feel so distressing. I'm afraid of knife, scissors. After a week, I think, another thought comes in, it was an image of someone's hanging. I panicked again. Why? Why is there another thought again? I don't want to do that! Why are they keep on playing? So February 15, I decided to seek help from a hotline here and then they asked me what I'm feeling, so I tell them. They give me the hotline near our area. February 16, I go to the said location with my father and then a psychometrician approach me. They said there's no available psychiatrist at that moment. So the psychometrician ask what I'm feeling, so I tell them. Honestly, I also thought that it was a trauma because there was a dentist that has been killed and that night when the thoughts kicks in. But I research about it, only to found out that the trauma can only happen only a month after the incident. I want to know your thoughts about this. I feel so stressed. Sometimes I feel like I'm going crazy because of too much thinking. My intrusive thoughts now is to jump when I'm riding on a vehicle.😭😭😭 Tell me more about this.

Robyn🪴🧘🏻‍♀️🧠

User type: OCD Conqueror

Date posted: 1y

@buebue I’m sorry you are having a hard time. An OCD specialist/therapist would be much more qualified to help you than I would be! I wish you the best!

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