Is ERP therapy making my OCD worse instead of better?

ERP not for everyone?

So, I do have OCD. That’s not a question (Pure O mainly. Compulsions are mental and emotional checking and ruminating and comparing). And my OCD was ramping up pretty bad a while back so I started ERP counseling through NOCD. I learned some basic skills and good ways to respond and not engage to thoughts. But now, I think the therapy just brings things up that didn’t need to be that big. It makes minor things bigger. It brings overwhelm thinking I have all this “work” to do, when I think what I need is to let go. Of course with OCD letting go is not a simple task, but hear me out. I didn’t do therapy for over a month and started feeling better. I used some of the tools I learned a few times and things just seemed more minor and less serious. I’m now postpartum with anxiety panic and ocd so I upped my therapy and I truly think it’s making things worse. Does anyone else share this opinion or experience? I also think back to when OCD was darn near nonexistent and I was not in ERP therapy. I know things come and go but I’m just realizing this.

"Pure" OCD

Username: NicaNica

Date posted: 30w ago

Have you spoken with your therapist about this?

Username: tasaniqatasaniqa

Date posted: 17w ago

I really feel this about letting go! But also, I guess it isn’t a bad thing to try and learn to non-engage consciously and actively. even making non-issues an issue, I think that is something that is the nature of the beast with therapy in general and kind of just a given. Like of course if you put a spotlight on healing, small specks of dust will be a lot brighter. And I would also speak to ur therapist abt this and be vulnerable and honest abt it so that she knows truly where your head is at.

Username: tasaniqatasaniqa

Date posted: 17w ago

Username: tasaniqatasaniqa

Date posted: 17w ago

@tasaniqa But for the record, I haven’t tried ERP yet, I’ve only been looking for it, I relate though

Username: Lysmarie13

Date posted: 4y ago

Is it possible for ERP to be too much for people? I am suffering with postpartum ocd among some harm and religious stuff... mostly always geared towards my son. I’m just wondering if there have been other modes of therapy that have been have been found effective and less anxiety inducing inducing. I’m doing ERP, but it’s very hard to just sit with my anxiety when I’m trying to take care of a baby. Thanks for any tips!

"Pure" OCD

Username: abbyvaph

Date posted: 2y ago

Hello- question about ERP

Hello- I have been battling many types of OCD on and off for 25+ years. Medication works but wanted to go off for 1st trimester of pregnancy. I am doing a good job deploying ERP tactics for pure o and real event ocd and it has removed physically anxiety symptoms and I can concentrate in life. However I do have a big sense of fear and all day gloomy feeling knowing that the thoughts that are disturbing are sitting out there and fear I will come up with new ones. Will this get better the longer I keep deploying the ERP tactics? I never have this when I am on medication. Thanks in advance.

Username: Rozzie

Date posted: 2y ago

ERP is just... Not working

It's too much for me right now, and I'm really struggling. Like really bad. Right now, um going to just focus on letting thoughts go, like... IDK MINI ERP? I'm going to try not to analyze them. It's too much for me, trying to figure out what's a compulsion, what's ocd, what's not... I've gotten worse, I is thinking. I don't know if I'm doing it wrong or something, and I have a therapist on NOCD and stuff, but it's just not working. Not now, at least

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Is ERP therapy making my OCD worse instead of better?

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