user7
- Date posted
- 5y
JuneWJuneW
- Date posted
- 5y
I’ve wondered this a lot myself. This may not be the case for everyone with “just right” ocd, but I think that often there is a hidden anxious thought that “if I don’t make this right, I won’t be able to think about anything else or I’ll be anxious until it is right.” So that’s somewhat analogous to the fear of getting sick and dying with contamination OCD. I still find it difficult to do ERP with my just right ocd though, and do think it’s pretty different than other OCDs
madiemadie
- Date posted
- 5y
I agree. I have so many thoughts about doing the compulsion that I just do it to make them go away. Of course it’s only a quick fix until they all come back again. Something I try to do if I’m feeling up to it is try to wait longer periods of time before acting on the compulsion. Like... exposing myself to the discomfort
harriet221harriet221
- Date posted
- 5y
@carlybelle I think it’s more to do with your fears. Like on the surface ‘Just right’ ocd might seem like there’s no real fear behind it, but there is. Therapists reveal what that is and then tailor the therapy around it. I’m pretty sure that’s how it works?? I’m not entirely sure though
ejghejgh
- Date posted
- 5y
I recognise the same flaws sometimes in ERP, but usually there are ways, I think sometimes somehow we don’t want to figure it out. I have tried putting things ”just wrong”, and even though that helps it’s by no means a perfect method. What it does do is make you take a first step into the discomfort of things being ”not just right”. I think what is more useful is to stop yourself when you notice yourself trying to get something just right, and try to just leave it, maybe first by distracting yourself then to pure exposure.
Related posts
littlecreek24
- Date posted
- 25w
Compulsion vs ERP
I'm thinking of trying some ERP on my own while I wait for treatment, but I'm having some trouble knowing what is a compulsion and what would be good exposure. For example, I have huge fears of being a narcissist and/or a generally bad person. So whenever I watch a movie or read something that has an evil character in it I automatically compare myself to that character and stress over if I'm like that person. A couple of things I do when this happens is Google other people's experiences, seek reassurance, rumination, etc. Sometimes I'll also google different symptoms of narcissism, freak out over things that I relate to, then get relief over things I don't. So my confusion is, would researching people who have narcissism be an exposure, or a compulsion since it's something I sometimes do during a spiral? Or, would the exposure be watching movies/living life hearing these stories, and refraining from the spiral of rumination and no Googling at all?
anxietypoops
- Date posted
- 25w
The RP in ERP
Hi! I've been on my OCD healing journey for about half a year and I have seen a lot of success. I'm reaching out for advice, I am very willing to do exposures because I know the more I do them, the more I get better, but I struggle with the response prevention part. I don't know how to control my brain when it comes to facing the fears especially since most of my compulsions are mental. I can tell myself the typical things "I am okay with the uncertainty of this happening", etc. but its like my brain doesn't believe them. I've been stuck in this disconnect for a while and would love advice you have heard from a therapist or learned that has really help you.
Rachel Owsley
- User type
- Therapist
- Date posted
- 25w
Challenges with ERP
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?
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