- Date posted
- 1y
Do things get better?
I only see negatives on this page… can anyone share positives? Is anyone getting better from therapy?
I only see negatives on this page… can anyone share positives? Is anyone getting better from therapy?
I've went years between "themes", almost OCD at 0%. So whatever you're feeling now, it won't last. Trust me. :)
I have gone years between flair ups where I don’t even think about OCD. It is possible!
Of course. I’ve been recovered for 4 years. What do you want to know?
When I first found out I had ocd, just before my diagnosis I saw negative comments everywhere on it. All bleak and hopeless. I then looked up the stats for recovery and they're shockingly bad. I said a massive f u to the stats and best them. Don't let negatives weigh you down or put you off. Smile and wave as you surpass all preconceived results and always have your goals in mind
Proud of you ☺️
Just curious, what stats on recovery do you mean? I thought erp had pretty high effectiveness?
@Anonymous Google statistics. I remember seeing 1-2% of the population have ocd. 10% who do, seek therapy. 10% of those who have it get better with an average 6-12months. I'm unsure if they include meds in those stats. That wasn't good enough for me so it made me push harder
@Anonymous Those stats may also include therapies not fit for treating ocd. Who knows 🤷♂️
@Wolfram I've read stats where erp effectiveness was given at like 60-80%. But I of course it always depends on the sample and how you measure more or less subjective things like"improvement in symptoms" and such.
@Anonymous I was aiming for zero symptoms. "Fully recovered". I know a few people with it who have it to the point where its manageable but I wanted to be free of it completely
Yes they can. What would you like to know?
@Wolfram How you’re feeling now vs. before therapy things like that. Is there a light at the end of the tunnel?! I need something to keep me going.
@Bossybacon So bear in kind I was undiagnosed for 27 years. Before therapy I felt out of control and completely confused to who I was. I felt torn and it was affecting every aspect of my life. I lost someone I cared about and lots of others through not knowing what I had. I didn't want to die but didn't want to live like that either. I thought everyone else was the problem and they didn't think enough. I had so many questions and so little answers. I was always searching for an answer but didn't know what the question was. During therapy, everything started to make sense. My questions answered slowly but not the ones I was asking for the majority of my life. New ones. Ones that gave answers. Ones my therapist helped me with. I went in to therapy knowing the recovery stats and wanted to prove them wrong. I wanted 3 months with no meds and to be completely symptom free. My therapist was on board with this. She didn't push me hard enough so in between sessions I did way more erp than she expected (once you get an understanding, run with it. If you make mistakes, learn from them and keep going). After 3 months of therapy I had a few good months with zero symptoms. Then I decided to cut out some distractions in my life and uncovered a mountain of crap I needed to deal with, honestly overwhelming to the point where I felt hopeless. Ocd came back for a bit and this time I dealt with the triggering trauma and the theme on my own. Took longer without a therapist but I did it. Now I'm symptom free. It feels weird at first when you're getting better, especially if you don't have memories of a life before ocd. The silence in your mind is unnerving and I didn't know that was my goal. I think clearly now. My brain isn't full of ocd spam mail clogging it up. I feel as if I've had a massive capacity open up and now I'm hungry for life. All this time I thought if I found out what was wrong I'd be better. I wasn't looking for a finish line after all, I was looking for the start line. That's a very short version of it 😊
@Wolfram In mind*
I got better before I even knew what this was. Just muddled thru it with a program for anxiety. I've gone years in between episodes of what I called "my weird anxiety". If I got better for years I can get better again. Starting ERP here. I see no reason why it won't go away again 😊
Thank you everyone! This gives me hope! I have been thinking it’s not possible to get better. Everyday is a struggle and I forget what happiness feels like. I just want peace again! I will keep fighting.
I was going to ask for advice and vent after i just had an episode but reading through everyones post on here. I can see that everyone is collectively struggling at the moment and i think we need to utilize this community for more than just sharing our sadness. Nothing is wrong with venting of course but i feel like there isnt enough positive energy here to encourage everyone to keep going. I know asking for reassure feels like a must sometimes and trust me everyone has asked for it, it was a heavy compulsion of mine. But reassure is not what you need. It will make it worse everyone please trust me. Instead of letting out mind win we must support each other, understand our struggles but also share out wins. I feel like we dont use this community enough for finding friendship among us or spreading enough happiness. OCD Is not a happy disorder but seeing that everyone here is just here either hating on someone, people being too afraid to ask for help or no one reading peoples post. This place isnt just for our negative thoughts and events to fester we need to support each other here too! Ask for help, comment on peoples post with love everyone is struggling. In this community we should help pull each other out from dark places not let them stay there. I hope everyone who is going through it right has a better night/day/afternoon. You’re loved deeply your not a monster, your not evil, your not dirty, your not a heretic your Nothing your thoughts tell you are. Peace to you🤍🤍🤍🤍
People who went from a really bad time with OCD to a better time now. Is it really possible? What was your theme? Did you take medication?
I’m starting NOCD. I had several years of cbt as a child (well over 20 years ago) and I see a trauma therapist. But now I’ll be seeking further help for OCD and just really scared. CBT wasn’t helpful for me. How has ERP been helpful for you? Do you feel like you’ll finally get your life back? I’m consumed by my obsessions 😢 Would love others feedback if ERP helped you ❤️
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