If there is anyone hete that has made it through this, how does one manage the fear of the intrusive thoughts being true when trying to do erp? it terrfiies me to my core and gives me a overwhelming amount of anxiety to a point where i developed ocd tics and freeze. Its very scary but i really want and need to get better. Any advice?
Yes, I have.
I have! It was one of my first themes and started way back when i was 18. The thing is that the fear you're feeling? That's the key. It's very understandable that you're terrified, and at the risk of offering you reassurance, most intrusive thoughts are ego-dystonic, which means that they go against everything you believe and want. It just feels extremely real. If you've never done erp, I'd recommend you start with a theme that doesn't scare you as much as pocd does. Otherwise you might end up just making yourself ruminate and upset. That fear is the key, though. The point of erp is to slowly build tolerance and acceptance toward the fact that your thoughts are just thoughts, and that there is no grand meaning in them. You should start out small, and then little by little the big things won't feel quite so big anymore! Being aware of ocd is already a big step and you've done a great job getting this far! The only way is through and we can all make it :)
Couldn't edit that last message, but the point isn't really to manage the fear. It's to sit with that anxiety, feel it and allow it in, and eventually it will just... fade. On its own. It won't happen immediately but there will be days when you come across something that used to completely destroy you that you can now mostly shrug off. It's also good to have a safe person nearby to ask for support (but not reassurance!) :)
Thank you soododod much this is so helpful!!!
I have managed to recover from this theme of OCD! When you’re actively in it, it feels suffocating and like you have no way out other then through compulsions which leave you temporarily relieved. I found a combination of Therapy and Medication really helped me get through POCD. Sometimes thoughts still come up but I don’t react to them the same panic style I did beforehand 🙂
This giving me so much hope thank you!!
My OCD is spiking in the form of pOCD today. This particular type seems really scary to me because this type is the one that has led me to more severe panic attacks and this is the one that led me to discover that I really needed help. It feels like I let this go too far and went untreated for too long, and now my brain just makes the association whenever I'm exposed to a trigger, which leads straight to terrifying and horrendous thoughts instead of the usual tests to prove I'm not a pedophile. For anyone who has wrestled with pOCD: how do you sit with these thoughts? I understand that with OCD, you often times (or maybe always, I'm a bit new to this) need to learn to accept your thoughts as they are. When your thoughts are so horrendous and difficult to have, how do you accept them?
I need a different perspective on this. I feel like I'm being run through the ringer. I'm doing what I can to avoid reassurance and not avoid triggers but I get triggered every day. I'm trying so hard to sit with the panic and the horror but it's so hard. It gets to the point I feel physically sick. Is there anything that I can do to help with this? I feel alone. I don't feel strong, I feel like a punching bag. Why is this so hard to master? I really want to know it gets easier. I've been suffering from POCD that has evolved and gotten worse and worse over the past eight months that has been torturing me multiple times on a daily basis and I feel like I'm drowning. I want to run away and hide because my life feel like it's seconds from being ruined. Please, please tell me this gets easier. That this ERP therapy will stop making me feel like I'm dying. The small moments of victory feel so brief only for me to get hit with another wave. There is so much uncertainty over such a horrific thing I feel ill. I feel afraid to be alone with my mind. Please if anyone out there can please give me tips on how to handle ERP. One moment I think I'm finally beating this thing and the next it's got me pinned and I'm terrified my life will be ruined. I want my peace back, I need help and I'm doing everything I can to resist compulsions but I feel so alone and dirty and disgusting. Please help me. Thank you for any advice 💕
Hi, I’m new here. I’ve been dealing with OCD since I was 9 or 10 but only got diagnosed at 19, and started actual treatment a few weeks ago. I’m 21 now. I have severe emetophobia that fuels my health ocd and my intrusive thoughts have been so bad lately that I can hardly eat or leave my house. I don’t go anywhere except my bedroom and work. I even get anxious thinking about going to my living room. I started ERP with a new therapist, and I want to get better, but the therapy is so scary and overwhelming. I’ve lived this way for so long that confronting my fears feels impossible and I’m so scared to do it. I do everything I can to avoid anxiety attacks. I feel so unsafe in my own body because of the way I can’t stop fixating on certain actions and sensations. Does anyone who’s gone through something similar have any advice, or encouragement? I’m doing my best, but I don’t know anyone else with my ocd themes. Thanks y’all <3
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