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- 50w
It tackles my symptoms directly. CBT is helpful with certain aspects of anxiety and negative thought partners, but ERP has gotten right to the source of my struggles and gave me a way to deal with them.
- User type
- Staff
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- 50w
Love it.. thanks for sharing!
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- 50w
Having tools to face things, response prevention instead of avoidance.
- User type
- Staff
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- 50w
Exactly!
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- Therapist
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- 50w
@HeartMama YES! Response prevention messages helped me so much with my OCD! They help to break the cycle!!
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
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- 50w
Once you get comfortable with embracing ERP, it starts to become a habit you can employ on the go. It has enabled me to learn to deal with intrusive thoughts relatively quickly, where as before I would have had that thought stuck in my head all day ! And would have until I sought reassurance, only to have it come back even stronger. It’s a constant work to keep it up, but it has enabled me to even taper down off my meds
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- 50w
Awesome to hear!! Thanks for sharing!
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- Therapist
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- 50w
@Joe Carboni Exactly! You become your own ERP therapist! 💪🏻
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- 50w
Lasting results
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- Staff
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- 50w
I agree!!
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
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- 50w
That's good to hear. I'm at 4 sessions and still a bit confused. I find it's mostly real life stuff that triggers me. I have a few themes but mostly psych ocd and rocd
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- 50w
@Misstama65 There's definitely a learning curve to it as it's counterintuitive to ocd brains
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 50w
@Wolfram Well... I've started the exposures with a therepist but we never really talked about my compulsions much so I tend to realize I'm doing them after the fact... If that makes sense
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- 50w
@Misstama65 How do they know what reaction you're trying to prevent?
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
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- 50w
@Wolfram That's where I'm confused a bit I guess. We haven't talked much about it.
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
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- 50w
@Wolfram We just kind of started off with talking about my fears and doing exposures to them. We did identify some compulsions I guess. My homework is to not do them
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- 50w
@Misstama65 Bring it up with them next session. The content of the thoughts or compulsions don't ultimately matter but if you think it'll help, there's no harm in mentioning.
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- OCD Conqueror
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- 50w
@Wolfram I will. Thanks
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- Therapist
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- 50w
@Misstama65 In session, before the exposure you can and should be identifying what compulsions may come up during that exposure! For example, if I’m reading a script I wrote about the worst case scenario with my ROCD, I might know that the mental compulsions are going to be to tell myself 1. This isn’t real 2. This won’t happen. Knowing and identifying with my therapist possible compulsions that may come up helps to recognize them during the exposure and then do something else! Tell your therapist that you want to identify possible compulsions prior to starting the exposure!
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 50w
@NOCD Therapist - Melanie D. I don't think we did that
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- OCD Conqueror
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- 50w
Accepting the discomfort and learning to live with it, generally gets easier each time
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- Staff
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- 50w
Yep agreed.. getting comfortable in the uncomfortable
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 50w
The inner voice and critic is less loud and has lost some power
- User type
- Staff
- Date posted
- 50w
You're stronger than your OCD!!
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 50w
ERP makes you become a much more resilient person! Facing your fears is such hard work, but when you keep up with it, those fears don’t have much power over you anymore. And you don’t have as much of a fear response when new intrusive thoughts/ feelings/ urges/ images come up! 😊
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- 50w
Love this Haley! Resilience is huge!
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- 50w
dealing with a problem head on instead of finding ways to rationalize something and avoid it under the guise of working with it
- User type
- Staff
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- 50w
Yes.. avoidance never worked for me!!
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 50w
Definitely actual results instead of useless talk therapy
- User type
- Staff
- Date posted
- 50w
Talk therapy never worked for my OCD so I agree.. ERP is the way to go!
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 50w
It actually works
- User type
- Staff
- Date posted
- 50w
YES!
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 50w
ERP is like a removing a very painful big mantel sprinter. It is very hard and stressful and feels like you are torturing yourself. But it works and the relief you get afterwards as you’re ocd is no longer torturing you very minute of the day,I have not word that could describe how much better my life is after treating my ocd. ERP is worth it, it is hard but it works. I would recommend ERP to others with ocd.
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- Staff
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- 50w
"it is hard but it works" >>>
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 50w
ERP has not only helped my OCD, but my depression and anxiety as well. I have been able to apply the ERP concepts to other parts of my life and I have seen an overall wellness in my mental health, not just OCD. I am much more mindful and aware.
- User type
- Staff
- Date posted
- 50w
LOVE this. Important to remember that ERP is extremely useful in OCD but also other things too!
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 50w
Things I’ve done: CBT therapy 12 step programs Coping skills (that turned into compulsions) : gratitude journaling, prayer, meditation, running (big time). Quit caffeine entirely, became a vegetarian- you name it, ive tried it in the name of “getting better”. I really thought that if I just kept at these things every single day I’d start to get better. In three months of ERP, I feel like a different person. Things are still hard, and I still feel like a piece of shit human being most of the time- but it’s getting easier
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 50w
Doesnt make my ocd worse like talk therapy.
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- Staff
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- 50w
Agreed!
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 50w
ERP provides a structured and targeted approach to my intrusive thoughts and a gradual, effective approach to stopping compulsions. It counters the smoke and mirrors of OCD’s entanglement with the simple, grounded wisdom of face your fears and learn you can handle discomfort. I’m very grateful for it and this community
- User type
- Staff
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- 50w
Thank you for sharing this - beautifully said!
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- 50w
Understanding and acceptance of triggers, even if they sound like something someone can easily move on from.
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 50w
I'm genuinely very excited for you! 💪🏻
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 50w
@Anonymous Awesome! Just trust the process 💖🙏🏻
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 50w
@Anonymous Sending prayers 🙏🏻
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 50w
@Anonymous I thought the same thing for myself when I started. I actually thought it was impossible. I thought that this will work for other people but I'm much worse and my thoughts are different than everyone so this won't work for me. (I'm telling you this as I just came back from having a great time playing tennis for 2 hrs 💪🏻☺️)
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 50w
@Anonymous Thank you. We're all here to help each other ☺️
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- 50w
What exactly does ERP consist of ?
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- 49w
Whoever flagged/deleted my comment because I used the word “demonic” — I hope you’re proud of yourself. I have since deleted all comments from this thread because I don’t appreciate censorship and I said people with demonic thoughts
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- 49w
@Anonymous need the most prayer. Nothing to censor there.
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 49w
It addresses the anxiety/scary feeling part.
Related posts
- User type
- Therapist
- Date posted
- 18w
So you got to ask me anything… Now I’d like to ask you something! I’ve heard from Members that they were so scared coming to their first ERP session. They were terrified that I would think they were crazy, that I would tell them their worst fears were true. That I would confirm they are some form of a terrible person or have them hauled off to prison for their thoughts. I’ve also had Members share how they’re very scared to begin ERP treatment because they’ve researched enough to know it means facing the fear, without the compulsions that have kept them feeling safe (but not really safe) this entire time. They struggled to see how they could be capable of doing this, while simultaneously acknowledging that they did not want to live like this anymore. If you have had your first session, what were your thoughts before? Did you have any hesitations or fears going into it? How did it turn out? If you haven’t yet begun to work with an ERP specialist, what is holding you back?
- Date posted
- 18w
Can I hear some examples of specific parts of ERP that has helped you? I've been doing talk therapy for a few years and the major issue I have with it is that I already have analyzed all of my problems from every angle, so I'm kind of just sitting there yapping about it for an hour. I need solutions and things that make me feel better.
- Date posted
- 18w
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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