My OCD trigger

I was listening to some podcasts on OCD and heard that a lot of times OCD can be triggered from a traumatic event. Looking back I can say I’ve always had OCD tendencies but it didn’t get really debilitating until a few years ago when my dad became a late in life alcoholic and drug addict. This event traumatized me in many ways including almost all of my OCD fears and compulsions today. I know it’s up to me to learn to manage my OCD but on days when I’m having a hard time trusting when someone says they’ll come back at a certain time and start to freak out and check their location or ask over and over where they are I can’t help but be so angry about where a lot of these fears stemmed from and why they might have such a grip over me. It might seem selfish but it’s how I feel.

Username: TexasOCD41TexasOCD41

Date posted: 21w ago

I don't think its selfish to feel that way but I was told by my therapist that the why is not really that important when it comes to our OCD. OCD does not really care what happened to you to cause its happening, it only cares if you pay attention to it. I think addressing trauma can be beneficial if its something that bothers you on its own outside of OCD but if you think your OCD will lessen BY addressing the trauma then that almost sounds like a compulsion. I personally acknowledge I have trauma and it has likely caused me to develop OCD but my focus is on treating the OCD as it is now and accepting life now. If you resist the compulsions, the obsessions go away so I guess in a way, treating your OCD is treating your Trauma just on the front end of it, not the back end.

Username: SJS34SJS34

User type: OCD Conqueror

Date posted: 21w ago

This is a great perspective and something I’ve never thought about before. I think this will help me/allow me to focus more on my OCD rather than the trauma that caused it. I think the trauma that caused it sometimes gets in the way of working on the actual compulsions, which like you said, are what will help get my OCD at bay. I really appreciate it!

Username: TexasOCD41TexasOCD41

Date posted: 21w ago

@SJS34 Absolutely:) hang in there, you got this.

Username: powoslood

Date posted: 4y ago

MY OCD STORY I’d like to tell you guys my ocd story because why it happened is still a mystery to me. I have never dealt with ocd for my life. I only dealt with some thoughts recently that I would worry about and obsess about but...most of my ocd thoughts would be something that my ex boyfriend would say. For example. My ex boyfriend would say things like, “I’d fuck her” about a random girl. Now I get those thoughts and deal with sexual ocd trying to repress those thoughts. Another thing is my ex used to say weird things about girls younger than him. Way younger, and talk about their body and how they’ve changed so much since the last time they’ve he’s seen them. This caused me to struggle with pocd. Anybody have any thoughts about this? I am not trying to blame him but just wonder if someone else had this experience or can explain what more this experience means for me. My therapist calls these traumatic memories, which I then obsess about.

Username: Tee10

User type: OCD Conqueror

Date posted: 2y ago

Feelings

It’s so weird how OCD just comes about with no explanation, out of nowhere. My issue has been feelings. I have moments of hyper focusing on feelings, trying to figure them out, and it’s exhausting. Logically, I know that what I’m going through with the things happening in my life (relationship ending that was abusive, my father just getting diagnosed with dementia, etc) would make anyone feel the way I do. But I keep trying to fight my feelings. “Normally, old me” would embrace them and let them be. Ever since my OCD returned, I can’t help but fixate on them and stress even more. It’s almost like my emotions and the way we are as humans in my mind has become even more of a problem than the problems themselves. Can anyone relate? I am doing my best with ERP. I definitely helps. But I’m still waking up not feeling like myself and it hurts.

"Pure" OCD

Username: Naryoh27

Date posted: 1y ago

Does anybody have origins of their OCD?

I believe I’ve always had intrusive/OCD thoughts. When I was younger I always repeated phrases because my brain went “if you don’t do this your whole family will die” but it wasn’t anything too bad. However, when I was 15 I entered my first relationship. I had divorced parents and didn’t know what love was - so it ended up being abusive and I did not know. He forced me to disclose all the people I found attractive as well as all the “unpure” thoughts I had. He deemed fantasizing cheating - which I respected - but also caused for a lot of intrusive thoughts to make me freak out. He also gaslit me and accused me of cheating for the lightest things (gave my cousin a side-hug) and prohibited me from getting male friends because he thought I’d cheat (I’ve never been unfaithful or even flirted w another man. I’ve always had strong morals about it) I believe this trauma is what made my ocd what it is now, since I’m used to being accused for stuff I didn’t understand or have control over. I believe that understanding OCDs roots allows me to heal because it reminds me that I could exist without this thoughts and still had a good moral compass.

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My OCD trigger

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