- Date posted
- 1y
Treating ocd
How can I beat ocd
How can I beat ocd
By understanding what it is first. I've been reflecting on this topic and have developed a theory about the root cause of OCD that I find logical and that has resonated with others. I like to think of our brain as a house with a limited-capacity attic, which represents our memory storage. To function efficiently, our brain needs to regularly clear out old, unused memories to make room for new ones, as our brains constantly recording everything thing around us. This process is akin to having a mental "maid" whose job is to clean and organize the attic. When the attic gets full, the mental maid pulls out "dusty" memory boxes and presents them to us. We are meant to quickly decide whether to keep or discard the contents, allowing the box to be reused for new memories. For most people, this process happens seamlessly, with little emotional attachment to old memories. For individuals with OCD, this process becomes complicated. When presented with a memory box, instead of making a quick decision, they begin to ruminate on the contents. These contents often relate to deeply important themes like health, family, or faith. The hesitation to discard these memories signals the brain to keep them, even as new memories need storage. This creates a backlog of memory boxes, all demanding attention. As the backlog grows, the brain's functioning is threatened by the lack of available memory space. In response, the mental maid pushes these memory boxes to the forefront more frequently and urgently. This increased urgency can manifest as intrusive thoughts or compulsions, and the cycle of pain continues, potentially worsening over time. It's important to note that this process isn't under our conscious control. It's an inborn mechanism in our brain that's meant to keep us functioning optimally. In OCD, this helpful process becomes overactive, leading to distress and dysfunction. This theory aims to provide a different perspective on OCD, viewing it as a malfunction of a normally beneficial brain process rather than as a purely negative condition. I hope this adds more context to the understanding of OCD and encourages further discussion on this complex topic.
In a nutshell shell to beat OCD is to live in a way that messages our brain is sending us that causes the anxiety is irrelevant. OCD can only do one thing and that is create doubt. No matter the topic that is what ocd does. We can handle uncertainty in all different areas of life, but ocd goes after what is important to us and we can’t handle uncertainty in that area or areas. So with ocd we do ERP - Exposure and Response Prevention. We expose ourselves to what causes the anxiety and we don’t do the compulsion to get rid of the anxiety. We get on with our day and let the anxiety go down on its own. That is how we teach our brain that the messages it is sending us are irrelevant. For example with “hit and run” ocd. We think I hit a bump did I just hit someone with my car? OCD say go back and check just to make sure you didn’t. That is when we do ERP and think “Yep. I hit someone with my car. They are flipping around on the road in pain”. We don’t go back and check. After doing that again and again and again etc. we train our brain that that thought is irrelevant. It can be difficult but it is well worth the effort. OCD is treatable. I’ve had ocd since my 20’s not knowing what it was and it skyrocketed 3 years ago. That is when I started getting counseling with NOCD and it had been a huge help.
Hi this is my first time posting on here. I wasn't sure if I should because I want to make sure I'm not seeking reassurance because I heard that makes ocd worse. I don't want to talk about what my ocd problem was, but basically I was really upset about a religious ocd problem that I know isn't true. I'm feeling a lot better about it now, but when it was bad I decided to try and get better on my own. I read about ERP therapy and how you're supposed to make a list of your ocd problems, from least distressing to most. So I wrote them down on two pieces of paper. At first I started with the simple ones, like looking for spiders before leaving the room. I have a tendency to look for spiders before leaving a room but lately I've been trying not to anymore. Then I decided to try and do one of the hard things. It was a religious ocd problem. I decided to start simple, and just write the problem down on a piece of paper. So I went downstairs and got some paper. But then I thought, oh no, my ocd is probably not going to like this. What do I do with the paper once I write it down? If I think what I wrote down is bad and going to upset God and I will go to hell, (even though I know logically it's not), my ocd is probably going to freak out if I throw away the paper. It probably won't calm down unless I erase it. So I just decided to not write it down on a paper, and just type it on my phone instead. So I did, I typed it on my phone. So, even though I didn't write anything down on the paper, now it feels like that peice of paper is bad. I feel like it's connected to the problem I was having, and I was so upset I called my mom crying asking her what to do. Eventually I decided to just put the paper back with the rest of the paper downstairs, but I'm still upset. I feel like I have to throw away all the paper downstairs, the pencil I was going to use to write down the problem, and the eraser I was going to use in case I needed to erase anything. It feels like if I use any of those items I will make God angry and go to hell. I know I shouldn't do this though, so I'm not going to. I don't know what to do with the papers where I wrote down my ocd problems. They are on my desk and I'm too afraid to move them. And if I put them in my desk I'm afraid they will get mixed up with other papers. I guess I can do whatever I want with them. I think I'll put them in a folder or binder and if I make any more ocd papers I can just put them in there. I'm just really confused on how to move forward. Right now, I'm too afraid to use the papers, pencil, or eraser for anything. I feel like I can't write on them, draw on them, or anything. It's even making me feel like I can't make digital art. It's making me feel like I can't do a lot of things. I guess what I have to do is just do whatever I want to, because I know the ocd isn't true and doesn't make sense.
Earlier today I did some pretty high-level contamination exposure, inspired by my therapist, and now I'm listening to a triggering song on repeat — the very song that kicked off my first serious bout of OCD in high school. There is a part of my brain that is telling me I can't handle the song and that I should find a compulsion to do, but my goal is to have it in the background while I go about my self-care tasks. I'm already starting to get used to it 💪 How are y'all challenging your OCD today?
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