- Date posted
- 51w
False memory OCD
Does anyone go over their false memory and decide yes it didn’t happen and then two seconds later think oh but what if it is real and then mime their false memory again?
Does anyone go over their false memory and decide yes it didn’t happen and then two seconds later think oh but what if it is real and then mime their false memory again?
Yes, this is very common with OCD, especially when dealing with false memories. OCD has a way of creating doubt even after you’ve convinced yourself that the memory is false. It’s like you go over it, feel certain for a moment, and then that "what if" creeps back in, making you question everything again. This back-and-forth cycle is a classic OCD trap, where the need for certainty fuels the anxiety and keeps you stuck in a loop of doubt and re-analysis. The more you try to "solve" the memory or be 100% sure it didn’t happen, the more power the OCD gains. It’s the nature of OCD to feed on uncertainty, and the more you give in to the compulsion of replaying the memory, the worse it can get. One way to approach this is to recognize that you don’t need to be certain. It’s okay to live with some doubt, even if it feels uncomfortable at first. Practicing sitting with the uncertainty and resisting the urge to "solve" the false memory is a key part of breaking that cycle.
@Justin Trout What if I went over the events and I was sure nothing happened and then after that the thoughts kind of stopped? What does that mean? Like not only for a minute or two but forever? Because like once a few months ago I went over events step by step and I proved that they didn’t happen and after that the thoughts stopped. Does that mean I don’t have ocd or I acted on the thoughts or something?
Yes it's a compulsion. You feel like you got your answer and then the doubt comes back. Do your best to leave it alone. Once you stop compulsions, your certainty will increase on its own over time.
Yes. I try to create systems for myself to prevent relying on my memory only. For example I have a security camera at my door and I take notes of important times on my phone, etc.
False memory OCD is such a pest. It’s really hard to deal with the feelings of certainty and anxiety, trying to discern if things are false memories or real memories, what if they’re real memories, what if my OCD is right, what if because my OCD was right about one thing it’s also right about this thing, what if it knows something I don’t or haven’t realized yet, what if the real memory it’s taking from is actually false and the false memory is true. And it’s worse because the theme and false memory is so high stakes and it’s terrifying to consider what if it’s actually true and the consequences, but that only feeds the OCD, and it doesn’t help that I keep mentally prodding at it to see if the feelings of certainty are still there. It makes the false memories seem so real, and it’s like it wants me to admit the false memory actually happened when I don’t know that it did, and I’ll never know. I try to sit with the uncertainty but my OCD makes this feel so real and it creates so much certainty that this did happen that it’s so hard to keep telling myself that I don’t know, that this could be a real memory or it might not be and I’ll never know, and to remember that this came up a few days ago and I was pretty sure it was a false memory and I was handling it. Like remembering the false memory made it an actual memory. I have no idea if any of this makes any sense - it’s getting so meta lol. Reading all of this, it’s no wonder it’s so hard to sit with the uncertainty about if it’s a real memory or false. It’s been on my mind over the last week, too, which probably doesn’t help things, because the deeper I try to delve into it, the more complicated it becomes, and trying to point out that logically, it doesn’t make any sense, doesn’t help because my OCD comes up with scenarios and what-ifs and ways that this could have happened. It’s really tough to sit with when my OCD is so convinced this is true and it wants me to be convinced, too. I could really use some support, validation, encouragement, anything. If you made it this far, thanks for reading - please take care of yourselves. ❤️🤗
Can it feel like you literally remember a false memory happening? And it feels like the memory has always been there and you vividly remember it happening that way? Because I don’t even know if I’m experiencing a false memory or not but god it feels so fucking real. Like I literally remember it happening. But what’s weird is the original memory was kind of different. 2 years later, the memory is not the same, but it feels like I literally remember it happening. And in this memory, I’m fucking snapping. I’m acting on my thoughts. I feel like a fucking psycho. I hope this is just OCD
How do you know the difference :( I genuinely cannot keep living in this torment. it all started with an ‘intrusive thought’ where I had like a hazy flash of something reading an article. and I remember thinking ‘what if’ and ‘what is this’ and then that intrusive thought turned into me ‘remembering’ something else. which caused me panic. then I started trying to find evidence because it contradicted what I remembered this entire time. this was last year in like september. fast forward to march this year, it came back up- but this time stronger and with more ‘details’ and what nots. and I’ve been ruminating on it since then trying to remember and connect and It’s like I’ve added all of these details. but are they real? or is this just my OCD? I just feel like if it were real I would have never been able to keep it to myself. but also what if it was so traumatic that I blocked it out? because it all makes NO sense for me to do something like that. but it also fits what I was thinking at the time. idk
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