Success stories?

In June of last year, I started having obsessive suicidal thoughts. We thought it was related to a medication I had started. After a stint in the psych ward and taking a leave of absence from work, I spent the summer rotting. Just getting worse despite seeing multiple therapists and doing everything I could to try to get better (including ketamine treatments). Then I started having intrusive thoughts about killing my family. I couldn’t bear to be inside my own head anymore and tried to end my life. A social worker in the ER suggested that I was experiencing OCD, not depression and psychosis (as other professionals thought). After another stint in the psych ward (worse than the first), I did a 4 week OCD specific IOP and now work with a NOCD therapist. Proper diagnosis, medication and treatment have allowed me to return to work and life.

My biggest success was persevering through ERP, when I wanted to give up over and over. Opening up to my therapist, doing my exposure homework, both led me to finally have freedom from this disorder. Last summer, I hit a pretty big setback. A new theme popped up (intrusive sexual thoughts about a family member), and I didn’t think I could recover. But I did. I bounced back more quickly than I thought. I used to be so, so afraid of driving. My OCD latched on to that fear very strongly. Over the last few days, I drove farther than I could have before ERP. I understand what you mean, when you say it’s hard to see hope in the thick of it. But you already know it can get better. And it will. Take time to notice your progress, your wins, big and small. Be kind to yourself. Give yourself grace. You’ll bounce back soon.

I'll give you the shortened version. I had harm ocd in my teens where I repressed emotions so much that the intrusive thoughts actually came through as audible hallucinations (voices). I didn't know I had ocd at this point and normal talk therapy wasn't working. I had a friend I opened up to 2 years into this suffering and they did am exercise with me that got rid of them immediately and never heard them again. No meds, no therapist, just a mental exercise from a friend and it worked instantly. That was insane to me. Relationship ocd and real event was dealt with through erp over 3 months and I feel as if my hear can never be broken again. Moral scrupolousity was my biggest one because it was tied to my ego and identity. I feel as if that's sorted but I'm being thorough as I want to be sure. This took longer as I felt like I was replacing the foundations of myself and you can't do that fast or you'll crumble. But when you notice something different, it's a huge win.