Hello all, I have been in ERP for a while now, but I have come to the realization that it is not working because I am doing it for the wrong reasons. I am doing it in order for the thoughts to go away. What do I do?
The goal of ERP is not to get the thoughts to go away as you say. If you go into it with that goal, you’ll be disappointed, frustrated and actually likely to do more compulsions to try and get them to go away instead of focusing on ERP. The goal of erp is to learn to be able to handle having your intrusive thoughts and be able to handle the anxiety that they bring. The goal is never to make anything go away but to sit with it and recognise the intensity of the thought and the anxiety will go away on its own without compulsions. Learn to accept that you do have intrusive thoughts and that they do and can happen but that you can be ok with that and go on with your day as normal without reaction or it ruining your day. That might not be what you want to hear, but trust me once you reach recovery you just won’t care if you do have an intrusive thought. Often as a bi-product of that do we see less frequent and intense intrusive thoughts, but this is never the goal.
@ScuderiaAlpha Thank you for the gracious reply. I really appreciate it. Are you an F1 fan? I am a NASCAR fan, but I believe I recognize the names in your bio from the F1 video games, which are a blast to play. You are so right about doing more compulsions. It is about all I do. I have somatic OCD about not being able to never notice a sensation again. That’s why it is so hard for me to do the ERP. Like I will be feeling better or doing the ERP and my mind will check to see if it is there. Have you dealt with that before? Any further advice now that you know the particular theme? The advice you’ve given is very helpful.
@Anonymous497 Haha you got me! Yes I’m a huge Formula 1 fan. Agreed, the games are a blast and really great (same can’t be said for my driver career though he’s never won anything but a couple of measly points finishes for Haas🤣). In terms of advice for somatic OCD defo get in touch with your therapist for more specific exposures. However what I would say is you can apply the same techniques for other intrusive thoughts here. Every time you feel like you are noticing that sensation instead of trying to fight it and get rid of it, lean into it fully. You’re noticing it and saying to yourself something like “woohoo I’m noticing that sensation again that’s so so awesome I can’t wait to never not notice this for the rest of my life that’s gonna be so awesome!!”. Do this whenever you notice the sensation. Sounds scary and counterintuitive I know but over time with response prevention your brain learns that this isn’t actually a threat and won’t bring it up as much. I’ve had this with noticing my breathing before and this really helped. Again, though, I’m not an expert at all so defo ask your therapist for more professional advice. :)))
@ScuderiaAlpha As a NASCAR fan, I know all about HASS lol and that’s normally who I start with in career mode for that reason lol. It is very interesting that you mentioned breathing, because that is the sensation I have. I will get in contact with my therapist about this. It is hard to say this to it, because the thoughts and sensations are there literally all day and night. Can I ask, in your experience was it similar? Did it take a while for the ERP to work on this?
@Anonymous497 Yeah I totally get that man, it’s literally constant. It didn’t actually take that long once I really committed to using the non-engagement responses like I said and accepted that I could go about my day or sleep despite noticing it. I honestly really just tried to not care about it and once I stopped really caring whether I noticed it or not is when it got a lot better. This theme didn’t last all that long for me so I don’t have masses of experience with it, but this really helped “get over” this particular theme if that makes sense.
@ScuderiaAlpha Thank you for your help. I’ve had it for 2.5 months. Gonna try the stuff you said and speak to my therapist. Thanks
Hi! I've been on my OCD healing journey for about half a year and I have seen a lot of success. I'm reaching out for advice, I am very willing to do exposures because I know the more I do them, the more I get better, but I struggle with the response prevention part. I don't know how to control my brain when it comes to facing the fears especially since most of my compulsions are mental. I can tell myself the typical things "I am okay with the uncertainty of this happening", etc. but its like my brain doesn't believe them. I've been stuck in this disconnect for a while and would love advice you have heard from a therapist or learned that has really help you.
I’m thinking about doing erp but my ocd is so severe the thought of accepting my fears happening to me makes me sick to my stomach. I also believe in the power of my words and saying I accept this Bad thing will attract it into my life. I’m not sure what I should do🥲
I read about ERP and have seen information about it on here. One of the goals is to say, "maybe I am this or that...ect." That terrified me. The thoughts and images that go in my head are disturbing and upsetting. I don't want to even think about saying, "maybe this or that." It's devasting to have these thoughts and question why you're having these thoughts. Doesn't the "maybe" make it worse? The one thing that helps me is that is to remind myself that these are just thoughts and I know I'm not a monster, even if I feel like one. Is ERP not for everyone? Has anyone else had a problem with the techniques used in this kind of therapy? I had cognitive therapy for years with an OCD specialist and that seemed to help a lot. Writing out the worst case scenarios would make me suicidal. Im having a difficult time not obsessing over the "maybe" after intrusive thoughts now. It doesn't make it better.
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