how exactly does it get better during ERP and sexual thoughts, if ERP gives me a strong arousal feeling and like I like imagining it? It seems to get worse every time I do it, and honestly I know how does it get better?
You have to sit with the thought and feelings no matter how āRealā ocd makes it seem, it will get as real as it can get thatās what ocd does. The key is not to do the compulsion continue to sit with the discomfort. Donāt try to argue with the ocd or prove it wrong, you wonāt win that battle ever with ocd. If you didnāt have ocd what would you do? Nothing. People with ocd donāt go back and worth with there thoughts they just let flow through. Us folks with ocd learn to do this through erp, when your anxiety and intrusive sexual thoughts are at its peak let them just be there and continue to do what you are doing no matter how loud they get. This takes practice but you will see progress if you continue with this approach. You āimagining that you like itā is all part of the ocd morphing cycle. Donāt engage with those thoughts even if they become āscarierā. OCD will always try to throw in ābiggerā traps to keep you in the cycle. Sit with everything even through peak anxiety and watch it fade over time. You can do this! Iām here for you ā¤ļø
@daisher23 thank you very much for your reply, I just started and I'm very excited. I don't know if I should imagine it on purpose or not while dating. If I imagine it becomes very detailed and always gives me sensations, if I let it go just because sometimes I go out for a photo, it just changes the film, then it spins in my head and becomes detailed, and I have never lost its intensity until the end of the exercise... Everything you stated is clear to me, but I honestly have no idea how it should all look...ā„ļø
Do you have sexual thoughts about a specific person? And do you get a groinal response when thinking about that person?
@KitKat02 Yess...i have incest OCD...why?
If youāre having therapy sessions with someone I would recommend doing worst case scenario writings with them. So you can get used to the process for exposure. Sit with the discomfort no matter what comes up and I mean it no matter what, recovery isnāt perfect you will have wins and setbacks along the way, but the key is in how you view it, your mindset/ perspective thatās a big part of recovery. Reframing your beliefs around OCD. You can still do the things you enjoy and do daily. Prioritize what you value, such as family, friends, hobbies, romantic relationships etc. You deserve it even if you have OCD. I know ocd tells us we canāt but itās lying we can live our lives while having ocd. Itās possible. So youāre saying when youāre done with an imaginary exposure the intensity goes down? If thatās whatās happening then youāre going in the right direction. Thereās no perfect way to recover or how ocd recovery should look itās different for everyone! Thereās no destination itās a journey. Donāt get discouraged or caught up on how you think you should be feeling. You should look up OCD recovery on yt and check out their videos, very informative! Specifically Samās videos if you struggle with pocd, he gives a lot of insights and advice on pocd and his journey with it.
During ERP, we learn not to analyze thoughts, not to analyze feelings, obstacles, ideas, commands... because it's all an intrusion and not real. However, it's too difficult for me, because every time a picture comes out, it's all detailed and even with a sound in my head, or an urge, or an idea... to "leave" it like that and I don't come back... is that the case with anyone else? and does it ever pass? Thanks in advance
How long should I do ERP, so that my brain gets used to it, not to say tired?! I've been working for about three months, but everything still seems vivid in my head, there are even vulgar words in detail... since the sexual topic is both a groinal and a feeling that I want to touch myself. It's mostly related to faces and genitals, so how exactly can that go, if it's emphasized that sex pictures in themselves give that feeling, whoever is in them?
I can't anymore.. Erp is very traumatic for me. It's about a sexual topic, and I come out with those scenes in my head, as well as photos of that person where their face makes me think of sexual grimaces. Every time, but every time during practice, I get detailed scenes and groinal. To me it looks like real sexual excitement, and I don't know exactly how to be immune to something that is sex in itself! I don't believe it's part of ocd at all..because it won't come off me and I can't believe it's not me
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