I’m starting NOCD. I had several years of cbt as a child (well over 20 years ago) and I see a trauma therapist. But now I’ll be seeking further help for OCD and just really scared. CBT wasn’t helpful for me. How has ERP been helpful for you? Do you feel like you’ll finally get your life back? I’m consumed by my obsessions 😢 Would love others feedback if ERP helped you ❤️
I wasn’t diagnosed with OCD until Sept 2023. I was 39. Up until that point I kept going through these major break downs around health concerns. When I found NOCD, my daily anxiety levels hovered between 7 out of 10 every single day. 10 being a full blown panic attack. I stopped eating, I lost over 20 pounds because I was terrified every second of every day. Fast forward to now, after 15 months of ERP and my anxiety levels are 0 out of 10. And on days I have some anxiety, it only goes to maybe a 2 or 3. ERP helped me get my life back, and it will do the same for you. It’s hard, uncomfortable and terrifying. But it will give you so much confidence. You can do this!!!!
ERP has literally changed my life. I wasn't diagnosed with OCD until I was in my early 40's and pretty sure I have been experiencing it since I was 12. My anxiety and OCD had gotten so bad that I started with major depressive disorder. I was so thankful when I found NOCD, I was paired with an AMAZING therapist who never judged, only listened and definitely made me feel heard. I will say that ERP was not easy at all, there were many, many times I was ready to give up. I am so glad I stuck with it because I can sit here today and type this. Now, I do still have OCD intrusive thoughts pretty much everyday (I actually started with a flare up last night) but I have the tools to help me get through it! Congratulations to you for getting help at NOCD, you are in the right place!!
@Anonymous1990 - I was terrified when I first started--what if I tell my therapist what my thoughts are and they tell me I am crazy or have me arrested. I couldn't believe how non judgmental they were and how they have heard most of the same things before. I will say that it does get easier with time. I am on Effexor, lithium carbonate and propranolol. My meds are mostly for depression and anxiety but seems to help the OCD.
Hi! Welcome to NOCD. I’m so glad you’re here. I can say, without a doubt, that ERP helped me get my life back. I was diagnosed at 31, but my OCD started early in my childhood. I’m almost 3 years into my recovery. I am grateful every day that I chose myself by starting ERP. All of the hard days and exposures led me to where I am today. ERP was hard for me in the beginning. I had so many thoughts I kept to myself for years, so verbalizing them was very scary to me. But ERP therapists have literally heard everything under the sun. They’re here to help you conquer your OCD and get your life back. Please be patient with yourself on your journey. You’re essentially re-wiring your brain. You won’t undo years of intrusive thoughts overnight. But every day, you’re taking a step forward to the life you want. Even if you don’t feel like it’s possible, it is. I absolutely recommend attending the support groups here at NOCD. This is such a wonderful community. I started taking Lexapro about a year ago, and that has been a very helpful tool for me along with my ERP skills. I wish you the best on your journey.
ERP has been a true god-send. When I started a couple years ago I was in a similar boat, and just a few months in I felt like I started to get my life back.
I have seen OCD tell people to go to the edge - it is a trick to scare you so that you will not do ERP in the future. DO NOT BE FOOLED!!. OCD is going to manipulate you. If assigned to not do homework then it will tell you to do it and if assigned to do homework OCD will say do not do it. There is no winning following OCD advice.
@Patrick McGrath Thanks for this reply I appreciate it ! It’s always something! It goes from exposures and then onto all other decisions throughout my day
Glad that you asked and glad that others are replying. Ask the questions, look under the hood. And, if I can help with anything, please let me know.
@Patrick McGrath Thank you. I think part 2 of my intake is today. Feeling lots of extra ocd rearing its ugly head and didn’t even start ERP yet. I guess that’s “normal”:(
@Patrick McGrath I may need to switch therapists. I think my intakes have been taking too long. It’s 2 days now of intakes with my therapist and keep going over trauma history. How do I find someone better suited for me?
@Patrick McGrath I was wondering if you could help me with something because I’m driving myself insane. I think you’re great by the way !. I’m in ERP therapy it’s been a battle to say the least but I’m pushing through. My main theme is harm OCD but I’ve had my fair share of others as well. This week my therapist told me to take it easy with the homework he usually gives. I was told to back off for a week and just go about my day and whatever comes up just let it be without reacting. Sounds good right? Yea no lol … Yesterday I’m doing my thing and I get this thought “do your exposure”. I’ve gotten this before but really didn’t pay much attention. So I kind of ignored it and said yea maybe later. It comes back again “your only not anxious right now because you’re not doing the exposures”, “you’re avoiding it”, “you need to do it and do the hardest one to get better”. I ended up later on creating an exposure and as I’m writing it out I get thoughts like “add this word”, “make it harder”, “read it over and over”. Now I’m like what the hell? Is this OCD? Is this my intuition trying to push me to face my fears? Should I be doing this even though my therapist said not to this week?, Did I just give into an intrusive thought ?. The spiral hasn’t stopped since yesterday and I feel like nobody else has gone through this. I was just wondering what you thought since you have experience with this as well? Thanks so much !
You can switch a therapist here - we want you to have the right match.
Those of you who have overcome at least a bit, if not all, of your OCD. When you went through the CBT and ERP, did it feel like the end of the world? And how did you face the fact that your fears and uncertainties might actually come to life?
Looking back, I realize I’ve had OCD since I was 7. though I wasn’t diagnosed until I was 30. As a kid, I was consumed by fears I couldn’t explain: "What if God isn’t real? What happens when we die? How do I know I’m real?" These existential thoughts terrified me, and while everyone has them from time to time, I felt like they were consuming my life. By 12, I was having daily panic attacks about death and war, feeling untethered from reality as depersonalization and derealization set in. At 15, I turned to drinking, spending the next 15 years drunk, trying to escape my mind. I hated myself, struggled with my body, and my intrusive thoughts. Sobriety forced me to face it all head-on. In May 2022, I finally learned I had OCD. I remember the exact date: May 10th. Reading about it, I thought, "Oh my God, this is it. This explains everything." My main themes were existential OCD and self-harm intrusive thoughts. The self-harm fears were the hardest: "What if I kill myself? What if I lose control?" These thoughts terrified me because I didn’t want to die. ERP changed everything. At first, I thought, "You want me to confront my worst fears? Are you kidding me?" But ERP is gradual and done at your pace. My therapist taught me to lean into uncertainty instead of fighting it. She’d say, "Maybe you’ll kill yourself—who knows?" At first, it felt scary, but for OCD, it was freeing. Slowly, I realized my thoughts were just thoughts. ERP gave me my life back. I’m working again, I’m sober, and for the first time, I can imagine a future. If you’re scared to try ERP, I get it. But if you’re already living in fear, why not try a set of tools that can give you hope?
Hi guys! I’m new to the community and I’ve recently received my OCD diagnosis (tho I’ve known about it since childhood). I’ve been somewhat spiraling lately as I wait for my first ERP session (hooray!) I was just wondering if any of you guys have received ERP for existential OCD and if it was successful? My existential OCD compulsions are more so mental and have been affecting me in the sense of dream/memory flashbacks and giving me a sort of “uncanny” feeling about everything around me. Any advice is appreciated! Thank you❤️
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