I pretty much hit rock bottom in September 2023 and it’s been so hard to climb out of. Especially with PTSD, Depression and undiagnosed ADHD. But I did it. And you can to. There is hope and as someone who has rebuilt herself back from OCD, I want to support others on their journey. Ask me anything 💜
I have a lot of trauma from childhood, which I suspect feeds into my OCD quite a bit. How did you go about OCD recovery while also managing PTSD?
@nae nae Having PTSD and OCD made it difficult. Because each played into the other. The thing about ERP is that you just have to start small. Think of it like deciding to start running. You don’t plan to run a marathon your very first run. You start with training for a 5k, and maybe you have to do one a few times before you’re comfortable moving onto a 10k, but that’s ok, there’s no time frame. Starting small with ERP and getting treated separately for my PTSD was really helpful. I hope this helps. Happy to answer any other question you have. You can do this!
@emilytravelswild Thank you for answering. I really appreciate it!! I've been wondering how to go about treating both, so this was honestly very helpful. And, I'm glad you've been able to get your life back. I love seeing these types of posts. They inspire hope in people, including me 🤍
@nae nae I’m so glad my story was helpful. There is always hope. In every situation. Don’t ever forget that. Sending you a big hug! 💜
Hi!! I'm so happy for you! This is absolutely fantastic news!! What did you do for ERP? I know it's very specific to people. I'm beginning to try to face my fears but it will be really hard. I'm beginning to think that's what life is all about.
@BigGyro09 Hi friend! It’s been a while. Glad you commented. Yes, ERP is very specific, so because my theme is health OCD, specifically cancer. I started with not closing my eyes when watching a video about cancer treatment. Then moved up to reading articles about cancer. Basically I got so fed up with living like this, I decided to just start doing the complete opposite of what OCD wanted me to do. It was so hard and scary but now, the things that scared me the most, are things I’m able to do again. Ocd had just been lying to me. Seeing ERP work firsthand like that was a wild experience but I will never believe anything ocd ever tells me again. I know thinking about ERP is hard but you can do hard things! I believe in you!
@emilytravelswild This is great to hear. My theme is also health OCD. My ERP therapy has had me confront my core fear of suffering and death and I’m finding radical confrontation of this fear is really helping.
@emilytravelswild That's such a magnificent, life changing reply and I'm really glad that you feel like you've gotten your life back by doing this. That really does make me hopeful. I too worry about my health, and it mainly comes from illness and STIs. Maybe I can watch videos about exactly that and move the goal post to make it harder somehow. I'm really happy for you!
@emilytravelswild So are you no longer afraid of terminal illnesses or do you feel you now have the fear level of cancer and other diseases like a “normal person “ does?
@Beccov This is my theme and I relate
@JennaRae I think everyone, ocd or not, is afraid of terminal illness. The difference with having ocd is our ability to manage those kinds of intrusive thoughts, etc. And right now, I’m able to manage those. Whereas before, I couldn’t even think of the idea that at some point I will likely get sick and die. It used to give me so much panic. But now I can think of it, and I don’t really have any anxiety about it. And the key for me in addition to erp and therapy, has been reclaiming joy of living through mental illness. Focusing on things we really love to do can be so healing and has greatly helped me get back to normal.
@Beccov Health ocd is a beast, isn’t it? And it’s so wild how confronting the fear makes it get better. But it really shows us that there wasn’t anything to fear in the first place. So glad you’re doing well!
@BigGyro09 Are you in therapy for ocd? Definitely talk to your therapist as they can help you come up with a plan to tackle your fears. I know it’s so hard and feels like the scariest thing in the world but confronting those fears is the path to healing. Sending you lots of good energy for today, my friend!
@emilytravelswild I'm in therapy for a variety of things, but OCD is one of them, yes. Anxiety hierarchies are one of the things we talked about and it involved confronting fears that I have about myself that I know would get better if I confronted them. I guess the only thing I can do now is make a list of things that give me such anxiety and give them to my therapist and see how we can get through those fears.
@BigGyro09 Not to say anything negative about your therapist, but are they specialized in OCD treatment? Because they should already have implemented this for you. You shouldn’t have to do this on your own. Mine walked me through the process together to make a plan. Remember, ocd treatment is very specific and different that’s why it’s so important to make sure our therapists are trained in ocd otherwise it could make our symptoms worse. Not to scare you but just to make you aware! I’m glad you’re thinking about how to confront your triggers though, that’s the first step!
@emilytravelswild I don't think they're specialized in it but I still think they've been helpful with intrusive thoughts and other things. How was it set up for you? If you can share that information, I mean. At the same time, I haven't brought up ERP as much as I should have. Just worries related to OCD.
@BigGyro09 Ok, I really can’t emphasize this enough but it’s super important to work with someone trained in ocd treatment. Talk therapy will make ocd worse. You shouldn’t have to bring up erp at all, that’s your therapists job. Are you able to find a therapist specialized in ocd? My therapist was explaining this to me and she said that regular therapist have maybe 1 class in their coursework regarding ocd, and it’s not enough to properly treat those who struggle with it. If you have insurance, NOCD is really good. As for how my therapist and I created my treatment plan, we uncovered my core fear first because that’s what ocd feeds on. And then made a list of triggers for that core fear and ranked them from 1-10, with 10 causing the most anxiety. From there we created exposures around the ones that caused me the least anxiety and worked through them one by one until they got better and I just went up from there. When you work with an ocd therapist this is what your sessions are like. You focus on practicing your exposures and tackling them one by one.
what erp would you recommend for so-ocd?
@Anon56 First thing I would say is to talk to a licensed therapist. If that isn’t available to you, this is what I would do. You need to uncover your core fear, or fears first if you have different themes. But just start with the one that is most present. Keep asking yourself the question, “what is the thing I’m most afraid of,” and when you answer it, ask “could it ever get worse than this?” Keep doing this until you can’t answer it anymore. That is your core fear. Once you uncover that, you can start to introduce erp by making a list of all the things that trigger you regarding that core fear. Once you have your list (and you will likely keep adding to it), rank each trigger from 1-10. 10 being causing the most anxiety, 1 being the least. The triggers with the lowest number are where you start with erp. For instance my lowest for a while was reading tarot cards. So my exposure was to read tarot cards, allowing my anxiety to rise and telling ocd “yep, you’re right. That could be true.” then eventually the anxiety fell down as I continued reading them. Don’t move on to the next one until you conquer the one you’re working on. It could take few or many sessions. Patience is key.
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 just completed a check in with my therapist today so naturally I reflected on my journey with OCD. Summer/Fall of 2023 feels like a swath of darkness. Bombarded with horrible intrusive thoughts, I thought my life was over. I did not see the light at the end of the tunnel. I hated myself. Life lost meaning for me and it felt as if every hope and dream was shattered. Needless to say my life was lost to me during a time when I should have been enjoying it the most. I was post grad with a good job lined up. But none of it mattered- my mind was as broken. Thank God, I had some small voice in me that urged me forward and to get help. So I did. I felt so scared and unsure. Was I doing the wrong thing going to therapy? I was not. It was the best decision I made for myself. Fast forward to nearly two years later, my life couldn’t be more different. I see and feel the light. I have so much love and gratitude for myself and for everyone who helped me along the journey. My therapist, my family, all the brave content creators who openly speak about their experiences, no matter how taboo. I won’t lie, it was a lot of work. And I had to learn to be uncomfortable and deal with frustrations. I had to learn to trust myself. I still deal with sticky and intrusive thoughts but my response and my daily life despite them can not be more different. So I am here to be proof to you that there is so much hope. If you don’t have the little voice in you urging you forward, than I will be just that. Go to therapy, get help, put in the work. It is so worth it. Every time there is a setback, and there will be many, push through. Feel free to ask questions! But no reassurance will be given.
Just wanted to give some hope to those who are having ocd spikes, spirals and worries. This past year I have regained my life back. I went from beginning to isolate myself, being convinced by my ocd that my hobbies are bad and that I should avoid things I enjoyed, and having constant panic attacks. With the work of IOP, psychiatry and nocd, I have made great strives towards my future. I now don’t avoid things and instead embrace my life and ANY possibility that may come. Don’t let the ocd bully you. Yes, I have intrusive thoughts still but I am able to go about my day instead of obsessing over them. You can find this too. I encourage anyone on the fence to please seek help if you are in a tough time, it can literally save your life.
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