Can you guys meditate or/and sit in silence?

My ocd gets so loud in the silence and right before bed when there’s no distractions. I always struggled with anxiety since my teens and guided meditation used to help… until OCD. First time trying guided meditation with OCD I had an intrusive thought of “what if you actually lose control and can’t follow these instructions?” And got even more anxious 🫠🫠🫠 had to stop, and haven’t tried to meditate ever since. Just curious to know. Sometimes I feel like I have the worst type of OCD. It will latch onto anything to make me anxious!

User type: Therapist

Date posted: 15d ago

I once, at the IOP I ran, had four people in one day tell me they had the most difficult OCD I have ever seen in my career. I thought I was being punked. So, I brought all four of them into a group room at the end of the day and said I wanted them to argue it out until they agreed on who really did have the hardest case of OCD I have ever seen in my career. After 30 minutes no one was in the lead. I stopped them and said that they could all continue to be convinced that they had the hardest case of OCD ever and use that to stay stuck and not participate in treatment, or they could recognize that that belief was what was keeping them stuck. They all agreed it was time for a change in a mindset. I say all of that because I hope you do not feel defeated by this belief and that there is no path forward. Doing great ERP could be really helpful, and if you need guidance in that area, we are here to help at NOCD.

viluamorim

Date posted: 14d ago

@Patrick McGrath At times I feel a bit defeated, I do know there is a path forward though. I am very hopeful and my symptoms are manageable for the most part. I still live a pretty normal life despite of OCD, except for some avoidance in order to not get anxious. It was much much worse in the beginning (I couldn’t concentrate much, couldn’t sleep much, barely could eat due to heightened anxiety) when I wasn’t educated about it. Since I learned more about it, I try my best to sit with the discomfort and keep going. Exposure is not something I have done yet because I feel like I can not do this on my own, I am terrified to face my fear but I know it is necessary and I will have to do it at some point. People in my life do not know I have OCD/OCD symptoms -since I am not diagnosed- , I only mention anxiety. I am afraid they would not understand and not support me, or even worse, I am afraid they would think I am a freak. That makes me feel a little lonely. I would love to get ERP but since my insurance does not cover it, NOCD couldn’t accept me. Is there anything else I could do to get therapy with you guys?

OCD Helping ...

User type: OCD Conqueror

Date posted: 14d ago

Yes, i can meditate and sit in silence! It's taken years to cultivate the practice considering the OCD doesn't make it easy (and sitting in silence is hard for anyone), but it's so worthwhile. I actually look at meditation as a way to face my OCD. It brings up a lot of discomfort while I meditate, but if I use the techniques and practices I've used to acknowledge the thoughts, not dwell on them, focus on my breath, and move forward, it's actually quite helpful. In fact, spiritual mindfulness is -- in many ways -- very similar to how we combat OCD with ERP-like structures.

Philipp2024

User type: OCD Conqueror

Date posted: 14d ago

@OCD Helping Hand I think meditation is already a good response prevention tool because it brings you into an observer perspective by design.

User type: Therapist

Date posted: 14d ago

The worst type of OCD is always the way its presenting in the moment! I am sorry to hear your are experiencing this. It is important to notice when the rumination is at it's worst. Consider sitting with the discomfort and staying present with the meditation without doing any of your safety behaviors. You might be surprised at what you can handle!

viluamorim

Date posted: 14d ago

@Barbara Windeknecht I haven’t done any ERP so I am not the best to recognize rumination. Being alone in silence is just a way to get my OCD super sparkled. It’s like my brain is broken, it didn’t use to be like that before ocd): I know there is a way out though, and that is still a possibility!

Andrea Wells

Date posted: 13d ago

I personally have never found meditation helpful for OCD. And oh my I sure tried, a lot. So many people recommend it for mental health. I tried meditation countless times for years and just like you, and all it did was just make me focus more on my intrusive thoughts. It wasn't until I did ERP that I finally found relief.

Vee4

Date posted: 13w ago

I think I have severe ocd

So I've had OCD since I was a child. Like really young. The first intrusive thought I can remember was when I was 5. It just keeps getting worse and lately they've been making me physically ill or throwing me into extreme panic attacks again ( ones where I can't move my body ) the other night I thought God was trying to kill me because I was thinking about ending myself from OCD+ life issues but in reality I was just having a panic attack😭😭it affects me daily. It gets a little better with therapy but I don't see therapy coming into my life any time soon and I'm not even sure if I would want to go (for multiple reasons). To wrap this up if you have severe ocd can you tell me what it's like?? I don't want to label anything without proper research and hearing others perspectives. Thank you!! <3 (My profile says all of my subtypes if that helps any)

tlousluvr

Date posted: 12w ago

advice 🧸

hi. so one big factor of my OCD is rumination. i met a guy who i have a crush on the idea of (idea bc there are red flags). my biggest fear is not finding true love, my ex told me no one else would deal with what i have (my ocd, specifically reassurance seeking and getting overstimulated after intimacy). a few weeks ago, my friends and family all gathered and tried to give me advice that sounded like “you’re shy and you’ll never find someone.” after that, i’ve felt off. i’ve been using an unhealthy coping skill, daydreaming, and i’ve just felt unbalanced. my ocd makes everything feel different sometimes, i can’t explain it. life, myself, almost like being in a dissociated state. has anyone else experienced that? i don’t know how to remain balanced during my off times and i know pms exasperates it all. i take ashwaghanda and omega 3s in a multi vitamin daily. i take them all together in the evening but i’ve missed three days recently and also messed with my rocky sleep schedule because of fun times with friends. i hope these supplements work, because i don’t know if i’d be brave enough for medication. i had a bad reaction on prozac and often am forgetful. i just have been battling my OCD consciously for almost ten years now and unconsciously for longer. i am so tired, as my mental health extends beyond my OCD. i’m in talk therapy with some cbt aspects but i only see her twice a month. i’ve broken down so many times and promised myself id get on track or that certain things would work, but it’s like i am stuck in a circle that gets smaller when i’m able to help myself. i just want to be normal. i want to be able to mess up my sleep schedule to enjoy good times and not suffer horrible consequences or fear that i will be entirely thrown off balance. i don’t want to worry or doubt or feel so dissociative that i squint my eyes for a moment and wonder why i feel so unreal. i will never understand why god has allowed me to go through this. i cannot let it be for nothing but i don’t know how much more to bend and contort my body and brain to get somewhere stable but how lovely it would be if i could. i don’t have much of a schedule right now, i get apathetic and give in with things from time to time. one thing can trigger me and i am back to square one wether in a week or month. any advice, any and all is so helpful. your stories, your thoughts. maybe feeling less alone and knowing what has helped you is exactly what i need right now. thank you 💗

hereintheUK

Date posted: 12w ago

Sudden setback

Where do I begin with this…….. so my OCD has been around since childhood and has had many themes over the years. I only realised I have it just over 2 years ago. I’ve tried many things to help it not be such a monster and thought I had a good grip on it for a length of time until now! Some of my strategies have been acceptance, change of perception of thoughts and sometimes on hard days just telling myself that no matter what, I have to be brave and go out and live life. In the last few months I’ve developed none OCD related anxiety as well and so have been looking at ways to help with that. Sunday morning I was just casually scrolling TikTok and a video only about 30 seconds long or so comes up, seemingly a therapist of some kind, straight away the video began something like “you cannot replace a thought with another thought” along the lines of “you can’t THINK your way out anxiety” I don’t know the full context of the video it wasn’t long enough, I don’t know who the therapist was I didn’t look but now purely because of that one sentence my OCD has gripped onto it so badly and is trying to tear down some of my strategies because I have used changing my thought patterns a lot to help me, self compassion etc but now because of that video I’m struggling! I’m not looking for answers but I am just really upset and it feels like I’m in an impossible grip of OCD again

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Can you guys meditate or/and sit in silence?

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