Kay89
- Date posted
- 14w
Therapist triggered me
I told my therapist I had intrusive about my bff and keeps asking me if I’m attracted to her and I’m say I am not he’s keep saying maybe u are .
🖤BrokenChaos🖤🖤BrokenChaos🖤
- Date posted
- 14w
Yeah, that's not for him to decide. If you talked about it, then you probably don't want those thoughts. This was out of place and extremely unprofessional.
Kay89Kay89
- Date posted
- 14w
@🖤SavageGirl🖤 I don’t want them they just pop up in my head about everyone.
🖤BrokenChaos🖤🖤BrokenChaos🖤
- Date posted
- 14w
@Kay89 - Do you have these frequently?
Kay89Kay89
- Date posted
- 14w
@🖤SavageGirl🖤 Yes most of the time
🖤BrokenChaos🖤🖤BrokenChaos🖤
- Date posted
- 14w
@Kay89 - May I help?
AnonymousAnonymous
- Date posted
- 14w
It sounds like the therapist was doing ERP. I'm curious if they explained it well to you though? Essentially, being triggered in therapy is the "goal" if you are trying to overcome OCD. The idea that "maybe" you are attracted to your friend is going to be very uncomfortable to your OCD thoughts. The trigger is the E (Exposure) in ERP. The more you are exposed to the trigger, the more comfortable your brain gets with it until over time it doesn't bother you at all. That being said, it's important that you communicate with your therapist if that felt like too much for you. If you are not fully understanding EPR, it's important to let your therapist know and to ask questions. That being said, if the therapist is not explaining it to you or is not open to your input, you may want to consider a different therapist
- User type
- Therapist
- Date posted
- 14w
Hey! I know it's tough being on that end of therapy and hearing things that are difficult to hear. I don't want to speak for your therapist, but I'm wondering if this was an intentional attempt to habituate to the distress of not knowing whether it was "normal" or not. If an attempt like this is too much right now, I would encourage you to talk to him about doing less distressing exposures to help you build tolerance. However, having intrusive thoughts is normal. It's important to remember that thoughts are not facts and they don't define you just because they happen. If he asked you again, and instead of arguing you said "maybe", what do you think would happen? Would it make it true?
Kay89Kay89
- Date posted
- 14w
@Adam Kuykendall I have tried doing the maybe , maybe not but it could be true which makes me spiral . I think he may have said it for an exposure tho
- User type
- Therapist
- Date posted
- 14w
@Kay89 - Yes, facing uncertainty can push you down the spiral. What anxiety says is "You cannot take not knowing." Your anxiety might also say "If you say it, then it's true." These are kinda like emotional fallacies, things we believe without evidence. Exposures and response-prevention messaging like this are made to challenge those fears against your reality. Much like how going on a rollercoaster gives you the feeling that you're falling out of control, but it's actually pretty safe. I wish you luck on you next therapy sessions, and maybe you explore building up to this exposure if it is causing too much distress. But I defer to your therapist to help you make that decision.
DevanshuDevanshu
- Date posted
- 14w
The therapist is definitely not right for you
jammywammyjammywammy
- Date posted
- 14w
well you have to accept the possibility, that's how ERP works
Kay89Kay89
- Date posted
- 14w
@jammywammy I guess so, It’s too hard to say maybe maybe not just yet
jammywammyjammywammy
- Date posted
- 14w
@Kay89 yeah he might be pressuring u too early
Dan FrijolesDan Frijoles
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 14w
Honestly, that's a good therapist. That's exactly what they're supposed to do and how your supposed to think if you want to overcome this. That's part of the exposure treatment, which is the thing that will help the most. You're trying to convince yourself with 100% certainty that your fear isn't real. To be fair, it's probably not, but you need to live with that uncertainty and do your best to be okay with that. Now when I have an intrusive thought that bothers me, instead of trying to disprove it, I lean into it and say "yeah...maybe that true. It's possible. We'll see what happens." It sucks in the short-term, but you'll thank yourself and your therapist in the long-term.
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