ERP helping people as opposed to turning them into the bad thing doesn't make sense to me. How is fixating on the uncomfortable thought not going to turn you into a criminal minds episode?
It might be a good idea to talk to a therapist about this, who can answer your questions in a tailored way and explain why ERP works in detail? But basically, it's not 'fixating' on a violent or murderous thought in a harmful way. It's a proven technique to unstick a temporarily misbehaving loop of the brain. When you have OCD, a slightly damaged/wonky/inflamed/stressed bit of the brain keeps sending you an irrelevant thought, under the false impression it means something important. By embracing the thought in a non-judgemental way (as in, not getting angry or frightened at your own brain for making the mistake), you show it there's nothing to be frightened of. There is zero evidence that having a criminal or violent thought will actually turn you into a violent criminal. Virtually everyone has the odd randomly violent or angry thought. It's normal. Things like "I'm so angry with my boss today I could just punch him!" or "imagine what would happen if I stabbed my dog with this chopping knife". It's just in people without OCD, the thought pops in and out of their mind so fast they barely notice or remember it, whereas in people with OCD the thought gets 'stuck' on repeat. Yes, it's true that people who commit acts of terrible violence are often very interested in violent online videos, aggressive scenes from movies, fantasising about hurting others etc...but since these people don't have OCD, their minds are working in a completely different way. So it's a completely different situation. They're deliberately seeking out violent and criminal content and actually enjoying it - whereas people with OCD are terrified and aren't enjoying these thoughts at all. There are also loads of examples of people thinking about murderous or violent things and it NOT turning them into anything different. The context really matters. For example, I'm a writer and some of my book plots have involved researching weapons or criminal violence online, thinking deeply about these, and writing a character comitting them. This hasn't magically made me a violent person 🙂 I generally have an anti-war political stance, I've never been in a fight, I have zero criminal record, I don't own any weapons, and I believe firmly in non-violent peaceful activism. Police detectives, social workers, true crime podcasters, writers and filmmakers, doctors etc all have reasons to think deeply about criminal violence in different ways, and it doesn't turn them violent either.
i think ERP is more about reducing your reaction to the thought so that it holds less power and so that you learn to be comfortable with doubt/uncertainty. i get what you mean though. ERP does sound scary
Can I hear some examples of specific parts of ERP that has helped you? I've been doing talk therapy for a few years and the major issue I have with it is that I already have analyzed all of my problems from every angle, so I'm kind of just sitting there yapping about it for an hour. I need solutions and things that make me feel better.
I read about ERP and have seen information about it on here. One of the goals is to say, "maybe I am this or that...ect." That terrified me. The thoughts and images that go in my head are disturbing and upsetting. I don't want to even think about saying, "maybe this or that." It's devasting to have these thoughts and question why you're having these thoughts. Doesn't the "maybe" make it worse? The one thing that helps me is that is to remind myself that these are just thoughts and I know I'm not a monster, even if I feel like one. Is ERP not for everyone? Has anyone else had a problem with the techniques used in this kind of therapy? I had cognitive therapy for years with an OCD specialist and that seemed to help a lot. Writing out the worst case scenarios would make me suicidal. Im having a difficult time not obsessing over the "maybe" after intrusive thoughts now. It doesn't make it better.
I'm just laying here avoiding being an adult and wondering if during ERP the therapists are mean. Like, is it a "tough love" type of situation? That makes me anxious
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