ROCD

Often, the fears are not real. But it's not a black and white thing. Short answer, yes it's possible and common.

@midnightsnack Yes that makes sense. My therapist explained that OCD can latch onto your thought or feeling making it feel real or true. So now I’m kinda confused

@Mk3 - Yeah, honestly that's the way it usually works I think. Most of the time, the thoughts are not your true feelings or desires. Maybe all of the time for some people. But for me, I can have regular thoughts that are "true to me" and then I will spiral over them and come to a bunch of conclusions that aren't true to me. So it is very confusing. I only caution against thinking that OCD ONLY latches to "non-real" thoughts because that can become a way of seeking reassurance really fast. It leads to you checking to make sure your thought was OCD and not "real" as a way to make yourself feel better.

@midnightsnack Yeah I can totally relate. I have an ugly thought sometimes about my partner and honestly it feels 100% real and true but I can’t even be forsure that it is because of OCD. So yes I have been accepting that it could be either real or not real and I just don’t know. But I was stuck thinking of what a terrible person I was. But for example I guess the thought or feeling is what it is- but the ocd then latched onto it making me feel like it’s very real etc etc etc. so the thought itself is not ocd

@Mk3 - That's amazing!!! That's exactly how you're supposed to do it. There's no way to know for sure, and the only way past it is to accept the possibility. And to not take one thought as evidence for a whole lot more. Proud of you for challenging yourself -- you can get past this!

@Mk3 I’m not saying they’re real or not, because I don’t know. All thoughts come from your brain, so they’re real in that sense, but they could be intrusive, against your true values, or against reality. OCD can and often does attack those intrusive thoughts, but it also attacks non intrusive thoughts sometimes. All I’m saying is the fact that you’re experiencing ocd around a thought does not confirm whether that thought is true/real or not. In terms of the speed thing, I think that’s totally possible that you can be having ocd worries that fast. OCD doesn’t have many rules — it sounds cheesy but it’s true that it is just really different for everyone. And it changes too. So trying to “figure out” how your OCD works exactly is completely futile. I would try to fixate less on what’s OCD and what isn’t, and instead just know that ERP works to help you move on from any distressing thought, real or not. So what’s the point trying to figure it out.

@midnightsnack I gotcha !!!! Thank you so much!!!!! So ocd doesn’t make your thoughts real or not real. But ocd can latch onto them and make them FEEL real. And we have to accept they may be real or may not be real. I think I’m getting it now! And I can’t just assume it’s not real because ocd is involved .

@Mk3 Yep sounds like you totally get it. OCD will convince you of things that feel real and you have no way to know if they are or not. You got this!!!

@midnightsnack Thank you so so much