Hi! This is my first post and I was curious if anyone has been able to recover from harm OCD and if you did it with therapy only or a combination of therapy and medication? It’s absolutely horrifying and I’ve had it since my daughter was born but it picks up in intensity when I’m stressed. I’m also scared to start ERP for it.
My harm OCD is much better than it was. I recovered with a combination of therapy and meds, but the therapy was far more effective. It's ok to be afraid when you first start EPR. Taking baby steps steps and giving yourself lots of grace can help.
@Anonymous I’m so glad you are doing better! I have hope I can recover too from your comment
If you're afraid you will harm your daughter, the thoughts are probably ego-distonic, meaning you don't really want to hurt your daughter, you love her and don't want her to get hurt.
@Anonymous It attacks the very things I love the most. It’s awful. I’ve had other themes that were manageable but this one absolutely sucks.
The worst my OCD ever got was when I first experienced harm thoughts. I never thought I would get better and it attacked every single person I loved and was close to, especially my mom. Today a harm thought does not bother me at all. I might get a little frightened but that will last maybe a minute. I went to support groups and restarted my medicine. It is helpful to be as open and honest about your thoughts in order to effectively treat it. I hope you feel better soon it may take time but it’s worth it to keep trying.
@blues1507 Did you do ERP, meds, or something else?
Hi as a mother, I know what you’re going through. It is a struggle and currently trying to work through it. I stared meds 1 week ago and doing therapy. It’s torture I know and it awful. You can also dm me if u like I definitely feel like that needs to be a bigger community for Mom’s
@Hope1 Yes! I haven’t seen as much on this theme compared to others but I feel like it has to be one of the worst. Thank you for your kind words! I would love to see a support group for moms or this theme in general
I have started therapy and in 4 months in. I do feel better and ERP has helped. This therapy though is not that scary as your therapist will start with exposures that have don't trigger you too much and then work on the more intense triggers later in treatment but this therapy helps and the therapists here from what I have experienced are very compassionate and support you throughout your recovery journey.
I’m a mom and going through harm ocd it’s been a struggle and I too want to know if other moms recover from this
Does anyone else struggle with this? It's been the main thing powering my POCD, and it's only been getting worse. Especially when I see posts online of people sharing their personal stories relating to CSA, specifically grooming. It's so triggering now, but before this theme developed, the most I'd feel while reading posts like that would be disgust targeted towards people who did those things. Now, my first thought is, "What if I do something like that one day? What if I've done it before and I don't remember or didn't know I was doing it?" I have many, many different intrusive thoughts or worries related to this theme, but it all circles back to this specific fear that I'll become like the people who hurt and took advantage of me. Does anyone have advice for this? I'm not sure if I've asked a similar question in the past or not, but is this something I need to deal with separately before beginning ERP for OCD? I'm just curious and also lost on where to begin with all of this. I'm just glad I'm able to begin working through all of these issues now, rather than later in life when I'd probably have a lot more responsibilities. Anyways, any feedback is appreciated! 🤍
Hi everyone, I’m Cayla. I’m a mom that’s lived with OCD since childhood, but my breaking point came more recently after having my son. I was consumed by terrifying thoughts—What if I hurt him? What if I did something awful without realizing it? I was so afraid of my own mind that I couldn’t be alone with him. The shame and exhaustion were unbearable, and I convinced myself I was broken. In 2024, I finally sought help. ERP therapy at NOCD was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, but it saved my life. Even now, I have tough days, but I know I don’t have to be ruled by OCD. When my 12 year old daughter began showing signs of OCD, I felt overwhelmed with guilt. I never wanted her to go through what I had, but I knew what to do. I told her that I have OCD too and made sure she knew it wasn’t her fault—and that she wasn’t alone. One of the hardest parts of this journey was trusting someone else with my daughter’s OCD. I knew how vulnerable it feels to share intrusive thoughts, and I wanted her to feel safe. Her NOCD therapist was able to establish trust and genuine empathy from the start, and that relationship gave her the confidence to face ERP head-on. Seeing her build that trust made me certain she was in the right hands. ERP has helped both of us reclaim our lives, and it is beautiful to see my daughter managing her condition and making visible progress. Parenting with OCD while raising a child with OCD isn’t talked about enough, but I know so many parents are struggling with these same challenges. If you have questions about managing OCD while parenting, helping your child through ERP, or breaking cycles of guilt, drop them below—I’d love to share what I’ve learned. I’ll be answering all of the questions I receive in real-time today 4-5pm ET.
Hi guys! I’m new to the community and I’ve recently received my OCD diagnosis (tho I’ve known about it since childhood). I’ve been somewhat spiraling lately as I wait for my first ERP session (hooray!) I was just wondering if any of you guys have received ERP for existential OCD and if it was successful? My existential OCD compulsions are more so mental and have been affecting me in the sense of dream/memory flashbacks and giving me a sort of “uncanny” feeling about everything around me. Any advice is appreciated! Thank you❤️
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