What are some things that you did/found helpful when you started going down in the number of sessions? I find that I am having a hard time accepting that I am at the point/ have the skills where I don't need sessions as frequently.
Yes, it can be scary when it's time to cut the umbilical cord. In my case, I found it helpful to do it gradually, and to remember my ERP tools: stay in uncertainty, stay in the present, and to keep in mind that a thought is a thought is a thought, not a threat or action, just a thought. I knew it was time to wind it down when I just didn't have much to relay to my therapist.
Funny that you just posted this. I just got out of session with my NOCD therapist and we decided to go to once a month instead of every couple of weeks for maintenance. I think one of the things that made this easier was realizing that I had the skills to overcome this, but only I could exercise the skills.
I think it's just scary for me because I don't like change and I still have to remind myself that I do have tools to use now. But you're right I'm the one who has to exercise my skills not my therapist. Thank you for that reminder!
I'm not ready? I haven't learned nothing? Wait, what... End result, trust yourself. You got this. Just remember your simple A... B... Cs. Airway Breath Control There you go! šš¾
But I didn't get that. This Community is teaching me. The What and The How? Community is teaching the traps and how to get out when you can and to ask for help when you can't. That's why am here a lot, I ran out of money. I'm learning from you all here. I have no skills just experiences that guided me through it. But you guys are treating me others ways because maybe my way is not working anymore or I need to add new skills. Yes, I am here to support others but also myself. To be healthy and well for myself. Thank you for that response @Steven55! This Community is helping be ok with relaxing, accepting, rethinking, self-training, re-training, re-strain, and how to be kind. Thank you.
And that's a fact. Life distractions does not want Anyone to hold the others' hand. Because it knows separation, divide, and isolation helps it win and suffocate and debilitate you leaving you feel emotionally defeated and mentally paralyzed. Teaching self skills, daily training is critical to us all. No one can guarantee to be there in every situation and any moment of no one's life. So YOU Must Know How To SAVE YOURSELF in those moments. Absolutely! šÆ š
So you got to ask me anythingā¦ Now Iād like to ask you something! Iāve heard from Members that they were so scared coming to their first ERP session. They were terrified that I would think they were crazy, that I would tell them their worst fears were true. That I would confirm they are some form of a terrible person or have them hauled off to prison for their thoughts. Iāve also had Members share how theyāre very scared to begin ERP treatment because theyāve researched enough to know it means facing the fear, without the compulsions that have kept them feeling safe (but not really safe) this entire time. They struggled to see how they could be capable of doing this, while simultaneously acknowledging that they did not want to live like this anymore. If you have had your first session, what were your thoughts before? Did you have any hesitations or fears going into it? How did it turn out? If you havenāt yet begun to work with an ERP specialist, what is holding you back?
This is kind of a weird question, but I recently increased my SSRI dosage and have experienced tremendous relief. It has quieted my intrusive thoughts so much and my compulsions are no longer as all-consuming. However, I donāt want to be on this high of a dosage forever and know that medication alone shouldnāt be my only fix. Iām seeing a new psychiatrist on Wednesday and am wondering if the recent decrease in frequency of my symptoms will be a bar to my getting ocd treatment? In other words, if in this present moment Iām doing better, but up until a few days ago my compulsions were taking up pretty much every moment of my waking day, will I still be classified as having ocd? I start getting worried when I feel better that I donāt actually have ocd and just use it as a defense mechanism to avoid consequences of my actions/Iām secretly a terrible person
What does a therapy session with an OCD specialist look like for yāall? This is something Iāve always wondered because Iāve only had one OCD therapist through NOCD. Our sessions always looked like sit there and āreduce anxietyā meaning donāt think for a few minutes and take a few deep breaths and rate your anxiety level every couple of minutes. AND that was it. Is it supposed to look like that? Because I havenāt seen anyone on this app talk about this or how their therapy sessions go. Iām considering restarting therapy but I want to know how therapy goes for you guys before I go back to the same specialist. Any input would be appreciated :)
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