beatriceee
- Date posted
- 17w
false memory
can a false memory feel very very very real? because i literally don’t know if something happened or not. absolutely no clue but it feels so real
Sillygoose27Sillygoose27
- Date posted
- 17w
I read someone else’s experience on Reddit in which they confessed about wrongdoings they did in their childhood to a therapist, and their therapist immediately said that those things did not happen. OP was so persistent that they did happen because they felt so real but the therapist was very adamant that it did not. So based on what you are feeling, it is not impossible for it to feel very real. Hope this helps!
beatriceeebeatriceee
- Date posted
- 17w
@Sillygoose27 omg thank you 😭 i hope it applies to me too
- User type
- Therapist
- Date posted
- 17w
Hello beatriceee, I see you are struggling with an intrusive thought surrounding a false memory. The short answer to your question is that, yes it can feel like something horrible could have happened. Despite this feeling like a real possibility, in the case of OCD it is a false alarm. This alarm makes us doubt weather something has happened and makes us feel we have to know to handle it. When experiencing one of the intrusive thoughts, have you tried to introduce uncertainty? Are you struggling to let distress pass? Do you need help figuring out where to start? At NOCD we are trained experts in the diagnosis and treatment of OCD and related conditions using Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP). ERP is the gold standard of treatment for OCD and related conditions, with the better part of the past century's research backing the efficacy of ERP. If you would like more information on OCD and ERP, please visit our website at www.treatmyocd.com. If you are seeking to begin/resume your journey of recovery, you may reach out to our member advocate team at care@nocdhelp.com. I hope this message reaches you well and know that at NOCD, we are always here to help! Take care, Ian M. Reeder
Wolfram Wolfram
- Date posted
- 17w
I had one which I found about recently. It was a core memory of mine from childhood that was traumatising. Both my parents remembered what actually happened and I was shocked the brain could do that. It still feels real, thinking on it, but I know deep down that it doesn't make sense.
BroMike65BroMike65
- Date posted
- 17w
Sometimes when I wake up my intrusive will make up the dream I had and it’s usually horrible and I have to think about it.
Related posts
anthonycaronna
- Date posted
- 25w
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Has false memory OCD affected you so badly that you feel that a lot of your memories period are unclear, vague, fuzzy and can’t recall correctly?
MOO1326
- Date posted
- 11w
False memory/real event question
Can a false memory be based on a real event? Like the false memory is based on something that did happen (there is a time/place/people) but you’re not sure if the action in the memory is real? For example, I’ve been dealing with a false memory and it’s based on the time I went on a vacation with my family and the false memory has a time and place, it doesn’t change and it has a specific action and idk…it just feels like it did happen…especially since it’s based on something that DID happen…idk how to explain it :( I hope it is understandable. Anyways…I hope you guys are having a great day!
Iwantthistob...
- Date posted
- 8w
False Memory OCD Support Needed
I basically can’t stop thinking about the false memories and I’ve been thinking about them non-stop since I’ve woken up today. I keep picturing the images / the false memory and I focus and fixate on the images and they feel so so real and realistic and when I think of them I get a feeling of “clarity” and a genuine sense of knowing and belief that deep down I know these memories are true and have happened and that I’m just in denial and lying to myself and you by saying that they’re false memories when in actuality I know they’re real which is also really frustrating and makes me feel uncomfortable. On top of that as I’m writing this message my stomach won’t stop turning and it really hurts and I just want to cry and my brain says that I’m experiencing these physical feelings because I know I am lying and just in denial and that these physical symptoms are proof that I am lying and just in denial and I just don’t know what to do or how to calm down. I really don’t want these memories to be true and I want them to be false more than anything in the world and I am not lying when I say I don’t know whether or not they’re real and I’m not lying or pretending they’re false memories but the more I say that to myself the more it feels like a lie and I’m just terrified at the thought and idea of them being even 1% true because why wouldn’t they be? Is it really possible to fabricate entire memories or doing sexual things to and with another person that are that detailed and realistic :/ My brain says things will only get better once I admit to the false memories and stop lying to myself and stop being in denial and stop using false memory ocd as an excuse and just admit to them because I know deep down I have done them and that they’re true which is why I feel a deep sense of clarity about them and that I am just continuing to lie to myself, to my girlfriend, to my therapist and to my family when I say I don’t know whether I have done anything sexual to or with this person because deep down I know I have I just don’t want to admit it so I’m continuing to be in this heavy state and cycle of denial because I don’t want to accept what I have done. I just want this to end. I just want confirmation that I have never done anything sexual to or with this person and that these memories are entirely fabricated by my ocd and have no basis in reality but I don’t even think that’s possible. I’m so done.
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