beatriceee
- Date posted
- 15w
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
- 15w
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
- 15w
@Sillygoose27 omg thank you 😭 i hope it applies to me too
- User type
- Therapist
- Date posted
- 15w
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
- 15w
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
- 15w
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.
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anthonycaronna
- Date posted
- 22w
False memory
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strike1207
- Date posted
- 21w
Can someone please help. I’m struggling.
I have had the same false memory/instrusive image of me doing something horrible to someone when I was 12 and they were younger. It is a memory based on a real event. I truly don’t know if it’s real or not but obviously, the more I think about it the more I think it’s true. This has led my mind to become slightly paranoid. I worry that if this horrible image in my head is true then one day the person I might have hurt will come and k*ll me. I’m really scared I feel like I won’t feel better as long as this “memory” is in my head. Does anyone have advice?
MOO1326
- Date posted
- 9w
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!
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