I have started feeling like life is a dream. All my childhood, my teenage everything seems like a dream or imagination. I think this is part of my Existential OCD and I hate it.

yeah I guess so, but I find it really hard to do ERP for it

@Hamzag for me when i dissociate there are no obsession or compulsions involved because i’m just so blank, so erp wouldn’t have anything to work with. things that i find help is not being in dark or dim spaces, being around people/watching things that are familiar, playing an istrument and going on walks because it helps remind me my body is in fact real

@JazSargent I see people around me, like my mother and brothers, and I'm like they all feel strange. Life in general feels strange to me. I long for the feeling I had in childhood, which I feel is a compulsion. I've also gone through depersonalization and derealization earlier this year.

@Hamzag yeah that’s a common symptom. if nothing i suggested helps you, i would suggest looking up other coping mechanisms that help others

Its thoughts about questions like why are we all here, what is the point of life etc. Why is doing anything like studies, job, marriage etc necessary when we are just going to die one day. The worst thing is there's no specific answer to these questions, and they make me sick in my stomach.

@Hamzag I’m so sorry, that sounds like the worst theme ever. You’ll get better❤️ I’m struggling too, but with a different theme :)

@margo1 I've also struggled with Sexual intrusive thoughts and sensori motor obsessions, OCD does switch to multiple themes over time.

@Hamzag I still struggle with sexual intrusive thoughts it’s disgusting :(

@margo1 It is exhausting!!! Past 2 years it was the main theme I had, I was convinced I was attracted to my brother's wife, who's a great friend and I love her company. OCD attacks what you hold very dear and is precious to you.

@Hamzag Dude let me tell you, my ocd LOVES my brother. Every time I see him, my ocd is like “wow you wanna have sex with him”. It’s so disgusting. He’s my BROTHER

@margo1 It always attacks things we hold dear to us. Because you can't even think of doing it with your brother, it instills a doubt, "What If?" and the OCD bomb explodes.

@margo1 are you doing ERP by the way?

@Hamzag No not at the moment

@margo1 ERP is all about avoiding the response to an OCD thought. For example if OCD says " You want to have sex with your brother" Avoid doing compulsions like remembering what you felt like when you saw or met your brother, don't check if you felt something sexual about him or not. Even better, tell your OCD "Yes, I want to have sexual relations with him". OCD thrives when we are afraid of it, once we accept the OCD thought and tell OCD we agree with it, OCD loses control. It is hard but doable. ERP has worked wonders for me.