I haven’t done a Q&A in a longtime because my life’s been really chaotic, but I have some time on this chilly Friday to answer some OCD questions! I’ve been on this app since 2019 and volunteering since 2021. I’ve been subclinical/recovered for nearly 6 years now. I’m not a professional, just someone who’s been through hell and back.
I've really enjoyed your posts. Sometimes they connect me right where I'm at.
@Tea and Honey ❤️❤️❤️
I have a “friend” who continuously throws my OCD fears in my face (mainly the ones about my false memories when I was worried I hurt someone). I finally told him to leave me alone but now I’m worried he’ll get bad and call the cops or tell our co-workers about them. Is there anything you recommend to do?
@Catlove9 You have to sit with the uncertainty of him saying something to others. If you didn’t break any laws, he can’t do anything with the police. They’ll laugh at him if he goes in to “report” you for thoughts and they’ll tell him to leave.
@Nica Thank you. No laws broken. And I even was getting better with the false memories. But him throwing them in my face brought them back again and now has created this new fear. I will do my best to sit with the uncertainty. Thank you!
@Catlove9 You found out he wasn’t a true friend. It’s better in the long run not to be around him.
@Nica You’re so right.
If you had any bodily sensations or reactions how did you manage to get past them? This is the hardest thing for me to ignore.
@Anonymous You have to learn to accept the sensations as just being part of your life—because everyone has weird bodily sensations—and move about your day whenever those feelings pop up.
@Nica Yeah, lately my intrusive thoughts are not as bad so everything kinda calmed down a little. But sometimes I get a flare up and it doesnt go away until I do something about it. I try to resist as much as I can bur after an hour or so I gotta do it.
@Anonymous Don’t resist, just leave it be as you go about your day. The more you fight, judge, or even focus on the feelings/OCD, the worse it gets.
Have you ever experienced any physical sensations during the OCD/GAD attack such as poor concentration, speech difficulty (hard to find words to speak), intense fear, muscle tense, uncontrollable feeling and heavy head? Because I have had these for many months and I still can’t see any sights of recovery. I do constantly have this feeling from my relationship after break up with a person who looks like a/a good, angelic cosmic, helpful, person. She asked for an end of relationship because she tired of me. I’m afraid this may hurt her feelings and there will be something will come to punishment me like (curse my life, supernatural, or even scrupulously). This thought always in my head everytime I try to do my daily activities life. What an I going to do about this?
@Anne1234 Yes, physical symptoms are normal. I have them for my other metal illnesses as well. Are you seeing an OCD specialist for your ROCD and magical thinking? If you cannot afford one here or in-person, you can try out Nathan Peterson’s online OCD course.
@Nica But for me I’m struggling with speech difficulty the most, I really wanted it to be better how would you do in this case?
@Anne1234 I mean, I have multiple speech impediments as well, so I don’t speak “normally” no matter what 😂 It isn’t a big deal until you make it a big deal. And if people find it odd you trouble to find words while you speak? That’s on them, not on you.
What types of therapy did you have? And which were the most helpful?
@kj38805 ERP therapy with a professional for OCD. Multiple types of trauma therapy for my PTSD.
Welcome back ... Very happy for you ... And thank you for being there for others.
Hi Nica, what does recovered mean in your case? I am newly diagnosed and feel I've heard mixed information about OCD being permanent; that one can only learn to live with the thoughts. I suppose it's that they don't hold the weight anymore, and one is able to notice and classify them right away as not worth arguing with. I'm curious to learn from someone who's on the other side of treatment a little bit about it. Thank you :)
@Anonymous I have little to no symptoms with my OCD as well as my other mental illnesses/disorders. I have intrusive thoughts, images, feelings, etc. but because I do not engage at all, they don’t become obsessions and I don’t do compulsions. So, basically just what neurotypical people have in their brains (because they have intrusive thoughts too). OCD isn’t a big deal to me anymore after 6 years of intense trauma therapy and OCD therapy.
@Anonymous And to add, yes, there’s no cure. There’s no cure for any mental illness or disorders. You have to learn to accept and live with yourself—it’s tough but it’s absolutely doable with the help of a professional.
@Nica - Thank you, you're strong and it's wonderful the freedom you're living in now!
Congrats! What has been your most useful tools to go to?
@bulldogmom Mindfulness/meditation/yoga daily is the key! Yoga is physical meditation and some people connect with that over sitting meditation, so just depends. But we should all be practicing mindfulness—staying in the present moment.
Congratulations, that's amazing! Thank you so much for taking the time to share some of your story to help others feel less alone and more understood!
@Mackenzie - NOCD Team Member Yes! It’s truly great!
If you've had rituals before was there anything that helped with that?
@BGYM ERP therapy with a professional! Also mindfulness and being petty at my own self 😝
Thank you very much for sharing your story. It gives me hope that there is true recovery and learning to be able just to live with it. Did you ever have a sense that you were hopeless at some point? How were you able to pull yourself out of it. I had this sense that was told by a co-worker. I have been better now, but it comes every once in a while and makes me spiral of, "what if I am hopeless?"
@Hopeful 21 Oh yes, lots of hopelessness. I was suicidal many times as a kid and teenager. That was mainly from the childhood trauma though, not specifically OCD. But that didn’t help either. But I knew others that had recovered and they’d had a REALLYYYYY terrible life, so I knew others I could do it. So I did recover. It took 6 years, but that is way better than staying stuck and miserable.
Congratulations! I was wondering would you have any idea or tool to use if you hear voices and think there hearing your thoughts judging you on your ocd thoughts? Because that’s what steps me back through this process
@Rissa94 I just let those thoughts be present as I go about my day. Thoughts don’t have any meaning until you assign meaning to them. It’s not my business what my mind wants to stir up the vast majority of the time. It can play softly in the background, not bothering me because it is irrelevant. It took a long time to build up and truly believe, but sometimes you do gotta fake it until you make it 😂 You’re getting into the hair of detachment while practicing mindfulness. You are the observer. You do not need to chase your feelings into the rabbit hole. When has that ever worked out, anyways?
Does it feel like genuine peace of mind or just a new form of compulsion / delusion? Thanks
@Dude01 Yep, I’m at peace most of the time. When I’m not, I know that everything is temporary.
@Nica - Awesome. thanks
Any advice for people who haven't done ERP yet? Like how to fight back against this without it doing more and more and more damage? Thanks
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