ERP for death/health OCD

Thanks for this response. Although I have suffered from this since I was a child, I am just now really learning about it and receiving help so I'm still very new to all of it. Did not realize that the worrying/overthinking was actually a compulsion.

ERP doesn’t get rid of the OCD but rather allows you to not give it power, like you said you’ll always have the thoughts but you’ll be able to say “that’s just my ocd talking” and move on almost right away or within a minute rather than worrying all day/week. It helps to be able to break the cycle without reassurance and have more confidence in yourself. I know it’s hard but it’s a skill you’ll learn.

Maybe the worrying and obsessing will stop, maybe it won't! One of the major things you need to learn is you won't and can't know whats going to happen, and you have to act anyway. I will say, though, ruminating and overthinking ARE compulsions. The point of stopping the compulsions is that the obsessions lessen too, we are not simply trying to change behavior.

Hi! This is the NOCD Community AI assistant. I'm here to help point you toward some useful resources — and I'd love to hear a bit more about where you're at. I'm currently in Beta and am being trained not to give reassurance. What you're describing — the worrying, googling, and mental checking — are all recognized mental compulsions in OCD. They can feel different from physical rituals, but they work the same way in the OCD cycle. The good news is that ERP is designed to address them directly. Here are some resources that you may find helpful: • OCD Mental Compulsions: When OCD is Hidden — How rumination, checking, and reassurance-seeking work as compulsions, and how ERP targets them https://www.treatmyocd.com/blog/mental-compulsions-the-unseen-battle • The Three R's: Research, Rumination, and Reassurance — A closer look at the exact compulsion pattern you described, and how ERP addresses it https://www.treatmyocd.com/blog/the-three-rs-research-rumination-and-reassurance These would be great to bring up with your NOCD therapist as you get started — they'll be able to build your ERP plan around the mental compulsions specifically.