Anyone with magical thinking have any tips

Probably goes without saying, but I'll add that due to the risks associated with deliberately triggering your OCD, ERP is something that should be done with a trained therapist.

@A.M.D.G. Thank u I appreciate it I do try to delay some and even not participate but then my brain tells me well what if this time u don’t participate something bad happens i understand erp is there to show ur brain its ok to live with not knowing but im not sure how i can not do act on the actual compulsions without thinking somthing bad will happen.

@alex0523 - Yep, that's the trick, and it's not easy. It's extremely difficult to not do a compulsion when that feeling of dread comes on you. This is the space we are all learning to sit in, and if we're being honest, it can be pretty awful.

@A.M.D.G. Have u dealt with this what works for you

@alex0523 - I don't have the magical thinking theme, but I do have OCD. ERP has worked pretty well for me so far. I'm early in ERP, so right now my proof that ERP is working is that I'm no longer having regular spirals and panic attacks. Most days I still have to push through a lot of discomfort. Right now I am trying to become more familiar with my compulsions. Most of mine are mental, so that's one of my personal struggles is simply recognizing my compulsions. When my obsessions get triggered, either deliberately or through real world triggers, I do my best to not do the compulsions that I recognize.

@A.M.D.G. Mine are mental also would u mind sharing what kind they are ? Do u work with somone on here or somone in person by you

@alex0523 - I struggle the most with ruminating, thought blocking, self-reassurance, and scanning/checking. When I find myself doing one of these, I gently note that I'm doing it and do my best to stop. And yes, I'm seeing a therapist here at NOCD.

@A.M.D.G. Thanks for responding when u try to stop how does that work for u

@alex0523 - It's not easy, that's for sure! These are skills that I'm told take years to develop. The idea is that it all starts with building awareness of what is happening in your mind. The simple act of catching yourself "I'm ruminating right now" or "I'm seeking reassurance right now" is enough to get the ball rolling. Over time, flagging the compulsions gets easier and you build enough awareness that you can stop them before they happen. The more skilled you become at flagging and interrupting your compulsions, the more that disrupts the larger OCD cycle and over time, the obsessions become less and less powerful.