Hello! I just went through a spike/panic moment and I dealt with it so much better than I would have a few months ago. The thing is, I still just cannot seem to stop the mental compulsions. It just feels so automatic and intuitive, I feel that I have no real control over it. If you experience mental compulsions, how do you deal with them without giving into the actual compulsion and ultimately feeding ocd?
Do you have pure o? I always forget to do the exercise but my previous therapist basically told me to talk to my thoughts and have a conversation with myself instead of doing the mental compulsions when it’s not helping anyway. I need to put this back into practice. Sometimes I do the mental compulsions without even thinking about it.
@lanag Yes, I do have pure o! Most of my most difficult compulsions come in the form of mental rituals and thoughts. If you wouldn’t mind sharing more about this method? How exactly do you talk to yourself without feeding the compulsions? Thanks for the reply!
@Yazzyjazz From my understanding it’s kinda like checking in with yourself. “Do I really feel this way or this is just a thought? Is this a reality or no? Am I ok am I safe?” Etc hopefully that makes sense. Just because we have the thoughts doesn’t mean we feel that way or believe it!
@lanag This sounds really helpful! Im definitely going to try this. Thank you so much, I appreciate it!
Hello! First, it’s worth recognizing something important in what you described: you noticed a spike, went through it, and handled it better than you would have months ago. I struggle too with what you described. Because mental compulsions are internal, they can seem automatic and indistinguishable from normal thinking, right? Another frustrating thing about mental compulsions is that they often don't feel like compulsions in my opinion. They can feel like: trying to figure something out, reviewing memories, reassuring yourself, mentally arguing with the thought, trying to prove the thought wrong, and so on. What I try to do is when you notice you're doing a mental compulsion, don't try to solve the thought. Instead, allow the uncertainty to be there: "Maybe, maybe not" or "I don't need to figure this out right now". The tricky part is that mental compulsions often feel urgent and intuitive because they have been reinforced many times. Your brain has learned: threat - analyze - temporary relief. Breaking that cycle can initially feel unnatural precisely because you're teaching your brain a different response: threat - uncertainty - continue with life anyway. Over time, that new response can become more automatic too.
@Isa# Wow. Thank you so much! You described how I feel perfectly. I will definitely be putting this into practice in my daily life. I truly appreciate your response!
Have you been seeing a trained OCD therapist who uses ERP therapy? If not, I encourage you to do so. Many of us think it's hopeless until we begin working with a qualified OCD therapist. This disorder is awful, but treatable with a trained coach.
@Steven55! I do see a therapist who specializes in ocd but Ive started seeing her a couple months ago and we’ve been taking things veryyy slow. She’s currently out of town but next week I will be back to seeing her and we discussed possibly coming up with exposures to do once she gets back. Sometimes I struggle with using her advice when I’m out of the office but since seeing her I’ve seen a big improvement with how I respond to my thoughts. I definitely want to bring this up to her next week. Thanks for your response!
Share your thoughts so the Community can respond
