- Date posted
- 5y
- Date posted
- 5y
I had spitting ocd - I would get a bad thought and spit. It felt like I was ‘getting rid’ of the bad
- Date posted
- 5y
Me too!!!
- Date posted
- 5y
I have this. About 6 months ago I started noticing the sensation to swallow and it grew from there. I thought I was going mad, I considered whether I’m somehow generating too much spit or whether I’m swallowing too much. It drove me insane initially so I contacted a counseling service over the phone which my work proivides (3 free sessions anonymously) and we did some ERP which helped. Also I am 3 months into some medication, still undecided as to whether it’s helping with this issue, but it’s definitely helped my anxiety overall. The issue comes and goes but with the ERP I’m able to manage it well enough at the moment. going to see my doctor to get a referral for some face to face counseling too. The person above (lots of thoughts) posted some useful stuff on a post I raised on this yesterday.
- Date posted
- 5y
Can you go more in depth with the type of erp you are doing for this particular body sensation?
- Date posted
- 5y
Counselor taught me to try to allow the sensation to build up for 20 seconds without swallowing and then slowly push it out to 30 seconds and so on, while repeating in my head ‘it’s ok to let this feeling be here’ or a similar style mantra. Basically trying to be at peace with it being there. I’d definitely suggest counseling if you have access, as this might not work for you and the counselor is a professional (I am not!). Let me know how you get on and if you think of anything else that might be worth me trying as I’m still battling with it :)
- Date posted
- 5y
I’ve been seeing one of the nocd specialists and we talked about this particular obsession.
- Date posted
- 5y
@qk Hopefully you found the session useful :)
- Date posted
- 5y
@ChrisC Sort of, she said the same thing to not swallow when you get the urge to, but it’s very hard. Would another erp be to swallow and not think much of it or will that not work?
- Date posted
- 5y
@qk I found it really difficult to not swallow initially and it was very anxiety provoking - however since I went through the initial few days of this intense stress, things got a lot easier and it hasn’t returned to that intense level since. I agree it’s really hard and do understand and sympathise with what you’re going through :)
- Date posted
- 5y
Thanks for the response; I will try this and see how it goes, but it will definitely be anxiety-producing. Still learning and accepting erp treatments as I still question how deliberately focusing my attention on the sensations I’m afraid of helps, but I trust this will work. I will seek counseling. Good luck to you ChrisC, you’ve got this.
- Date posted
- 4y
Hi Chris and qk. I’m dealing with this as well and wondering what erp approach (waiting to swallow or just allowing myself to do so without thinking about it) is better. Have you been able to overcome and what worked?
Related posts
- Date posted
- 23w
I’m having a big OCD relapse and would like to hear anyone’s tips on how to be present and healthily deal with these intrusive thoughts and the “need” to preform compulsions. Thank you!!
- Date posted
- 22w
I’ve been feeling the urge to avoid intimacy or purposefully engage (for reassurance that I won’t give into a compulsion) because of intrusive thoughts and fear that I’ll “check/test” my reactions. My OCD is making me so scared that I’ll purposefully think of a child and try to see if I like it. It’s so complicated but I guess I’m mentally checking if I would mentally check during intimacy. I’ve even envisioned myself checking and it’s making me so nauseous. I know it’s a compulsion like any other but the sound of “touching yourself to the thought of a child” sounds atrocious and vile. I’m terrified I’ll automatically start checking next time I am being intimate. I truly feel so worried. If anyone has gone through something similar, I’d appreciate hearing your experience. Or if anyone has any advice?
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- Date posted
- 20w
I started dealing with OCD when I became fixated on health issues, particularly the fear of contracting a life-threatening disease. If I experienced any kind of medical symptom, no matter how small, that even remotely hinted at something potentially fatal, it would drive me crazy, and I couldn’t stop obsessing over it. Then one day, I started having intrusive thoughts about accidentally hitting someone with my car, and I would end up driving in circles to check if I had. Eventually, I found myself overwhelmed by a flood of new obsessive thoughts and compulsions. One day, while I was at the park, a squirrel came near me, and for some reason, I felt like it attacked me. I Googled it and learned that squirrels could carry rabies, which spiraled me into a deep fear of rabies. I became consumed with the thought I received a bite from a squirrel, raccoon, or bat any time I’m in areas that trigger me. It started off only being inside then transferred to even being in my own home. This made me obsess over every physical sensation in my body, compulsively checking to make sure nothing was wrong. One compulsion that I hated the most would to be putting rubbing alcohol on me to make sure that I had no open wounds. Every day feels like I’m walking around in a fog of anxiety, constantly worrying that I won’t even make it to old age. Sometimes, it gets so overwhelming that I just want it all to end. It stresses me so bad at times to where my brain feels like I’ve been studying all day.
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