Good morning OCD users and welcome to our NOCD community platform. I’m a therapist here at NOCD and I had a wonderful conversation today with a client I’ve been working with. They told me they didn’t feel the need to monitor their thoughts any longer because they are not feeling anxious all day, everyday! They were so grateful for the peace in their days, the easy laughter, the connection to their family members - all these things were missing from their lives because of HOCD. But not anymore. We went through the NOCD treatment plan, we did self monitoring worksheets and built a hierarchy and they worked very hard and it paid off. I’m not going to say they will never have another HOCD thought, but today they feel in remission and for that we will shout from the roof top in joy and hope for more days of remission. For that client and any other who is feeling hope today, continue to do your ERP and continue to break that cycle! It is a good Tuesday!

Hi OCDLatter-daySaint. I feel the longer appt times are helpful, especially in the beginning when you are learning the basics of ERP. I have to say, the homework is very important. Learning how to do the ERP at home is paramount to you staying successful. If a certain part of the homework is difficult or you keep finding yourself shying away from certain parts or even all of it, talk to your therapist about ways to navigate around these roadblocks. There is almost akaways a reason we put things off or shy away from certain things. I would work on increasing my awareness of any negative thoughts and triggers. Problem solve those away and then get right back to your ERP. Good luck!

Hi j420. I’m sorry you are struggling. It sounds quite severe. I have worked with many OCD clients that suffer from Harm thoughts - HOCD. The harm thoughts can be about you or others, either way it’s a difficult form of OCD. The ERP works the same way. You will be triggered to think the suicidal thoughts. It could be a physical trigger, it could be an emotion like loneliness. As soon as the thought enters your mind, don’t go to the compulsion of checking. Checking in with yourself, going online, seeking reassurance from family and friends. Instead, stay with the actual thought, question it - because it’s not a fact, it is a thought. Stay with the uncertainty, maybe I feel this way, maybe I won’t feel this way. Maybe I can feel better. Once the anxiety starts to lessen and you start to calm down, stay present. Do your grateful list. Turn your thoughts to a positive if that’s possible. Did you know that it is a proven fact, much research has be done to prove if you even try to do a grateful list, you increase endorphins and feel better for a second. Stuck with your thought, prevent the compulsion by doing your response prevention and stay present. I hope that is helpful to you today!

I've got a therapist but it's becoming so expensive!! I got let go from work mainly because I've been having such a hard time functioning with all this. That's why I'm asking for things to try on my own. My work I thought was pretty good but now because I got let go I really think they just didn't want the headache of me. It's hard to prove that

I hear that story often. It’s difficult to function daily like normal when your mind is so busy thinking these negative thoughts. I know therapy can be costly when your insurance doesn’t cover the sessions. I’m glad you are here and hopefully get something positive from others sharing similar stories. Thank you for your honesty and sharing your story!

Any updates on NOCD premium in other states?

Can you do self monitoring without worksheets? What would you suggest? Thanks

Terrie123. I got a notification that you commented to me but when I try to open it to read it, it says the post is gone

?

I’ve been working with my therapist for years. We recently started doing ERP and are having success now. But I read Steve’s thing about being over OCD in weeks and couldn’t believe it. Am I doing something wrong? I mean I have adhd and don’t ever do homework...so to really only focus on therapy during aooointments. Is that why others have progressed faster than me? Could it be my ocd is worse than these other people?

Well we did some before. But I’m not sure why we didn’t do more. I’m quite the talker so I think I would come in and just talk a ton about what I was dealing with and what to do when it happened. So we did a lot of cognitive behavior therapy (CBT). We started doing ERP a bit but then my insurance wasn’t paying for my appointments so he is letting me work with him at his home (the hospital lets him do that with patients who’s insurance won’t cover it) at a cheaper rate. I told him I wanted to do more and he said we could get a lot more done with 2 hour appointments and we started doing ERP again and that’s when things have really picked up. But I wonder if it could be even better?

I'm so depressed. It scares me how bad I'm depressed but at times I feel I don't care anymore. Has anyone had suicidal themed OCD here?. I've been told and listened to the OCD stories podcast and they say it is a real form of OCD. How do you practise erp with this or loose the anxiety that comes with it.??? PLEASE

Suppose to say Stick with your thought! Good luck ?

Terrie. How would you suggest response prevention again? It's hard to understand because it feels so real. Depression.... Let me ask you this.... So except the uncertainty that I might do it or might not? Maybe hold a dangerous tool? What exactly do you mean about staying present?

The uncertainty of this feeling is very uncomfortable.

So Terrie are you saying part of the compulsion with this is asking friends, family for assurance that I'm ok or even just telling them I'm depressed. Please respond to this. Thanks

Hi j420. I would not suggest doing anything dangerous. Just trying to give examples of ERP to someone who is not a client is a challenge. That’s why it’s so important to do ERP with a professional. If you read some of the posts in the community, many users have commented about trying ERP on their own and it not working. I hope that you will be able to find a therapist that can work with you. To answer your other question about seeking reassurance. Having support people in your life is a blessing. We are so lucky to be able to talk to others when we are feeling sad, hopeless, frustrated. It’s a positive thing to be able to share your feelings with others. That’s different from a compulsion. Seeking reassurance, asking over and over and over the same theme of thought. Thats a compulsion. I hope that is helpful.

Thanks