- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 6y
Yes, and I've told my therapist that I obviously care what she thinks about me, and she knows this. So she uses it as ERP and says "maybe I am thinking judgmental things about you, you'll never know" and she knows I am uncomfortable because of this, but I know she is here to help me so I continue to work knowing I can never truly "know" what she or anything thinks of me. And that has been helping me reduce how much I care what anyone thinks of me. Hope that helps. Stay strong!
Thanks everyone for the encouraging words. I guess it does come down to doing some exposure work around what other people think of me. I’ve always struggled with ruminating on what people may/may not think about me. It makes sense that I would also feel this way about my therapist.
I have this very uncomfortable fear every time step into a mental health facility or go see my therapist. But, how i work my way out of this one is to tell myself maybe they're judging me, maybe they're not. Either way I am here to get help and i try to focus in on my session. But at any point i am uncomfortable with my mental health professional, i change said person. They are human too and they do unperfect things like us all. I Hope it gets better for you.
I've definitely encountered this fear, to the point where I actually burned that bridge out of paranoia. It's a terrible thing.
That sounds like an awesome plan Becky!
Anyone*
I find while doing exposures, rarely does my anxiety lessen. It usually amps up and stays that way for the remainder of the day. I could be having a fairly decent day, but dutifully do my exposures and then the rest of my day is anxiety filled. I guess that’s just how it is now? Also, I’m wondering if my therapist even believes I have OCD. I totally understand my therapist cannot provide reassurance. But it’s to the point it seems my therapist acts like I actually did the thing I fear. I feel so isolated.
So my OCD has been bad lately. I’ve been ruminating and obsessing over my sexuality again. And it just keeps getting worse. I hate it so much. I try to sit with the discomfort but then my ocd does the backdoor spike. And the groinal response is what keeps me looped. It SUCKS. I am not attracted to men, but my OCD is trying SO hard to convince me that I am. There have been days where I’m just so mentally exhausted that I “accept” what my ocd tells me and I just walk around a hollow, lethargic shell. But then I rethink it and I feel better. It feels like I can only find my TRUE self when I tire my nervous system out enough that it literally breaks down and has me suicidal and hopeless. And then accepting my OCD’s “truth” (that I’m attracted to men) feels like a burden and a chore. I woke up today from an OCD dream, tried to go back to sleep, and my stomach kept cramping bc I was so anxious and ruminating over my intrusive thoughts. I’m starting to doubt it being OCD anymore. My brain is too tired to fight and cry about it anymore.
(21+ ONLY: TRIGGER WARNING) I have therapy today and I’m nervous. I just started going to therapy and I really like my therapist. She talked to me about doing ERP and I’m really nervous about it. I’m scared to tell her the extent of my OCD, and my themes. I’m scared to tell her about my false memory OCD, because I’m scared that what I did was real and I’m just excusing it as false memory, although I have no memory of it. I’m scared that I am truly a monster and I’m using OCD as an excuse—and that she’ll find out and distance herself. I’m just scared that my whole world is gonna fall apart, all around me.
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