- Username
- Darz
- Date posted
- 4y ago
Thank you all for your comments..this helps so much!!!!
From what I've heard and experienced, having a therapist specifically trained for OCD really helps. They know the ins and outs of it
But I really like mine and shes been helpful in my personal life. I just dont think we do enough exposure therapy and things like that....is it common to have 2 different therapists?
@Darz I once had a therapist and psychiatrist at the same time, so two therapists sounds ok to me. I think it makes sense to have one for personal stuff and the other for ocd, just that costs presents an issue. If you really like your therapist then it kinda doesnt make sense to leave her if she really helps you personally. This seems tough
Thank you. I agree, and I do not want to take away from how great she is, but is specific ocd sessions supposed to be different than a regular therapy session?
In a way - there's talking, but specifically about your thoughts and compulsions and whatnot, and coming up with exercises to help control both. You can definitely talk about stressors that cause OCD flare-ups, so personal talking does occur then. Definitely a focus on both ERP and CBT, so it's almost a separate combo
Okay. That makes sense. Thank you!
No problem! Glad I was able to help!
I enjoy my therapist a lot but I feel like I’ve been the one working on my ocd recovery. She’s more like a great ear and a great supporter but she doesn’t have all the ocd knowledge That an ocd speacialist would have. I would reccomend trying to see an ocd specialist is possible.
Thank you!
Hi there @Darz, I hope you're doing okay. I would agree that for certain things in life that you may be going through, then regular talk therapy can be the most helpful. However, for OCD specific symptoms you really do need to have someone who is trained in it because unfortunately talking it out only does so much and you end up going in circles. I had a long-term therapist who I liked a lot but he wasnt trained in ocd and almost didn't like giving it that name. My primary obsession was about being homosexual and when we had gone around and around for so long with it, he basically said there is only one way to find out and that's try being with a man. He had good intentions but that is definitely not what I was going through and ended up causing me a lot of unnecessary pain and trauma. I don't mean to take over your post by sharing but I'm doing so because I know I am one of so many people who sadly have been given the wrong treatment for OCD even if the therapist has the right intentions. Oftentimes they won't know to even give that as a diagnosis. The OCD foundation as well as clinicclinics who specialize in OCD treatment agree that OCD is best treated with CBT, mindfulness and ERP with some ACT. Medication can also help those with severe symptoms in order to enable the person to perform the therapeutic work. I hope that helps
Thank you so much. Yes it helps! I appreciate all of the guidance! Having this app has really made talking about my ocd easier!!
With regards to your question about whether a regular therapy session is different to an OCD one. Of course this is a general statement but generally speaking an OCD specialist will have you do actionable things, be that listing your obsessions at the beginning, then labeling them, then challenging/restructuring them and eventually confronting them while attempting not to perform a compulsion which is the ERP part.
Thank you!!
I have been suffering from OCD for many years. I am on numerous medications through my psychiatrist and have been in therapy for over a year. I don’t feel like things have necessarily gotten better. While ERP has been a big part of my therapy, it has become harder to trust in the process. Has anyone experienced treatment-resistant OCD? I take responsibility for not being as dedicated to ERP as I was when I started, but I am so frustrated with my lack of progress. Any feedback would be appreciated!
I'm currently visiting my third therapist in the last three years and none of them have helped me so far. None of them have given me any type of diagnosis so I'm not even sure if I actually have OCD, and it's driving me mad. The last session I had, I even felt like it made things worse rather that it helped. I wanna feel that trust to my therapist that you should feel to be able to share your emotions but I don't. I feel like its not going anywhere, like it's useless. Lately I've been thinking about finding a therapist here at NOCD, I've even looked up some specific people and they all seem really nice and sweet.
So I saw my NOCD therapist for 9 months and we made SO much progress. Just loved her to pieces. She really helped me out and taught me so much, I miss her terribly. I started with my new therapist and we’ve met twice. My OCD is focused on my insecurity of being married and not wanting to have kids. I told my new therapist today that if I got divorced, I don’t think my OCD would be so latched onto it (since I wouldn’t be married or engaging in sex etc.) Anyway, after I said that she said she wasn’t sure it was OCD because OCD isn’t usually dependent on a circumstance. Does anyone get where I’m coming from? Just kinda confused now.
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