- Username
- Terrie Browning
- User type
- Therapist
- Date posted
- 4y ago
You are welcome lulu23. Thank you for sharing! I talk to many clients that struggle with depersonalization and existential obsessive thoughts. Try to focus on them like you would any other obsessive thought. Question the uncertainty of these thoughts and do not move away from the thought until your anxiety has come down and you feel like you can move on. Then move on! Go do something you like, think about what you are grateful for. Challenge that negativity with positive thoughts. I know you can do this! ?
Wow. “They don’t feel like themselves anymore” really hit home
Me too ?
I hope it is helpful to know this is what your symptoms look like. This is not your true self, it is an OCD symptom. Remember who you are, remember what you like to do and who you want to be, that person is there under the uncertainty. Challenge that uncertainty...maybe or maybe not, could it be a symptom. Connect with the thoughts you want to have, the ones that are about the true you. I appreciate all your posts! Thank you for sharing. I hope each one of you ge to work with a trained ERP therapist and learn some great coping mechanisms for stopping this cycle.
But like what if I fall for one of these thoughts and do the harm action? I don’t know if my old self is there
The focus can be on the “what if” that’s the uncertainty mentioned above. Focus on the uncertainty instead of moving to the next behavior which is seeking reassurance, checking in with yourself. That’s what ERP is all about. I hope you are able to get into treatment with a trained ERP therapist who can help you stop these compulsions. Believe me, I understand how difficult it is to let go! Talking about sounds easy, but it is a challenge for sure. However, it works! Wishing you good luck ??
Thank you for this post. Ever since I went off my medication the wrong way (without tapering/doctor telling me it was ok) I have been going through derealization/depersonalization and it’s created so many existential and philosophical thoughts. It has gotten to the point where I can’t separate myself from them at all and I do feel like a different person. I can’t interact with people like I once used to, even my family. Im working hard on just living my life every day and posts like these help so thank you.
I have problems separating from my symptoms of OCD. When I wash my hands, I have to follow the feeling and it has to be of a certain way. If I don't follow the feelings, I might not be able to focus. That's what makes it hard for me to separate myself from my OCD symptoms.
Thank you for sharing Dahliah. Sometimes when you have an obsession like hand washing, your compulsion can be a physical action - like muscle tensing and letting go. Often it can be difficult to tell what the compulsion is because it follows the obsessive thought so closely. This is after some time of obsessing and compulsive. Try working on separating the obsessive thought from the following compulsion - that feeling you get follows something you are doing. Try to pay attention so you can stop yourself from doing that compulsion. It may feel uncomfortable at first to not have that comfortable feeling that allows you to stop washing your hands. This is what ERP is all about - exposure response prevention. Preventing the compulsion to stop the obsessing. Work with a trained ERP specialist to work consistently and you will see results. I wish you good luck in separating!
I’m struggling to “stay who I am” because I feel like I want these things. I feel like I lost my true self and truly want to do these harm thoughts.
I feel like I am losing myself everyday, and I am struggling to "stay who I am" because I want to be able to reach my dreams as a dancer. I have to do my compulsions so I will be able to stay who I am
@Dahliah It sucks but I think the true self is still in us
Right now i have fear of fainting, which makes me rethink in i should go out and play. But i still play. How do i get rid of fear of fainting
Hi NOCD users, welcome to our app designed to allow you space to share your experiences and for us to share helpful information. I was wondering what are your thoughts about the level of difficulty separating your trigger from your obsessive thoughts and then separating the obsessive thoughts from the compulsive behavior/action? I find through working with NOCD clients, that many run all of these together because it can be very difficult to catch and separate them from each other? At times, it seems to all happen so quickly and automatically that you may not see them as separate? Would love to hear your thoughts. Thank you for being here and any efforts to answer these questions for me!
Hi! My name is Mikhail. I have been diagnosed with OCD for a couple years now, and this year I started ERP therapy at NOCD. I first found out about Pure O from downloading NOCD's app and seeing other people post about their experiences with overthinking, fear, and shame. While I had been diagnosed with OCD before, I had never heard about Pure O, where the compulsions manifest themselves more internally. I was at a point in my life where I was isolating myself and afraid of the thoughts I was having all day every day. This eroded away my self-esteem and identity but the skills I learned doing ERP have helped me feel like myself again. I recommend doing ERP to anyone afflicted with OCD, as it has helped me train the mental muscles I needed to get back to my life again. NOCD specialists meet you where you are at and help you get better on your own terms. I have taken the opportunity to be an advocate because once I found out I wasn't alone with Pure OCD, it reignited the faith I had in ever recovering. Learning about other people's experiences and sharing my own has helped me live more authentically. I want to do anything I can to encourage others to recover as well, because I know it is possible and that this condition is manageable. Going through NOCD treatment invoked genuine compassion in me not just for others, but for myself, which is something I never truly felt before. If you have any questions at all, please reach out to me. I feel purpose in connecting with people about OCD and getting better together. Believe me, you are not the only one who has thought that crazy thing and then thought about thinking about it 17 more times until it impacted your behavior!
OCD is "ego-dystonic", which means the behaviors (thoughts) are inconsistent with one's fundamental beliefs and values. I think of it as "the mind isn't matching the soul" - which creates the high distress you experience when the thoughts occur. Because they do not match your beliefs. You are so much more than your thoughts!
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