- Date posted
- 4y ago
- Date posted
- 4y ago
I wonder this too. Some expert advice on this would be idea! But, I think it’s the possibility of accepting the THOUGHT exists in your brain, not really that it is true or says anything about you. But also, since we don’t know anything for certain that theres a possibility even if it’s .00000000001% of happening but we’re going to let the thought be there without assigning meaning to it. It’s so confusing! I think the point is to expose yourself and not care at first if the thought could be or could not be true and over time and repetition our logical brain comes in and we realize no matter what crap our brain feeds us or tries to tell us we are we’re going to let the noise be there but continue to live life our best.
- Date posted
- 4y ago
Here's my favorite article on the topic https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/all-things-anxiety/201912/5-roadblocks-acceptance-in-the-treatment-ocd%3famp
- Date posted
- 4y ago
That’s a great article, thank you. My only concern with that is when it says obsessions are ego dystonic and to trust the treatment process. How do you approach that when you feel doubt about wether these really are egodystonic thoughts and it’s not OCD?
- Date posted
- 4y ago
Accepting something as a possibility is not the same thing as accepting it as true. You do need to accept the possibility, genuinely, yes. But the probability of it being true when you say “maybe, maybe not” does not mean 50/50. In fact, you need to stop trying to figure out the probability altogether. I find this article helpful: https://www.madeofmillions.com/articles/mistaken-beliefs-uncertainty-acceptance-ocd
- Date posted
- 4y ago
Also for your example, yes: say “maybe I will hurt someone, but maybe not. I don’t/can’t know.” And continue with the triggering situation as if you won’t hurt them while accepting the incredibly small risk you “might.” When you accept uncertainty, you will experience this as taking a certain level of “risk,” and that will be scary. But it is necessary for recovery. It’s the first and hardest step to take. But it gets easier the more you practice.
- Date posted
- 4y ago
What if I'm already in the process of accepting it as true
- Date posted
- 4y ago
@hateocd123 Accepting it as 100% true is as problematic to trying to say its 100% false. Remind yourself: I don’t & cant know if this is 100% true. And I don’t need to. Reinforce uncertainty every time.
- Date posted
- 4y ago
@pureolife ∆∆∆∆pureolife nailed it. Chasing certainty in either direction is a problem
- Date posted
- 4y ago
I also have this same question tbh, commenting in case someone else answers this
- Date posted
- 4y ago
Same here. Not happy to consider they may be true at all which is why I struggle to take this approach as I’m effectively lying to myself! What’s the point in that?!
- Date posted
- 4y ago
Ideal* not idea
- Date posted
- 4y ago
I wonder that too.. cause I definitely would rather not have my thoughts “possibly be true” ?
- Date posted
- 4y ago
Following
Related posts
- Date posted
- 22w ago
I’m confused when people say accept your thoughts why would I accept the thoughts that are making me feel disgust and filth what if I start accepting them and then the thoughts actually become true?
- Date posted
- 12w ago
This might contain triggering content, but I'm also wondering if others have dealt with this similar thought, and if so, how to deal with it? Overall, I've been doing so well these past few days. I'm able to eat again, which I hadn't been able to do because of how much anxiety I'd been experiencing. I'm spending time around loved ones and not just rotting in my room, and I've been able to wake up without immediately being bombarded by intrusive thoughts. When things first got really bad, I'd wake my mom up every night for reassurance, but I haven't done that in a while either. I'm really proud of myself, but there's still this nagging thought in my mind... While looking through others posts on here, hoping to find advice that'd fit my situation, I ended up making things worse. Someone mentioned how they had a fear that they'd purposely search for illegal content (related to POCD). I panicked, and "what ifs" flooded my thoughts. "What if the intrusive thoughts affect who I am as a person, and I do that?" I'm terrified that I'll search for those things, which I know means I wouldn't do it. But then, another person on here said they'd actually looked for those things, and that freaked me out even more. Does that mean it's possible for that to happen to me? I don't want to do that, but I keep having intrusive thoughts surrounding it. I've been doing so well these past few days. I'm just... stuck. I don't know what to do. I've spoken with other people who have the same fears, but how do I manage this? It's not something I've even thought about before seeing those posts. I've been practicing accepting the uncertainty, but I'm really struggling with this one. I hate this. This morning, I woke up, and the intrusive thoughts were back. It's just disheartening.
- Date posted
- 8w ago
I struggle so bad with intrusive thoughts. They can be so bad that I'll cry because I KNOW that's not how I feel or want to do. (Too embarrassed to say what they're about) I'll constantly try to figure out why I have them, and constantly figure out what they mean, causing me to constantly circle around and around. I had to get on anxeity meds, which helped a little but the thoughts still happen. How do you help yourself with this? How do you know that you're just not some physcopath? 😅
Be a part of the largest OCD Community
Share your thoughts so the Community can respond