- Date posted
- 5y
- Date posted
- 5y
It was a real event, and you have OCD about it. The event happened, and you're experiencing OCD symptoms about it. Therefore, you have real event OCD. You could be literally Hitler and still have real event OCD and your real event OCD would be legitimately OCD. Even if you feel the guilt and rumination are appropriate to the mistake (which I'd argue is prob down to a lack of self compassion and black and white thinking), symptoms like not being able to stop, wanting to confess, the fact that it's only started bothering you now, it interfering with your ability to live your life, comparing your event to others' and seeking reassurance that it's not as bad as it feels, and any other behaviours you've noticed, are OCD symptoms.
- Date posted
- 5y
I think everyone with real event ocd thinks their real event is so much worse than everyone else’s. That’s a part of the ocd as well. It’s really sucky but you have to do erp with that thought as well until you habituate to the discomfort- for example “you’re maybe right ocd, maybe my real event was a lot worse than everyone else’s.” It’s so much easier said than done, but erp really helps! It doesn’t make it go away in my experience, but it helps lower the intensity.
- Date posted
- 5y
Thanks for the reply! Yeah, that makes sense. It’s something I’m going to have to face eventually.
- Date posted
- 5y
I have OCD about a real event as well and I am here for you! You are not alone! It’s possible your actions as well as my own make you an immoral person or maybe they don’t! We all must accept uncertainty and refocus. We are all in this together and we will get joy back in our lives!
- Date posted
- 5y
I hear you. For what it's worth, I've heard many, many people say the same thing. I don't know whether the guilt is reasonable or not-and confessing what you did won't change that. You say that you see behaviors that fit the OCD cycle. How willing are you to respond as if it's ocd, despite not being sure?
- Date posted
- 5y
Thanks for replying! I guess it’s just thought accepting that I did it and I really can’t wrap my head around why I did it. I know that it doesn’t align with my values now, but why did I do it then? Those are the types of questions that I ask myself. I just feel a lot of shame about it.
- Date posted
- 5y
@Rob12 Have you found satisfactory answers to the questions so far?
- Date posted
- 5y
@NOCD Advocate - Katie No, I’ve never been able to come up with a solid reason as to why I did it.
- Date posted
- 5y
@Rob12 So what's the likelihood continued searching will get you an answer, based on your previous experience? Is the potential benefit worth the current cost to your well-being and functioning?
- Date posted
- 5y
@NOCD Advocate - Katie No, I suppose not. That does sort of put it into perspective. Thanks for that :)
- Date posted
- 5y
@Rob12 Anything to help :)
- Date posted
- 5y
Comment deleted by user
- Date posted
- 5y
I’m glad you can relate, makes me feel less alone :)
Related posts
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 15w
Real event, legal ocd, and false memory ocd around events that happened years ago but never bothered me till a month ago and now my life is being destroyed because I feel sooooooooooo guilty
- Date posted
- 12w
my real event is so bad today. has anyone got any support. i’m in therapy, ive been on meds, but yet i can’t stop feeling guilty for what i did when i was 11-13. the fact that i cannot remember exactly what age or exactly what happened, how many times or anything, im 20 now, and it makes it worse im trying not to ruminate but im constantly trying to figure everything out. i get these intrusive thoughts that tell me if i was 13 then it’s worse, or that i don’t deserve a good life. but i can’t remember and the guilt consumes me. i remember what i did. just nothing else about it and it honestly is eating me alive.
- Date posted
- 11w
I’m really struggling with real event ocd at the moment because I feel like no one else has done what I did so I’m the exception. I spoke about this already here but I’ve literally been crying every day I feel so hopeless at the moment I wish I could just go back to the years I spent doing this thing and stop myself because my life could have been so much different now. I hate myself so much because I cannot forgive myself. What I did isn’t morally bad it just does not align with my current identity so I really struggle with accepting myself because of my past mistakes. I wish so badly that I had a friend who went through the same thing because I feel so alone
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