- Date posted
- 5y
- Date posted
- 5y
I enjoy the cumulative effect, working toward a goal, the sense of freedom. I don’t like the ripping-off-a-bandaid feel that happens several times a day. I would have thought after years of resisting to check locks multiple times that the feeling would have gone away. It hasn’t. It still pings all the time. I still have to put effort into resisting. It can be hard to accept that 1) maybe the anxiety over a obsession never really leaves and 2) that I shouldn’t read into its continued existence. Despite ERP, my anxiety over a particular religious obsession lingered for years. Someone else with OCD said “Mayne that means it wasn’t OCD.” That has haunted me. I still don’t know what to think about it. That obsession doesn’t bother me anymore.
- Date posted
- 5y
Maybe it was OCD, maybe it wasn’t. Whatever the answer is, we can continue anyway. Be proud of your progress! You’re doing amazing
- Date posted
- 5y
This is a very interesting question! I enjoy knowing that this is the best method of therapy for combating OCD. I enjoy seeing the results of my work as I record my exercises in my ERP notebook. I enjoy coming up with new exercises to combat different themes coming up, plus discussing this with my therapist to make sure I’m on the right track. What I don’t enjoy very much is actually sitting down and getting to work on a new exercise or a particular one where I don’t really want to do it for a variety of reasons. However once I do it and finish, I feel good that I was brave enough to get it done
- Date posted
- 5y
I didn’t enjoy the discomfort but you have to go through discomfort to get better . I enjoyed being assertive and willing to be better cuz the more ERP the more optimistic I became about life moving forward .
- Date posted
- 5y
I feel like I've missed something and could've done better, but I enjoy the extra time that I have due to less time checking!
- Date posted
- 5y
I enjoy the freedom I feel afterwards. However a lot of the erp I’ve been doing has been every exhausting so I don’t like that part where I feel so fatigued.
- Date posted
- 5y
I feel like when I’m done I don’t know how I’m suppose to feel
- Date posted
- 5y
You might experience a little loss from not needing to do as many of the compulsions that you once did. Just fill that time with something you enjoy doing. You will quickly lose having that feeling.
Related posts
- User type
- Therapist
- Date posted
- 25w
Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is one of the hardest but most effective treatments for OCD. If you’ve started ERP, what has been the biggest challenge in resisting compulsions?
- User type
- Therapist
- Date posted
- 23w
Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) isn't always easy, but as one of the most effective treatments for OCD, it's worth it. If you've started ERP, what has been the biggest surprise you've experienced in learning to resist compulsions? If you haven't started ERP yet, what is holding you back from starting?
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 21w
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.
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