It’s comforting to know that with OCD, often what makes people describe it as ‘terrible’ and what often makes it ‘terrible’ - is not the intrusive thought - but the fear and negative feelings we attach to it. Now I am able to have intrusive thoughts through out the day - and they don’t give me bad feelings or anxiety bc I know they are just thoughts! Also everyone, even those without OCD, has intrusive thoughts. But the destructive and terrible emotion we attach to it is what makes the experience so terrifying! It is quite comforting to realize this!

I’m with you blue stars. For nearly 6 years I have experienced some of the most horrible thoughts towards the ones that are closest to me and my OCD truly has attached itself to all the things in my life that I truly value. Family , friends , work and all other factors that have truly made my life a living hell. These days I’m happy to say that although the intrusive thoughts still occur I’m at a point where I really pay very little attention to them anymore and I seem to finally be able to recognize what is irrational and and what is rational in my mind. For nearly 20 years I have had severe anxiety disorder, depression and OCD which has crippled me and debilitated me in several occasions. The good news is 95 Percent of all people admit to having intrusive thoughts and the other 5% are full of shit!! When you let your thoughts be they will let you be !! Thoughts can not hurt us but our reactions to our thoughts is where the problem lies and the disorder becomes problematic. Fear is not real! The only place fear can exist is in our minds about the future, and in my case I have wasted the majority of my life fearing and worried sick over things that go through my mind . Yet the funny thing is not one thing that I have thought of , worried about or feared might happen has yet to come true !! Once everyone who struggles learns to accept their brain and not run from there thoughts they will finally start to find some peace of mind in their life. Curtis

@Curtis Love this!!!! Your experience with this will help so many people. I believe our struggles can transform us into pictures of success and happiness if we move through them and don’t let them define us!!! So happy for this reality!

@asdf So what’s helped me is to realize the event we are afraid of has nothing to do with that terrible gross feeling in our gut that comes with our OCD. If we separate the fear and realize the fear is not real and irrational, we can take control back from fear, which is often irrational. Does that make sense? Hope this helped

im still working on thinking this way

YOU ARE SO AMAZING FOR THIS! this literally inspires me and gives me more hope!

@Bluestars first off that’s awesome to hear! And ?yesssssss this came through last night. It’s not the thought but any resistance, or fear of an emotional reaction (or the anticipation of one). For me it’s the integration aspect of this realization that’s helping, because it clicks, but it’s consistently integrating that in moments when a thought arises that is the practice for me right now. Thank you for sharing ☺️

Bluestars- how do you take away the negative feelings attached when you think you may have done something awful in the past and just can’t remember? This one is very challenging for me, as I feel convinced that I really did such awful things..

@ocdistheworst - What I think may help would be thinking that people you love and know wouldn’t do something bad - possibly could have done the same thing. In other words, you aren’t anxious about having done something bad - even though that is the reoccurring thought - you are rather feeling anxiety and guilt for another reason (or for no reason at all which is normal for everyone) and you are trying to rationalize it by putting it in something that is anxiety and guilt causing. Does that make sense? Hope this helps :)

That makes a lot of sense and is very helpful!! Thank you so much for taking time to write back :-)

You are so welcome! Here for you!!!

How do we remove the negative attachment? It’s like my mind automatically assumes it’s a threat.

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