Lorelei

Date posted: 4y

guys could you tell me how it goes with the therapist?? like what do you talk about and what does she ask you or smthg ?? i never went to one so i was curious

WhatATripp

Date posted: 4y

For the first couple of sessions, my therapist went over the basics of mental health and exactly what OCD is doing both mentally and physically in my body. We went over the questionnaires to determine just how much OCD, anxiety and depression are affecting me. Talked a bit about my life (I have close to half a century of tales to tell), and over the next couple of sessions, made a list of my fears/obsessions and resulting compulsions. From there, she taught me some mindfulness exercises and gently moved to ERP (Exposure Response Prevention) therapy. We discuss how I feel when I'm doing the ERP exercises, and when I can do one with little to no anxiety, we move on to the next fear/obsession. It's not easy, especially when she calls me out for ignoring anxiety instead of sitting with it. But I'm learning how to stand up to OCD as a result, and she's gentle in her calling out. We also celebrate the victories and talk about everyday life, for me. As is appropriate, we don't discuss her life :) Just mine.

IcePenguin19

Date posted: 4y

Yes I forgot to mention in my response that my therapist gave me a handout and had me fill out a few questionnaires to figure out the severity of my OCD, anxiety, and depression. He gives me homework too like to keep a journal and record specific things every week

WhatATripp

Date posted: 4y

@IcePenguin19 And I forgot the journaling! I have to do that between sessions, too.

IcePenguin19

Date posted: 4y

@WhatATripp He gave me a list of "thinking errors" with explanations and examples and I have to record when I experience them

Lorelei

Date posted: 4y

@WhatATripp i feel like i would cry if i had to tellher about my life

Lorelei

Date posted: 4y

@Lorelei i cry easily and over trivial stuff 2 🤡

Meof3

Date posted: 4y

@WhatATripp What kind of journaling do you do? I think I should start jounarling about my OCD.

WhatATripp

Date posted: 4y

@Sunflower 1234 I really don't like journaling, so this has been my least favorite part of therapy. I'm supposed to journal my exposures, planned or not, my anxiety levels, and how I dealt with them.

WhatATripp

Date posted: 4y

@Lorelei Crying is okay. I don't like to do it myself, but I feel better after I do. We keep being told to buck up and deal with the pain. That real men don't cry. That big girls don't cry. Don't be such a crybaby. No sense crying over spilled milk. But crying is one way our body physically gets rid of stress hormones (our tears). It's a time to acknowledge grief and pain and trauma. Sometimes even our joy. It helps let it go. And what better time to begin to let it all go than in the safety of therapy?

Meof3

Date posted: 4y

@WhatATripp Thanks for the reply. Journaling is probably very time consuming but might provide insight on how you are triggers and how you handle anxiety. What are the reasons your therapist recommends journaling?

WhatATripp

Date posted: 4y

@Sunflower 1234 For the reason you gave :) and for me, it also becomes a record of how far I've come.

Meof3

Date posted: 4y

@WhatATripp Yay. I am glad to hear you have made progress. ❤️

Meof3

Date posted: 4y

@WhatATripp I just read your profile. I am also a christian, a mom and a wife. My children are the main reasons I want to get better. I want to be my best self for them. 🙂

WhatATripp

Date posted: 4y

@Sunflower 1234 Thanks :) My kids are grown. One married and one stuck at home with us until her university open up campus. Poor dear has had to put up with me since spring break! I just want to be able to be around people again without being afraid of their germs. You are showing your kids some great examples of how to take care of themselves :)

ocdillustrated

Date posted: 4y

It's different with every therapist. Much of how a therapist runs sessions depends on which theoretical perspectives and specific therapies they are trained in

IcePenguin19

Date posted: 4y

Usually the first and maybe second sessions are focused on basic things about you like where you grew up, your home life, how you do in school, and a basic overview of what is bothering you. My sessions usually start off by him asking me how my week has been and anything stressful that might've happened. When I tell him about things that make (or made) me anxious, he'll ask me how I'm feeling while I retell the story and how I felt at the time it occurred. He taught me a bunch of ways to be more mindful and ground myself when things get to be too difficult. We did some breathing exercises and meditation as well. He gives input on why I might be feeling the way I am and he gives alternative ways of thinking about each situation

Jennifer Dal...

User type: Therapist

Date posted: 23w

Let’s talk about Therapy

So you got to ask me anything… Now I’d like to ask you something! I’ve heard from Members that they were so scared coming to their first ERP session. They were terrified that I would think they were crazy, that I would tell them their worst fears were true. That I would confirm they are some form of a terrible person or have them hauled off to prison for their thoughts. I’ve also had Members share how they’re very scared to begin ERP treatment because they’ve researched enough to know it means facing the fear, without the compulsions that have kept them feeling safe (but not really safe) this entire time. They struggled to see how they could be capable of doing this, while simultaneously acknowledging that they did not want to live like this anymore. If you have had your first session, what were your thoughts before? Did you have any hesitations or fears going into it? How did it turn out? If you haven’t yet begun to work with an ERP specialist, what is holding you back?

bee.buzz

User type: OCD Conqueror

Date posted: 23w

curious!!

i am starting NOCD therapy on monday and was just curious on others’ experiences! what happens in your sessions, generally speaking? how do you feel during and after? i’m excited but also nervous to start. i’ve been in talk therapy for years with minimal improvement with my ocd, so im hopeful to start feeling better.

issphra 🫶🏻

Date posted: 12w

Therapy Question

What does a therapy session with an OCD specialist look like for y’all? This is something I’ve always wondered because I’ve only had one OCD therapist through NOCD. Our sessions always looked like sit there and “reduce anxiety” meaning don’t think for a few minutes and take a few deep breaths and rate your anxiety level every couple of minutes. AND that was it. Is it supposed to look like that? Because I haven’t seen anyone on this app talk about this or how their therapy sessions go. I’m considering restarting therapy but I want to know how therapy goes for you guys before I go back to the same specialist. Any input would be appreciated :)

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guys could you tell me how it goes with the therapist?? like what do you talk about and what does she ask you or smthg ?? i never went to one so i was curious

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