- Date posted
- 6y ago
- Date posted
- 6y ago
It gets better. I promise. There is no cure, so it will never entirely leave. However, I have been in the deepest pits that OCD has to offer. I promise you that it gets better.
- Date posted
- 6y ago
I like to think what you cure is your relationship with and belief about the thoughts, and develop the persistence to nurture that new relationship. It seems to be that the thoughts are not important, as it is the state the mind is in when they occur that leads to them being nurtured into obsessions. Obsessions can be unnurtured- sure they take a long time to wither and die, and can likened to weeds - they’ll grow in any circumstances given half a chance. But we can combat them. I think ocd recovery takes a long time, and our compulsive behaviour leads to quick fixes. They haven’t worked, so a longer standing, more robust solution is required.
- Date posted
- 6y ago
I truly believe ERP saved my life. I've suffered with OCD since age 7 and I was suffering with near constant suicidal ideation before beginning treatment. 2 years later and I am in "recovery". I'll always have OCD and there will be struggles, but ERP gave me the tools to live despite my diagnosis.
- Date posted
- 6y ago
i absolutely have lessened my symptoms! when i was younger ocd totally ruined my life, now i am able to live as a happier and healthier person. i still have some issues, but most of my obsessions have become smaller and more manageable. i used to obsess over health, superstitions and my sexuality but now i have smaller, very specific fears. this makes it easier to live on a day to day basis, and looking back to where i was makes me feel amazing, because i’m better now. you can do it too!! keep trying!!
- Date posted
- 6y ago
Cbt with erp therapy is often helpful its not a cure but can help you get back control and lessen the symptoms to a tolerable degree. That said it doesn't work for everyone but there are other therapies that can also help. Emdr cam also help if for example the ocd original trigger was trauma induced. There are other possible alternative therapies too but I can't recall off the top of my head but you can find info on them online. I can empathise with how you feel though, I've been there too . You can beat the ocd monster , it's just a case of finding out what strategy works for you. .
- Date posted
- 6y ago
Yes!!! I went to an ocd conference down in Atlanta many who spoke suffered from severe ocd and they said it gets so much better that you end up feeling completely normal. The only thing they said is there are still a few intrusive thoughts, but they aren’t repetitive and do not cause distress once treated. And, 98% of the population has terrible intrusive thoughts but they and people with treated ocd let them pass by without any distress or despair :)
- Date posted
- 6y ago
There’s no cure but it’s so so so treatable. You’ll basically be exactly who you were before OCD, but so much stronger!
- Date posted
- 6y ago
Thank you. It’s comforting to hear
- Date posted
- 6y ago
Thanks for all the replies guys. That gives me some hope ? I wish you all luck in recovery!
- Date posted
- 6y ago
I hate when people say there’s no cure
Related posts
- Date posted
- 20w ago
Those of you who have overcome at least a bit, if not all, of your OCD. When you went through the CBT and ERP, did it feel like the end of the world? And how did you face the fact that your fears and uncertainties might actually come to life?
- Date posted
- 13w ago
back in october i made my first post about my specific type of ocd, how it mixes in with my day to day and how i “deal” with it. i talked about the starting point, how it gradually got worse, and then how it was going just a few months ago. i always think it’s insane how much can change in just the course of a small to a large amount of time. right now, i honestly feel like garbage. to be quite sincere i really want to give up, i’m barely holding on by a thread. and if i cut that thread, i really doubt anyone would care. i’ve never considered myself to be a suicidal person, and i still don’t consider myself that right now. it just gets to a point where it’s just, a lot to deal with. i don’t really enjoy things a lot nowadays. sure i have good days like everyone does, like today, when i was just enjoying my day without worries. but then it all comes crawling back twice as bad the following days. i take online college so i’m usually just stuck at home most of the time. but, when i do decide to actually go out and leave my house, my ocd just explodes because i have this whole routine i need to do or else i feel like i’ll contaminate wherever i end up going. i’m not going to go really deep into my compulsions because it’s hard enough to live with them, much more having to type them all out in detail. but when i go out my compulsions go from wiping down all my stuff i’m going to use after showering, to washing my clothes/cleaning the washer + dryer. i also have separate things (or two of the same thing) i use specifically in my house, and items i use when going out. such as shampoo/body wash, deodorant, lotion, hair curler, etc. as if that’s not draining enough, i also feel the need to fast a couple days prior to any plan i make because i’ve forced myself to believe i need to feel empty in order to be clean. i’m not sure if that’s my past eating disorder talking, or my ocd, but my brain can’t help but think any food in my house is utterly and completely contaminated. i’m so tired of this feeling, feeling like nothing will ever be clean again. feeling like my ocd is trapped in my childhood home. feeling that wave of diseases rushing through my veins the moment i step foot into what’s supposed to be “home”. and i’m so scared of therapy because what if i do get healed, and then everything comes rushing back the second i step into my room. i’m planning on moving somewhere far from my current house in this next coming year, so sometimes i feel like just waiting it out. but it’s insufferable when going to hangout with someone. i miss my friends, my family, and my partner. it’s crazy to me that i’m dealing with all this at the young age of 18 but, i’m sure lots of people have it way worse. i just want to find a way out, any possible way. but i keep pushing myself deeper and deeper that when i finally find a way, it will no longer exist.
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 13w ago
Looking back, I realize I’ve had OCD since I was 7. though I wasn’t diagnosed until I was 30. As a kid, I was consumed by fears I couldn’t explain: "What if God isn’t real? What happens when we die? How do I know I’m real?" These existential thoughts terrified me, and while everyone has them from time to time, I felt like they were consuming my life. By 12, I was having daily panic attacks about death and war, feeling untethered from reality as depersonalization and derealization set in. At 15, I turned to drinking, spending the next 15 years drunk, trying to escape my mind. I hated myself, struggled with my body, and my intrusive thoughts. Sobriety forced me to face it all head-on. In May 2022, I finally learned I had OCD. I remember the exact date: May 10th. Reading about it, I thought, "Oh my God, this is it. This explains everything." My main themes were existential OCD and self-harm intrusive thoughts. The self-harm fears were the hardest: "What if I kill myself? What if I lose control?" These thoughts terrified me because I didn’t want to die. ERP changed everything. At first, I thought, "You want me to confront my worst fears? Are you kidding me?" But ERP is gradual and done at your pace. My therapist taught me to lean into uncertainty instead of fighting it. She’d say, "Maybe you’ll kill yourself—who knows?" At first, it felt scary, but for OCD, it was freeing. Slowly, I realized my thoughts were just thoughts. ERP gave me my life back. I’m working again, I’m sober, and for the first time, I can imagine a future. If you’re scared to try ERP, I get it. But if you’re already living in fear, why not try a set of tools that can give you hope?
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