as far as i know, we're supposed to react to our intrusive thoughts by saying "maybe yes, maybe not, i won't figure it out" and accept them. Some even recommend we "agree" to them. I am not going to doubt the effectiveness of this technique but how do you do that. The content of my thoughts bother me so much. Like a person with POCD for example, is supposed to accept the possibility of being a potentional child predator? That sounds dreadful. And i know you're going to probably tell me that this is my OCD talking but I'm afraid that by trying to accept these thoughts I may end up agreeing with them for real. These thoughts feel so out of character yet so real it's hard for me to accept them and let them be. It's a natural response for me to react negatively to them because they're disgusting and confusing. What if i end up liking them and realize that they might actually be true. This is so stressful.

thank you, I'll check it out!

@feethebee I watch a lot of her videos, she makes series on different types of OCD. I Hope it will help you ❤️

@feethebee And she specifically explains in one video why agreeing with your thoughts isn't a good idea

@Natalie123 thank you once again <3

wish i could frame this reply and put it on my wall. thank you so much for your insight this helped clear things out a bit

@feethebee Yeah I think the way we get wrapped up in our concerns about the idea of acceptance is because we're still looking for a reliable way of measuring the probability level of the fear so we can then take correct actions/know how to feel about ourselves etc. We need to spend our time on other things without having any answers about the likelihood, and that's the thing that everybody without OCD also does, but we find it very difficult and uncomfortable. In that sense, the only way out is through.

@Scoggy i.e. we wonder whether we should accept it as true, or reject it, or give it a low probability or a high probability, and that just leads into more compulsive thinking trying to work out what to believe. That trying to have certainty is the compulsion which keeps the OCD going. Non OCD people have it easier because they don't even take the thought seriously enough to wonder about how probable it is. So to get rid of OCD we have to do what Katie calls 'acting normal'- which applies both to actions and to what we do with our thinking time. If we act like non OCD people by refusing to dwell on the topic *even though* it causes us awful adrenaline and urges to solve it, our brains will adjust and start acting more like theirs.

@Scoggy that's a very interesting point of view, thank you for your input

at least it's good to hear that it actually does help even if it makes you feel a lil gross hsjsbs