Dose anyone have intrusive thoughts only when they are on there own, and suffer in fear, but wen confronted with the fear they realise its was impossible to have have been so anxious? This is really bothering me 😫 now I dont believe I have ocd... 😳🤷‍♂️😔😔😔

Well what you said Is true, I have spoken to a therapist, and I was told that my thoughts are intrusive, but what freaks me out is.... ERP is the treatment for OCD( which I've never had).... and I also fear, if dont get anxious it's not true... even though, I dont have a want for my thoughts.... 😫 they jus cause me misery 😖😭😭😭

I suffer from all the same themes as the people on here... harm, POCD, sexuality and false memory OCD... I jus wondered if its relatable to feel "normal" and not anxious when confronted with your intrusive thoughts... like the exposure to them relieves your anxiety cos you know nothing would ever happen.... am I making sence? 😖

Oh yeah of course! I get what you're saying now. ERP is all about exposure, and the point of doing that is to surround yourself with what causes you anxiety so you can calm down, feel comfortable, and get used to the feeling of anxiety it's causing you. By doing this practice, eventually, what causes you anxiety wont anymore because youve gotten used to the feeling and realized its not as terrible as you perceived. What you're doing with your intrusive thoughts, and how you don't feel uncomfortable when you confront them, might be your own form of ERP. You shouldn't worry about feeling "normal" or not. We all are going through similar and different things. I hope this helped clarify some things. Is there anything else on your mind?

Even though your brain in convincing you other wise....

I also tend to get intrusive thoughts mainly when I'm by myself. After confronted or relaxed after an anxiety episode, its easy to believe that what just happened was ridiculous and couldn't have happened, just like how you said you think it's impossible to have felt that anxious. It is very much possible, and you don't have to tell yourself that it's not true. If you're doubting whether you have ocd or not, maybe talk to a counselor or a therapist and ask them if they can confirm.

I'm sorry to hear that :( When I was diagnosed with OCD, which was somewhat recent, it was hard to believe. It was hard for me to realize my intrusive thoughts are what caused me anxiety. I couldn't quite make out what you meant by you fear that if you dont get anxious it's not true. Could you clarify what you meant by that?

ok I'll explain it this way, if your terrified that you could be gay (if you are stright) and you are going over and over it and its driving you crazy, but if you met up with a bunch of gay friends, you realise your not gay (cos that's not what you want) and it was all just intrusive thoughts...

No you have been so kind... thanks, I jus guess like us all... I dought and over dought... this illness is not complex at all... I've been struggling 4 years now 😖😖

what are your themes... if you dont mind sharing?

Oh, I just read your other comment. With intrusive thoughts like that, i understand why they drive you crazy, but by exposing yourself to your friends helps you realize its not what you want or who you are, then I think thats a success in getting rid of that intrusive thought now that you've confirmed it yourself. Good for you :)

Oh sure, I don't mind :) I'm glad I can help. I have Pure OCD, Perfectionism OCD, and slight Harm OCD.

Well if that's Erp.... I dont like it 😕 it's about as useful as the compulsions we find ourself doing... its (temporary) 🤦‍♂️

True. It's not ERP exactly, I'm sure your therapist can recommend better techniques, and I hope you are able to find comfort and are able to improve. OCD is tough, but we jave our community here to help eachother out. Thank you for sharing, I'm glad I was able to talk to you :)

The intrusions come in and I'm back to square one 😭

Yeah mine is all mental compulsions... nothing physical.. my head is fried 99% of the time 🤦‍♂️

Its 24/7 😖😖