emily_444
- Date posted
- 4y
bubblessbubbless
- Date posted
- 4y
Erp doesn’t have to be so technical. A lot of people can’t afford going to/having sessions with an ocd therapist so they can actually start doing ERP on their own. You can start off by watching, listening, or reading something that you used to enjoy that now triggers a subtype and see how well you handle it. And if you get anxious, “maybe I do, maybe I don’t.” “maybe I will, maybe I won’t.”
JBC94JBC94
- Date posted
- 4y
For me I have been doing ERP on my own and have noticed significant progress! I was struggling with suicide ocd (having thoughts of killing myself/harming myself that I DID NOT want to do). I also had OCD about becoming depressed, etc. Anyway, I started by doing 15 minute ERP sessions with a knife and just dropped my guard against the thoughts and just let them exist. There was one instance where everything just clicked. I had tried ERP before but I was doing it with a misunderstanding that when you do it, you try not to have the thoughts. Well, I learned that it’s truly about letting your mind throw any and all thoughts at you, and realizing that they’re powerless and will not hurt you. It’s our reaction to the thoughts that drives the OCD. So when I was sitting there and having literally all kinds of self harm thoughts (at one point I couldn’t think clearly at all) I had my first true breakthrough in 2 years of struggling with it. No matter what my mind throws at me, I am in control of my body, I am in control of how I choose to respond to them. So yes, you can do ERP alone and see positive results, it’s just a bit more difficult. Hope this has helped :)
bubblessbubbless
- Date posted
- 4y
Ditto!!!!
emily_444 emily_444
- Date posted
- 4y
thank you so much for sharing, this really does inspire me!
Nzz Nzz
- Date posted
- 4y
I wouldn’t advise trying it on your own especially for the first time. Especially bc a lot of the time one of our fears is... “did I do it right? Or am I a bad person now?” Your therapist will start you off w the thing that gives u the least amount of anxiety. It’s best to do guided ones w them at first. Would you like me to ask my therapist what her advice is about ERP if someone doesn’t have access to a specialist?
wiwiwiwi
- Date posted
- 4y
I don't have access to one either in my region.😟 If you do ask your therapist it would be really appreciated ❤
emily_444 emily_444
- Date posted
- 4y
that would be amazing if you could ask them. thank you so much!
feethebeefeethebee
- Date posted
- 4y
if you have mild to moderate ocd then i think it's completely fine to do some erp by yourself, as long as you're educated enough on it
Related posts
Andrea Wells
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 24w
My OCD Journey
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?
Perfect Impe...
- Date posted
- 7w
Question
What would I do for ERP if my OCD says because I didn’t do something correctly or remember something I will have panic attacks that don’t end?
TrustGod24
- Date posted
- 6w
ERP
I’m thinking about doing erp but my ocd is so severe the thought of accepting my fears happening to me makes me sick to my stomach. I also believe in the power of my words and saying I accept this Bad thing will attract it into my life. I’m not sure what I should do🥲
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