- Date posted
- 4y
- Date posted
- 4y
Iād argue that itās like being an alcoholic. Itās an addiction of sorts. Youāll always have OCD but with work, you wonāt necessarily always be a victim of it. I say this because I improved my OCD by leaps and bounds over the years but after a year of quarantine I definitely backslid. Because you have a history of these thought patterns/behaviors, itās very easy to engage them again. Giving in just a little too much to the tendency can result in a loss of momentum and if you experience some type of trauma it will definitely bubble up. But I do agree that with the right tools you can come very close to living as if youāre OCD free! Things that have helped me battle my OCD outside of therapy (therapy is important) - a healthy diet - keeping my body moving throughout the day - an early morning routine - having some type of creative outlet (painting, jewelry making, playing an instrument etc.) For me itās like all this energy is stored in my brain and I need to get it out in other ways. Feeding myself fresh foods gives me the best kind of energy to expend physically. It did wonders paired with cognitive therapy/ERP.
- Date posted
- 4y
I think you can get close to cured but it's so important to remember it can come back because if it does and you're not prepared, it can be really destructive. like someone can recover from depression but they still need to be aware if they slip back into symptoms
- Date posted
- 4y
Right, I think it can be super helpful to accept that it may come back, and that we have to keep up with doing the tools and techniques weāve gained to help us.
- Date posted
- 4y
I get what youāre saying. I agree that you can get to a point where OCD isnāt an issue anymore. Iāve been there. But usually when we are looking at chronic it refers to long lasting and recurring, which OCD is. Bouts of OCD can last for years. Iāve gotten completely better and then so much worse so many times. I think itās important for people who are better to still recognize they have OCD because it does comes back. Itās recurring. It may not come back as much as it did when it initially happened, but it comes back. Thatās what makes OCD so hard and āincurableā. When you think itās done, itās not. I do think it helps patients and therapists to be more hopeful about treating OCD and reaching a place where it isnāt an issue anymore, but idk I think itās good to know that it can come back too and be prepared to use the tools you learned in therapy to cope.
- Date posted
- 4y
Iād say becuase OCD is a neurological disorder Iād consider it chronic, but thereās a lot of people who can get to points of having no active symptoms. The predispositions in the brain donāt go away, so doing therapy, and gaining tools to help can maybe get it to a point where it feels cured I think. Which is really all I can hope for.
- Date posted
- 4y
I didnāt even think of the neurological aspect. Itās great you brought that up. Even with the active behaviors and symptoms gone thereās still that chemical em balance in the brain. The OCD may not be active, but youāre right those predispositions in the brain are still there. Itās really cool you thought of that :)
- Date posted
- 4y
Hi, don't you think that this might be reassurance seeking? :) You can be symptom-free and happy, and i think that should be good enough.
- Date posted
- 4y
Oh I didnāt even think of this being reassurance before I commented. Good on you for catching that.
- Date posted
- 4y
@stop. My "trick" is to notice when something makes me feel anxious, and i start to engage..that's when i step back and wonder if it's reassurance haha
- Date posted
- 4y
@m666 Thatās a good trick. Iām usually so impulsive that by the time I realize its reassurance or a compulsion the deed is done.
- Date posted
- 4y
@stop. It took me a bit, i was the same as you and it's hard sometimes, but practice makes it easier and easier with time:)
- Date posted
- 4y
I've read this again and i've come to realize that you probably didn't write this (unless you are a therapist/work in research), so i want to say apologize. It is common for people with OCD to think about this question as compulsion, which is different from when people study it in a scientifc way.
Related posts
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 23w
Looking back, I realize Iāve had OCD since I was 7. though I wasnāt diagnosed until I was 30. As a kid, I was consumed by fears I couldnāt explain: "What if God isnāt real? What happens when we die? How do I know Iām 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 didnāt 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. Sheād say, "Maybe youāll kill yourselfāwho 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. Iām working again, Iām sober, and for the first time, I can imagine a future. If youāre scared to try ERP, I get it. But if youāre already living in fear, why not try a set of tools that can give you hope?
- Date posted
- 22w
How long did it take to make this? And is it actually possible?
- Date posted
- 18w
I have had ocd for decades! Could I still be cured???? (Of you can call it that?) I have seen different therapists but it never had fully left me...not by any stretch of the imagination. I do want to be free of this ocd and its power over me and all the bad that it brought into my life!!! Some days I am strong and feel like I am fighting it put other days...many days...I don't get things done or if I do I take a long time to-do the things I need to get done. I feel like I know this is just then ocd stopping me and that these are just thoughts but nobody in my family understands and though they have shared my journey and hated it a I do.....it just feels like I want so bad to be the best person I coukd be but I avoid places, people, things, that have any reminder of my ocd.......and so it restricts me from getting better and completing tasks the way I used to. Now UI might go and make 2-3 trips cuz I am worried to shop at a place and therefore it takes my time up. The avoidance I do is bad! When I actually don't listen to my ocd and don't avoid something...I feel great! ,However, it happens so rarely!!! I.dont know how finding a therapist through NOCD will help me. It is not in person and two be honest I almost think I need medicine to push me along. I don't have anybsteady and consistent improvements. However, I don't think I want to be on medication for the rest of my life! I am very confused!
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