This article just helped me so much. I was terrified that if I didn’t purposefully direct attention toward my obsession to make me aware of it, that I was just suppressing the thought and doing ERP wrong. But this article helped me see that any type of engagement with the thought/obsession, including directing my attention toward it, IS rumination — and that I can choose to stop! Please read this article and this guy’s other articles — they are AMAZING and a literal God send for me! https://drmichaeljgreenberg.com/awareness-attention-distraction-and-rumination/

This is why it is best to get with a personal OCD therapist that can help you with the "how"

@BigGip09 I actually am working with and OCD therapist, and while he’s helped me in a lot of ways in terms of recognizing my thought patterns and how they relate to OCD and how it can latch on to things, I don’t think the guidance he’s given me on how to address rumination and intrusive thoughts throughout the day has been particularly effective.

@BigGip09 I’m not sure if you’ve listened to Michael Greenberg’s podcast or looked in his website, but he has a diffeeent approach to ERP that I think would’ve been a better fit for me, had I done a little more research on how ERP can be conducted and what would’ve worked best for my personal experience.

@Anonymous Yeah I'm aware of who he is and I've been reading a lot of his articles about Ruminating

@BigGip09 Greenberg is AMAZING.

@Madison What’s his podcast?

@Madison Oh sorry it wasn’t his podcast it’s the OCD stories podcast and there was an episode featuring him. I really like that he focuses on response prevention and really getting a hold of that before doing exposures.

@Madison I also wanted to add I really like how he talks about OCD in terms of us being in charge of it, and having autonomy over it. I also like his more hopeful approach that you can live an OCD free life, bc so many people think that it being chronic means it’s always lurking in the bushes and you should fear relapse.

@Anonymous Me too! His articles on rumination have helped me a lot — I always thought I had to purposefully keep the obsession in my awareness as exposure but he literally says not to do anything about it because any engagement with it is compulsive rumination!

@Madison I really wish his version of ERP had more research/data to back it up. I feel like in recent years, there has been more research on different ways to conduct ERP beyond the traditional way. He focuses on response prevention first, makes sure patients have a good understanding of it, and then does exposures. Which to me, makes a lot more sense.

@Anonymous Me too! His stuff makes so much sense!