Maybe this will help someone. I have had Pure O / POCD / ROCD for about 18 years. Recently I’ve started to open my mind to all the negative thoughts, to just sit and say ‘Do your worst’. And when the thoughts come I refuse to deal with them, I just accept that these things might happen. And of course, when I feel like I’ve dealt with one thought, my OCD looks for another, and another...but I just deal with those in the same way. I feel like I’m tiring out my OCD, little by little. It can be really scary, but it definitely works. I don’t know how it works, but it does. In a few weeks I felt a lot better about two specific thoughts that I’ve had for literally the past few years. We all need to remember that the stuff we think works (rumination, reassurance) doesn’t, and the stuff we don’t think will work actually does! Stay strong everyone ?

18 years? I have to give it to you, that's incredibly inspiring that you are still fighting this battle and not giving up, bravo! And your advice is spot on, reassurance and rumination only worsens the situation, just takes a long time to slowly break the cycle.

If your brain train tries to reassure you just let it. But don't encourage it. Don't do any effort whatsoever to reassure yourself. There's no magic trick, just sit through the pain while refraining from actively trying to reduce it.

Yeah I can now see that I’ve hade OCD since 21 (and maybe before) and I’m 39 now. Unfortunately I’ve only really understood my condition over the last year or so.

I've been trying recently to "chase the bully", i.e. to purposely bring the anxiety back when OCD isn't bothering me. OCD hates it! Do your worst, bully!!!

Wow. Eighteen years. You are strong for fighting through it. Can I ask.....how do you get yourself to just bring on the thoughts without seeking reassurance or trying to "prove" or disprove them. I find that since my thoughts are always about death or dying in some form whether it be a fear of some disease or even a fear that my partner is going to hurt me...I feel as though the thoughts are too important to let go. How do you not try to rationalize them when you think your life is in danger?? I've tried deep breathing and allowing the thoughts to happen....but my brain always tries to reassure myself or find proof for my thoughts. I really don't know how to stop

@LGB83 I’ve started to be really strict with myself, like if a thought enters my mind I say something like, ‘Yeah, it might happen’ and that’s it - end of conversation. Sometimes it doesn’t work but I think I’m getting better at it! For me it’s about catching my mind going down certain roads and turning it the other way. I think in the past I’ve just decided that I can’t control my thoughts, but now I think maybe I can.