- Date posted
- 4y
- Date posted
- 4y
I’ve read a book on OCD , and you know that the chance is quite small . I was reading a book by Jonathan Grayson , and he was like certainty is a feeling and an illusion for everyone . I might become a pedophile. I might be a murderer . We kight be living in a false reality . This applies to everyone doesn’t it , we don’t know for sure . We have to accept That uncertainty exists and move on with life. It was harder for me because I have these exact themes . But maybe gives you an ambiguity , a feeling you don’t have to figure it out .
- Date posted
- 4y
it just seems wrong in my opinion. like in my case “maybe you’re bi, maybe you aren’t” would work but i think CBT would be a lot better for these types of themes considering CBT is emotion based and figuring out how to manage and identify overwhelming thoughts and challenge them.
- Date posted
- 4y
it can be really scary i know, but over time it gets easier and you realize that it's not so much you agreeing with if you'll hurt someone or not but rather letting that thought flow and knowing that you won't act on it. the fact that it disturbs you means you won't act on it. i saw something once that said "if the intrusive thoughts upset you that's good, if they don't then there's a problem." obviously it's easier said then done to just let the thought flow but over time it gets easier because you realize you cant control your thoughts and you aren't your thoughts at all. however i have heard some good feedback from CBT, so maybe try getting a therapist or psychiatrist in your area (or online) to do CBT with you and see how it goes.
- Date posted
- 4y
But over time those thoughts shouldn’t upset you as they once did right? We learn a new relationship to our thoughts as we progress.
- Date posted
- 4y
@Dre83 yes exactly!! i just meant that you obviously know they're wrong but over time when the thoughts come in they don't upset you as much because you know your values (hopefully this makes sense - i worded it kinda weird the first time).
- Date posted
- 4y
@coucou Yeah I was like fuck lol i totally wish they didn’t pop up but they do unfortunately and I just try to move one as best I can.
- Date posted
- 4y
@Dre83 ya same lmao, but i just try to remember that i cant control my thoughts and the thoughts are the exact opposite of our values
- Date posted
- 4y
@coucou Yeah for real. It’s like I need some sort of anxiety to know that I don’t like these thoughts even if it’s minimal. It’s my personal checking device against the ocd lol
- Date posted
- 4y
I have lived with OCD for 20 years with different themes. I will tell you that there is no difference when it comes to uncertainty and different kind of thoughts. All of us have the worst case scenarios. I cant agree with you that the maybe, maybe not dont fit to some themes. My hardest one is contamination OCD, I believe I will kill someone with poison, its in no way an easy one. Dont compare themes. The treatment is the same.
- Date posted
- 4y
i wasn’t trying to compare themes, i was just simply empathizing.
- Date posted
- 4y
@holley Ok👍
- Date posted
- 4y
I find it hard with ROCD too since there are naturally genuine fears in relationships too and how our feelings can effect the relationship. I'm starting my erp here tomorrow and I'm filled with dread. I find this hard because when I say things like that and they say acceptance therapy too I just accept the thoughts as real. People say just let them flow thru you and not about accepting them as real but not reacting to them or letting them be there without performing compulsions and honestly this is where I get stuck. I know if I do thing like this I genuinely accept it as real so I'm filled with dread. I'm doing this whilst on a waiting list for a free therapist who does Ocd with cbt and something else
- Date posted
- 4y
This treatment seem scary to me because mine is if I don’t do everything right something bad will happen to my baby so how do I do the thing I think is going to hurt my baby
- Date posted
- 4y
I totally see what you mean. It gets me furious at times. It's like how?! But I've come to a few conclusion though through years of self-loathe and even wanting to end my life over these horrifying themes: at the end of the day, what you value is what matters (and your everyday life, think of your life before OCD). Nobody should be tormented and deprived of living over something they may or may not have/be that at the end of day, true or not, wouldn't be something they choose/can change. This is something I would have *not* grasped at the peak of my OCD and earlier in my journey. This experience changes your philosophy as a person. Life is way too short. You experience thoughts of these "but I may be this" for years and in these whole years what has truly affected you is not being/doing these thoughts but *the* worrying about them. Otherwise, the theme has no effect in your reality and day to day life. You know?
Related posts
- Date posted
- 24w
Hey everyone. Just watched a YouTube clip from NOCD and it became clear that ERP appears to be best when your ocd is centered around a theme. Ie germs etc. one thing, not many things The struggle with pure O is that it’s not just one thing, it can be ALL things Is there hope for pure O with ERP ? Love to hear the group’s thoughts
- Date posted
- 19w
I read about ERP and have seen information about it on here. One of the goals is to say, "maybe I am this or that...ect." That terrified me. The thoughts and images that go in my head are disturbing and upsetting. I don't want to even think about saying, "maybe this or that." It's devasting to have these thoughts and question why you're having these thoughts. Doesn't the "maybe" make it worse? The one thing that helps me is that is to remind myself that these are just thoughts and I know I'm not a monster, even if I feel like one. Is ERP not for everyone? Has anyone else had a problem with the techniques used in this kind of therapy? I had cognitive therapy for years with an OCD specialist and that seemed to help a lot. Writing out the worst case scenarios would make me suicidal. Im having a difficult time not obsessing over the "maybe" after intrusive thoughts now. It doesn't make it better.
- Date posted
- 11w
So been trying to do erp with my therapist for a while now, and tis really hard and feels like it's not working. Il get this weird sensation or feeling that makes me feel"gay" or as if I'm attracted to someone, and I know my therapist keeps telling me" you don't have to put meaning into the thoughts or feelings" but that seems impossible to do because and I'm sorry to say, it makes me feel that specific way. And I'll use the Erp quotes, "maybe maybe not" or"the more I struggle, the worse it gets" or"these feelings and thoughts are here, but I'm choosing to let them be" and I'll do nothing and try to let it be here but it's so distracting and feels very real, and it's like this sensation, small or big and it last all day, and even just sitting with it isn't working. And my therapist will tell me"you don't have to believe in it" and I'm sorry I feel like if it were that easy, OCD would have never been a problem in the first place, or live with uncertainty, however it doesn't feel like uncertainty, but feels very truthful or valid. Idk what I'm doing wrong tho
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