- Date posted
- 4y
- Date posted
- 4y
You don't necessarily need to expose yourself to things all the time. What I am suggesting is trying to allow yourself to be anxious without diving deeper into the thought of "does my lack of anxiety mean something". Try not to reassure yourself or analyze it. Just let the thought of anxiety about not having anxiety be, and eventually it will go away naturally and will bother you less in the future
- Date posted
- 4y
Just curious bc I’m spiraling, were you married before or after ocd?
- Date posted
- 4y
You will get though this intrusive thought just as you did the last one. It takes time for our brains to switch the default neural network from one that triggers a fear response to one that doesn't.
- Date posted
- 4y
Yea but i dont know if i need to intentionally expose myself when i gave hardcore to the max. Cause i know ocd is living with uncertainty
- Date posted
- 4y
But i didnt experience anxiety like i fid before to the fears i tried to expose myself to
- Date posted
- 4y
Yeah the stress behind the lack of anxiety is an intrusive thoughts itself
- Date posted
- 4y
Whats intrusive about it
- Date posted
- 4y
It's bothering you.
- Date posted
- 4y
Yea it is. Because im not sure if i need to feel the anxiety so i can practice repsone prevention. Or when i need to do erp and practice uncertainty. When is it appropriate. 24/7? I just dont want to do it like i did it before because i tried as hard as i could but i had no response. No anxiety. I went into so much detail. I dont want to ruminate because i feel like thats what i might be doing. Trying to see if i can get the anxiety i used to have so i can practice response prevention. If i expose myself and think ablut the crazy stuff i might go crazy
- Date posted
- 4y
But what im struggling is doing erp expsures so i can practice response prevention. Because i dont get the intrusive thoughts as i used to. And i dont want to keep exposing myself on purpose because of rumination to see if itll cUse anxiety
Related posts
- Date posted
- 24w
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.
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 20w
Why does ocd make you feel uncertain about everything. Even the things you knew were 100% certain before. Its so bizarre. All the subtypes like Rocd, Pocd, Hocd you should be 100% certain about these things but ocd makes you feel like you dont know. I sit here know saying in my head I DONT KNOW. its so hard and confusing. I just want to know who I am. Am I a good person like I thought I was and have been my whole life or am I someone else. I just dont know. Its awful
- Date posted
- 16w
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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