Not looking for reassurance, but has anybody ‘overcome’ false memory OCD? I have been working at it and the thoughts have become a lot less powerful and intrusive over a week (the memories are terrible) I am just worried they won’t let me be happy again in the long term. That I’ll always feel like a bad person Not needing reassurance, just wanting to hear anybody’s stories?

Memories whether they’re true or not are still just thoughts. It’s extremely difficult to look at it that way, but it’s the fact. They’re just thoughts. And such must be treated the same as any other intrusive thought. Accept the uncertainty, and don’t do anything when they show up. Sit in the anxiety until it passes and move on. Eventually, your OCD will stop throwing them at you all the time if you stick with it. I’m dealing with this now, some days are fantastic, some are rough. But the better days are starting to be more than the bad days when it comes to it throwing false or true (who knows) memories at me. The important thing is that you can’t control your past, only your present. You’ll make it thought this.

I don't have false memory buy I have damn persistent obsessions. They're so persistent because I ran from them for so long so now I'm exposing myself saying it might happen or I want it to happen. It's tough at time but it takes the power and fear away, and funnily enough the more I expose myself the less I feel like a bad person because I'm not anxious and I'm starting to realise it's ridiculous

Yeah, I’ve noticed the more I expose myself to it but don’t react the better it is. But it really holds back my life and makes me feel horrible!

When you say sit with the anxiety, do you just mean observe it? I usually say something to it in my head, like “that’s an OCD thought” Or I have doubts about this ‘what if’ so it didn’t happen. If it’s true, I’ll deal with it. That takes the fear away for me mostly. I’ve only been working on this for the last 7 days, before that for a whole month I was giving in to compulsions, researching, asking for reassurance, melting down every day! Does it get better over time? I feel a world of a difference 7 days later though

Just let yourself feel it. I haven’t had a complete melt down in a little over a month. I’m pretty early in my recovery as well. I have good and bad days. But hopefully better days coming up. OCD will tell you that your methods to get better aren’t working. Don’t listen to that. Keep pushing.

Do yours make you feel like a terrible person? :/ I’ll keep strong

Absolutely everyday it haunts me. But I tell myself it’s because of OCD. And keep fighting. What other choice do we have? We will beat this and look back and laugh at it all!