- Date posted
- 4y
- Date posted
- 4y
Erp is supposed to induce anxiety in ya, if it doesn't you're doing it wrong so congratulations!:š„³ you're exposing yourself gradually to your fears (fear ladder) so you're definitely going to feel fear, arousal, groinals, etc (what you normally feel), because your ocd is recognizing that you're trying to defeat it. So because of this, its going to lash on with everything its got in attempt to get ya to do just one more compulsion. Stay strong!
- Date posted
- 4y
Then Iām doing it wrong. Even though I expose myself to the detail
- Date posted
- 4y
If you're saying it feels real, then you're probably feeling some type of anxiety, right? I'd say that if you are actively feeling triggered, and just letting yourself sit in the thoughts and not react (while feeling all the sensations) youre doing it right:)
- Date posted
- 4y
@alexisrae1999 The key is to do the erp with like...passive intentions. You're going into it and you're supposed to try not to expect anything or care about how you're going to end up feeling during treatment
- Date posted
- 4y
Ok cool but I donāt have those moments where I have triggers or intrusive thoughts. I tried exposing myself to something and I felt uncertainty and I sat with it. But also I didnāt care about anything else. And I donāt know if Iām supposed to keep going towards that
- Date posted
- 4y
Which ocd subtype do you have if you don't mind me asking? Yes, definitely feel the uncertainty and sit with it. The goal is to be okay with feeling uncertainty and not to continue to look for certainty
- Date posted
- 4y
@alexisrae1999 If you didn't care about anything else that's also a good thing because you're not searching for answers :)
- Date posted
- 4y
But I am. It was during that moment where I was like I donāt care anymore
- Date posted
- 4y
And I didnāt do compulsions I just sat with it. Felt like my brain shifted or something. I cared less what others were thinking of me. I was just focused on what I went through with an uncertainty feeling I had two days ago I try to expose myself to. At that I thought why not just go over all my fears. I donāt get intrusive thoughts anymore. And itās like I keep focusing on all of this.
- Date posted
- 4y
That sounds like progress to me! š as long as you weren't reassuring yourself. Also make sure you're not doing erp as a compulsion, because I've done that before, definitely backfired for me haha
- Date posted
- 4y
Could you elaborate erp as a compulsion? Because I feel like I need to do it so I can experience that fear and uncertainty so then I could practice response preventions my mind shifted I feel like when I experienced uncertainty two days ago. I donāt get unwanted intrusive thoughts that caused triggers before where I needed to do compulsions. I feel like obsessing.
- Date posted
- 4y
Yeah! So I would do erp whenever I was triggered to try to calm myself down and realize what I was panicking about wasn't that scary. But then I just kept doing it for longer than I shouldve, kinda compulsively because I liked that calm feeling
- Date posted
- 4y
Please let me know
- Date posted
- 4y
You were using erp to calm you down?
- Date posted
- 4y
Well I was doing erp because its good to do it when you're triggered, but I went into it obviously to desensitize myself to my trigger, but mainly because I wanted to feel calm and that was where I went wrong
Related posts
- Date posted
- 20w
I'm just laying here avoiding being an adult and wondering if during ERP the therapists are mean. Like, is it a "tough love" type of situation? That makes me anxious
- Date posted
- 17w
Anyone else feel like they just sit there during sessions? Like I canāt wait for it to be over so I donāt have to do this twice a week anymore. I think Iām putting in effort but sometimes feels like a huge waste of time and Iām not making progress but maybe thatās just my ocd?
- Date posted
- 11w
I'm trying to get my head around ERP. What is the best way to describe how it's a "solution." Imo I think OCD happens with people who are very concerned with their own genuine integrity and probably their own "morality." So when something (like an uncomfortable "real event" that actually happened) messes that up, it's hard to grapple with that...hence the endless rumination and trying to "problem solve" it. But the mind doesn't let you sleep (i.e. OCD) if something is controversial and doesn't sit with you. Or if you obsess over something and it's based on a rooted fear. You just can't "let it go," it has to be addressed and dealt with. But what happens when it is NEVER dealt with? How does ERP address that dilemma as a permanent solution? Or does ERP only address compulsions and anxiety, but it doesn't actually deal with the issue causing it. Do you ever get REAL peace of mind? Or is just something to make you feel "less anxious" etc? Thanks I just want peace of mind. I haven't had true peace of mind in several years.
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