- Date posted
- 4y
- Date posted
- 4y
Comment deleted by user
- Date posted
- 4y
Yes! Dr. Michael J. Greenburg believes we completely recover from OCD. It’s not that we never have uncomfortable thoughts — everyone does — but with time once we stop doing compulsions, we move right past them like everyone else does!
- Date posted
- 4y
I’m glad that I’ve found this post, because I genuinely believe that the core fear is unbelievably useful to understand - and it was an integral part of my recovery. I’m not a psych expert, but I know that ERP is a specific form of CBT. Identifying ‘core fears’, and ‘deeper meaning’ is associated with psychodynamic psychotherapy, which isn’t as effective as CBT (ERP), and a lot of CBT therapists dislike this type of therapy because it can be ineffective and potentially damaging. That’s very likely why it hasn’t been explored in your treatment! HOWEVER, there are aspects of the psychodynamic theory that I think are heavily overlooked, when they are actually immensely valuable. Here’s two articles by Dr Michael Greenberg speaking about the nature of OCD, and core fears: https://drmichaeljgreenberg.com/a-simple-explanation-of-ocd/ https://drmichaeljgreenberg.com/the-core-fear/ The second article includes a link to a worksheet that will open up in Google drive. It’s really useful and helped me identify my core fear, and subsequently begin my recovery with ERP with much more effect. If you want to do it and don’t have Google drive, just download it!
- Date posted
- 4y
Your therapist will help you identify your core fears. And actually, for me, it can differ from obsession to obsession, but usually, my Core Fear is experiencing a permanent feeling of guilt. I have Scrupulosity and my obsessions are all moral concerns — what I’m doing right or wrong. I know God will forgive me but my fear is if I don’t do the right thing, I will forever live with the guilt. I have to face that fear and do ERP and realize when I don’t try to solve it, the guilt passes! :)) Core Fears are important. Your NOCD therapist may help you find them in therapy. Mine does.
- Date posted
- 4y
Thanks Madison, I will bring this up during my next session.
- Date posted
- 4y
@DOCD You bet. Also, regarding your question in the post, you’ll know if trying to figure out your core fear becomes a compulsion if you feel like “I HAVE to figure out what this is or I’ll never get better”! (In that case your core fear for *that* obsession actually could be that you’ll never get better/whatever that means for you) If you can’t identify what scares you when an obsession pops, actually, that’s okay sometimes. Instead of trying to figure out why you’re threatened you can accept those feelings and not ruminate about them. It’s still a good exposure. I do agree that getting down to the Core Fear will be really beneficial though. Your therapist will know how to do this in the best way. Good luck!
- Date posted
- 4y
Thank you both for your posts and insights. E L, you say you’ve largely overcome your SOOCD theme. Can I ask what core fears were driving this for you?
Related posts
- Date posted
- 24w
What ERP or other techniques do you use to combat fear of cancelation? Especially curious about those with taboo thoughts, false memory ocd and event ocd based off of real events where the fear of cancellation may actually hold some validity. I once did my own ERP not under a therapist but just on my own I decided to create an anonymous account on Twitter and defend a friend who was receiving online criticism. I knew that this would be semi-controversial so I was expecting backlash and when I recieved troll replies it actually seemed to be a really helpful low-stakes exposure activity. Is this something that others have done? Low stakes online posts etc. that you know will recieve negative responses? I have had severe OCD as a kid as pretty much every subtype under the sun, and as an adult I pretty much have all the types under control except for this real event and false memory and taboo thought OCD. It seems like a different beast since it's somewhat realistic in the camcellation culture today, and it's confusing to address. Ive shut down almost all social accounts and it's keeping me from progressing in a career where I need to have an online presence :/
- User type
- Therapist
- Date posted
- 24w
So you got to ask me anything… Now I’d like to ask you something! I’ve heard from Members that they were so scared coming to their first ERP session. They were terrified that I would think they were crazy, that I would tell them their worst fears were true. That I would confirm they are some form of a terrible person or have them hauled off to prison for their thoughts. I’ve also had Members share how they’re very scared to begin ERP treatment because they’ve researched enough to know it means facing the fear, without the compulsions that have kept them feeling safe (but not really safe) this entire time. They struggled to see how they could be capable of doing this, while simultaneously acknowledging that they did not want to live like this anymore. If you have had your first session, what were your thoughts before? Did you have any hesitations or fears going into it? How did it turn out? If you haven’t yet begun to work with an ERP specialist, what is holding you back?
- User type
- Therapist
- Date posted
- 23w
Should I start therapy? What if I say something that they think is odd, strange, illegal, etc.? What if they tell me it is not OCD? These are just a small handful of the things that I have heard from people who are worried about starting therapy. And, it is unfortunate that these types of questions, and the fear of their answers, keep people suffering. If you have these questions, I want to know about them. I hope that you will gain some insight and inspiration to take that step and try out NOCD ERP for your OCD. So, let me hear from you and let's overcome these fears together. Ask me Anything in the comments below.
Be a part of the largest OCD Community
Share your thoughts so the Community can respond