5 yrs ago I was hit with Harm OCD. I did a year of CBT and ERP and it subsided and I lived a beautiful life the last 4 yrs. I want everyone to know recovery is POSSIBLE! I am struggling again due to stressful events recently that have triggered it. Its been horrible but I am trying to stay strong. I guess you would call this a OCD Relapse.

I have been through it before and recovered about 7 years ago but chain of events led me to “catch” it again recover, and here I am just had a baby and on the mend. I get so scared it will never get better or go away.

I did a year of therapy with 2 different therapists once a week sometimes more and attended support groups.

Thank you for writing this. I am in such a bad state right now. Mostly because I get unwanted feelings and not many places say this is a symptom some do and some don't.. and I feel so lost like maybe I am just a bad person.. so thank you for this post encouraging people that they can get better

CBT really did help me alot because I had alot of cognitive distortions that I did not recognize.

If you are struggling again you will need to access therapy again

A support group is meeting up with others who also have OCD and sharing your experiences and becoming educated and sharing new information- therapy help, articles, things like that

No problem

Isnt it crazy how long it takes?! I guess if I really think about it I was probably in therapy for a yr and half n then kept going for other stuff but then was able to stop completely and live life without the worry of harming someone. I did not even think relapse was a thing and I think its something that should really be talked about more often. Its easy to forget the tools you used to use.

Did cbt really help you then I’m on the waiting list for it

Ok I feel like I have a lot to deal with i really hope it can help me Thankyou for this

What’s a support group

Oh ok I’ll have a look into that Thankyou

I have been in therapy again for almost a year. I guess the first time it hit me, it took me 2.5 years to get better. Now it’s almost been a year. I’m just worried that this is it for me. But I know in my heart that it will get better, it just hurts so bad sometimes. Not sure what I’m trying to say except that I wish it would just go away!

Me too. I really didn’t think relapse was gonna be an issue, but with all the new triggers: 3 kids in 3 years, one of them a full time stepchild. A separation, marriage, in and out of court, etc etc etc... I guess it makes sense... and I can see what improvements I’ve made in the past 9 months (it was the absolute worst when I was pregnant)

Gahhh how horrible to be pregnant and going thru that! What type of OCD do you have?

Hi @sjhokanson03 I think I’m in the same boat as you were. I have Harm OCD and I used to have compulsions but I stopped them straight away, I’ve been compulsion free for 6 months now but I keep getting the thoughts. Was you like this too? I don’t know what is keeping them going

I didnt keep getting the thoughts or if I did I didn't remember them

Oh ok

What were ur compulsions?

My themes have been switching from harm to pedophilia to false memory. An event where a “friend” was arrested for sexually harming children set a lot of that off.

Those sound like ur obsessions..what were ur compulsions

Obviously he wasn’t the person I thought he was and I was devestated and I started to question everyone including myself

Reassurance seeking ruminating trying to avoid everything

That makes sense

My OCD is weird because I had compulsions way before I had like bad harm intrusive thoughts. I had intrusive thoughts but it was just normal types of intrusive thoughts like, wash your hands 5 times or your mum will die etc

Then I started to get Harm OCD thoughts and as soon as I read that compulsions are bad, I stopped doing them back in September. Yet, I still suffer with these thoughts. I’m booked in for CBT therapy now