- Date posted
- 4y
- Date posted
- 4y
I think that’s the challenge with OCD. I look at it as a coping mechanism to deal with anxiety. For me I may get an intrusive thought and ruminate (or another compulsion) in order to relieve the anxiety rather than facing the anxiety. Sometimes it’s simply accepting you are anxious and sitting with that feeling.. which for many is very scary. But eventually if you sit with it, it will pass
- Date posted
- 4y
Would you say ERP and doing something anxiety inducing would on theory numb you to the intrusive thoughts and therefore stop ruminating? I'm still a little confused on it all.
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 4y
ERP is not a way to avoid anxiety. It’s the opposite. The unpleasant emotions are the thing you are exposing yourself to, and letting yourself feel them without trying to figure out why they are there, monitor them, or attempt to solve them or get rid of them in any way. Sit with the anxiety, don’t run away. Choose to not solve the problem. The anxiety will not go away instantly, it will slowly subside over time. But the more you ruminate the closer you move yourself to panic.
- Date posted
- 4y
When practicing ERP for my real event, would it technically mean that ruminating will subside as a side effect of the ERP? For me I am currently watching an hour a day videos to include my anxiety and then just sitting there with it. When I'm not doing my exposures I can't seem to keep the anxiety down.
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 4y
@Anonymous Intrusive thoughts are something you can’t control. Rumination on the other hand is a thing you do. It requires effort. Here’s a good article about that: https://drmichaeljgreenberg.com/understanding-pure-o-you-are-not-having-intrusive-thoughts-all-day-you-are-ruminating/
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 4y
@cheyras Understanding that rumination is a thing I can choose not to do did not instantly solve my problem but it helped. It’s a deeply ingrained habit but you can work on it and reduce your rumination over time.
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- 4y
@cheyras Just replied the same thing to someone else. I think my main question is will ERP actually cause the anxiety from my real event to subside and therefore no longer care?
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- 4y
👋🏻 anonymous! The gist is that you're teaching your brain (namely your amygdala and your cortex) to become comfortable with anxiety by continuing to live your life when it's present. Over time, as you become comfortable with it, it will lesson. But if it doesn't, that's okay too. The goal is not to get rid of anxiety. That will just make it worse. Hope this helps! (Ps. I struggle with rumination a lot too. It's my main compulsion! Take a look at Dr. Michael Greenberg's writings about rumination-based ERP.)
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- 4y
Sorry, I commented instead of replying. I think my main question is will ERP actually cause the anxiety from my real event to subside and therefore no longer care?
- Date posted
- 4y
@Anonymous You may not be aware, but your question here is actually asking me for reassurance. You're wanting certainty that sound ERP will alleviate your anxiety, because you're afraid to experience anxiety. For us folks with OCD, reassurance seeking is a compulsion and prolongs the anxiety. TL;DR - maybe it will cause it to subside. Maybe it won't. You're gonna have to find out, and that's scary as hell. But we're all scared as hell together.
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- 4y
@Kory Rozich *you're wanting certainty that ERP will
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- 4y
@Kory Rozich Yeah it might be reassurance, but at the same time I'm still trying to understand ERP. I generally do not know if in a few months I'll be like "oh that was so silly" or if ERP isn't for me. I dunno.
- Date posted
- 4y
@Anonymous Totally! I really struggled with this as well when I was just starting out my OCD therapy. I needed to "figure out" ERP and it was really causing me a lot of anxiety. But the truth is that you may find in a few months that you feel your anxiety is "silly." It may take a few days. It may take a year and 2 weeks. We don't know. What we do know is that ERP is considered to be the gold standard treatment for OCD. What we do know is that so many other folks like us have dealt with the same uncertainty about ERP. None of us know if it'll "work". But we just have to step out, sorta in faith, and trust that it MIGHT, which is better than it won't.
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- 4y
@Kory Rozich Sigh. You're right. Not like I have any better ideas currently!
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- 4y
@Anonymous If you find one, let us know! Haha. We're all on here looking for the silver bullet and the sooner we drop that search, the better off we'll be. And I'm literally speaking to myself with these words just as I'm speaking with you. Over time, ERP will become your own as you navigate through it (hopefully) with a therapist. Hopefully over time it will make more sense to you.
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- 4y
I think my main question is will ERP actually cause the anxiety from my real event to subside, and there no longer care?
- Date posted
- 4y
therefore no longer care***
Related posts
- Date posted
- 19w
What would I do for ERP if my OCD says because I didn’t do something correctly or remember something I will have panic attacks that don’t end?
- Date posted
- 17w
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.
- Date posted
- 14w
I've been doing well the past month in cutting down on compulsions and have been feeling better however, last night I had a set back that carried on into today. I had gotten very poor sleep (4ish hours) and then something triggered my memory. I think with the sudden anxiety spike and lack of sleep I didn't have the strength to ignore my compulsions. Last night and today I've realised I've gone back into rumination and mentally reviewing the event excessively again and comparing my situation to other people's, but most of the times that I start going down these rabbit holes I don't even realise I'm doing it? Also been fixating a bit on the fear that I've ruined my progress and that I will fall back into the deep end of it all again, that I have done so much work getting myself out of, although trying my best to not be too discouraged. Does anyone have any advice on how to deal with rumination more specifically?
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