Anonymous
- Date posted
- 3y
KristinaNOCDKristinaNOCD
- Date posted
- 3y
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
AnonymousAnonymous
- Date posted
- 3y
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.
cheyrascheyras
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 3y
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.
AnonymousAnonymous
- Date posted
- 3y
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.
cheyrascheyras
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 3y
@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/
cheyrascheyras
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 3y
@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.
AnonymousAnonymous
- Date posted
- 3y
@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?
Kory RozichKory Rozich
- Date posted
- 3y
👋🏻 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.)
AnonymousAnonymous
- Date posted
- 3y
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?
Kory RozichKory Rozich
- Date posted
- 3y
@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.
Kory RozichKory Rozich
- Date posted
- 3y
@Kory Rozich *you're wanting certainty that ERP will
AnonymousAnonymous
- Date posted
- 3y
@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.
Kory RozichKory Rozich
- Date posted
- 3y
@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.
AnonymousAnonymous
- Date posted
- 3y
@Kory Rozich Sigh. You're right. Not like I have any better ideas currently!
Kory RozichKory Rozich
- Date posted
- 3y
@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.
AnonymousAnonymous
- Date posted
- 3y
I think my main question is will ERP actually cause the anxiety from my real event to subside, and there no longer care?
AnonymousAnonymous
- Date posted
- 3y
therefore no longer care***
Related posts
Mika05
- Date posted
- 22w
Ocd pattern
Sometimes I notice my intrusive thoughts cause me to spiral and sometimes not. I've been practicing ERP for quite a while so it's a bit easier for me to not spiral. But I wonder why that happens. Does anyone else have it? Also I'm on medication idk if that plays a role.
djflorio
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 16w
How ERP helped when I was afraid of existence itself
I used to get caught in a loop with existential thoughts very frequently. Every question made my stomach drop: (TW: existential questions) … … ... "Why does anything exist at all? What will death be like? Is anything even real? Is there any meaning to this? Is the universe infinitely big, and if not, what's beyond it? Are there multiverses? Has the universe been around forever? Will the universe end for good, or will it keep going forever? What is forever like? What even IS reality?" It would get so overwhelming that I remember lying on the floor in a fetal position for hours because I felt like there was no escape. I spent most of my days reading articles and watching videos about theoretical astrophysics and philosophy in a desperate attempt to "figure it all out." Of course that only made me more anxious, raised more questions, and kept me trapped in the cycle. Things started to improve once I learned to turn TOWARD reality, rather than away from it, and ERP really helped me do that. I learned that these questions weren't the problem. I learned that I can actually handle the anxiety that arises when exposed to these ideas and concepts. I don't have to figure anything out to make the anxiety go away; it arises and passes away on its own. Ironically, bringing myself into the present moment and becoming more aware of reality helped me escape the cycle of existential dread. Because of that, this topic no longer takes over my life. If I'm triggered by something I see, hear, or think, I may still feel a little twang of anxiety, but then it just goes away. "Maybe, maybe not" has been the single most useful phrase of my life. Do you ever get trapped in a cycle of existential questions? Are you worried that the ERP approach would be too scary to handle? If so, I'm happy to give my advice.
Looping
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 12w
ERP/Therapy
I find while doing exposures, rarely does my anxiety lessen. It usually amps up and stays that way for the remainder of the day. I could be having a fairly decent day, but dutifully do my exposures and then the rest of my day is anxiety filled. I guess that’s just how it is now? Also, I’m wondering if my therapist even believes I have OCD. I totally understand my therapist cannot provide reassurance. But it’s to the point it seems my therapist acts like I actually did the thing I fear. I feel so isolated.
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