vent tw: vague mentions of trauma, bad therapy experiences, and possible ableism/ocd stereotyping(?) have you guys ever been dismissed by a therapist? how did you gain the confidence to open up to a new one? my current therapist has been rly adament on making me ponder if im actually "normal" and if all of my struggles (intrusive thoughts, executive dysfunction, etc) are just.. normal, neurotypical things.. and thats fine and dandy, i suppose! but she told me that i probably didnt have ocd because thats "not usually triggered by specifics" and it deals with "compulsions like turning off a light 10 times" and i just.. i dont wanna open up to a therapist about sensitive struggles and simply be dismissed, but i really want help because its hard for me to carry on through life like this. :') she helped me a bit with accepting the thoughts, but not so much with tackling the compulsions themselves. i dont really feel safe talking about my trauma or my past further with her, but if i seek a new therapist, i dont really know how to present this in a way that might lessen their judgemental responses or belittling of my issues. maybe i came in too boldly without enough explaination to back myself up? but my experiences/symptoms are there, even if the labels/"generalizations" are wrong (though i never claimed that they were even right, just possibilities), so im not sure what i should really do next time, or if i should even still pursue a therapist to help me with this. im kinda just at a loss here, and could use some input.

BritD

Date posted: 4y

You need an ocd specific therapist. Does NOCD take your insurance?

ronniesjourney

Date posted: 4y

I don't have insurance at the moment, sadly. I used a sliding scale program with the therapist I have at the moment. I don't even know if what I'm dealing with is OCD, so I wouldn't want to "waste" time or money if it turns out that it's not what I think it is, yknow? That's where I feel torn.

BritD

Date posted: 4y

@ronniesjourney Have you joined any of the community support groups? If not please do and ask questions because they are run by the NOCD therapists who are all well trained on erp. I’ve joined several over the last few days and they have been not only great support but a wealth of information as I am waiting to start my erp. They are free!

ronniesjourney

Date posted: 4y

@BritD I'm planning on joining the one held every Saturday, I believe it focuses on learning more about and identifying OCD? But it sounded like it'd be helpful, and I've considered signing up for it. I'll have to follow through this once and see if it's helpful for me too. :) Sounds like a first good step!

BritD

Date posted: 4y

@ronniesjourney I did that group on Saturday with Billie and it was great!

Lms526

Date posted: 4y

Before I was diagnosed with OCD, I had so many bad experiences with therapists. I had therapists who called me names, I had another who told me not to come back until I decided what I wanted to do as a career. I had another therapist who kept insisting I was depressed when I knew I wasn't. I frequently felt like I wasn't being taken seriously. I would open up, do assigned homework, but always felt like it was just making things worse. But once I started to suspect I had OCD. I started doing research. I found out that traditional talk therapy doesn't work for OCD. You need to find a therapist that understands OCD and specializes in ERP. When I started with NOCD and did my assessment, I was sure I would be told I didn't really have OCD. But I was told I do meet the criteria for OCD. Even if it turns out you don't have OCD. At least you will know. But doubting you really have OCD is a OCD thought.

ronniesjourney

Date posted: 4y

Yeah, I'm trying to pay attention to my experiences more often today and be aware of what happens in my brain. At least most of it does seem like some form of an OCD experience. But I'll have to look into finding a therapist that at least truly understands OCD, so even if I don't feel ready or "legit" enough to do ERP, I'll be talking to someone who knows their stuff. I'm still trying to figure it out, but I'll definitely be looking into OCD-specialized therapists to see if it's even an option for me right now. Thank you for your indepth response!

Lms526

Date posted: 4y

@ronniesjourney My therapist through NOCD is wonderful and its covered under my insurance. www.treatmyocd.com

Wormiez

Date posted: 4y

I think if you feel it's safe to, bring up how you feel dismissed and what exactly is making you feel that way. Tell your therapist how it's important to you. Also be sure to tell them your symptoms and how they effecs you and why it's so important, that way they will see it from your point of view. I think therapists tend to make you feel as though you're normal, which I understand can feel dismissive since I've had my problems dismissed in the past like that, so it triggers the same anger and sadness deep down. Definitely tell them how it makes you feel though. If they continue to dismiss you, then seek out a new therapist, and they should be open to your point of view.

Be a part of the largest OCD Community

Share your thoughts so the Community can respond