Why do I get this strong feeling: that I’m gonna sabotage myself, my life, and my family by doing what I fear most and something bad is gonna happen and that I’m gonna cause it? Why? My fears are harm related and I also have false memory

What is amygdala?

This helped me so much 😭 thank you

@Estrella98 The amygdala is the part of our brain that processes emotions and determines threat so that we can go into fight, flight, or freeze mode to protect ourselves from that threat. With OCD, ours is faulty. We incorrectly perceive threats. That’s why logic doesn’t work with OCD. It’s unreachable with our amygdala.

@Atlas_21 So interesting.i didn't know that. Have any relationship with the greek word?

@Atlas_21 Is there anything we can take to fix our amygdala?

@Estrella98 What is the Greek word?

@alittleapple If it becomes really bad where you’re unable to function, SSRI’s (antidepressants) can help, but it’s not a universal fix (every brain responds differently). The best way is to retrain your brain through ERP and habituation (force contact with the threatening stimulus over and over again and learn to experience the anxious distress without trying to push it away. You’re brain will start to learn that the “threat” really isn’t a threat). You can go into recovery with OCD this way, but it takes hard work and dedication. It’s like going to the gym for the very first time- don’t expect to see results immediately, but, if you do the work everyday and go through the pain, you’ll see significant gains in 6months to a year. Same with retraining your brain. But even in recovery you can experience spikes (I was in recovery 20 years, but didn’t pay attention to the signs that OCD is resurfacing ) so I’m in ERP. I would recommend reading up as much as you can about the disorder through OCD experts it helps so much (mindfulness and mediation can really help alongside ERP).

@Atlas_21 Thank you so much! Because my main theme is false memory with harm ocd it’s so hard to just live with the uncertainty of having or not having hurt people. It’s so scary because every day I get new memories (or what I hope are just memories)

@alittleapple Yes, I understand, super scary and insettling. People with OCD have to braver than most by facing the fear head on and choosing not to do any compulsions, like checking. My thoughts are 24/7, mostly because I still react to them and react to my anxiety. It takes a while to recover- but remember, you have to be patient even though it’s torturous. If you do the work, it will get significantly better.

@Atlas_21 Thank you so much 😭 you gave me so much hope

@alittleapple I’m so glad to hear! Sometimes OCD forums can be doom and gloom cause we are all suffering. I love listening to more inspirational stories of how people overcome. Best of luck!