- Date posted
- 3y
- Date posted
- 3y
You’re giving them too much power, that’s why they keep returning. Rationalizing is doing a compulsion, it’s like scratching a mosquito bite. The itch goes away temporarily but it’ll start to itch again. You need to take the power away from it by sitting with it the itch. Train your brain by showing it you don’t need to scratch the itch. Allow yourself to feel uncomfortable. Expose yourself to the thing you’re fearing and then it stops coming back
- Date posted
- 3y
On a scientific standpoint, I heard that logic won't work because the OCD comes from the flight or fight response part and logic/rational thought doesn't communicate to that part of the brain (I'm explaining this terribly) so that's why like on TV some people see something and freeze when they should be running from it cos they'll be safe that way, and you're screaming at the TV "get out of there" but they just stand there and do nothing, it's cos the fight and flight part has taken over and the logical part can't communicate with that part of the brain. Same with ocd. You can see/feel the thoughts or urges, but the rational part of you can only judge or try to out think it, but it won't work.
- Date posted
- 3y
Yes I read that there’s a specific part of the brain that is activated when we have an intrusive thought, and it triggers our fight or flight response. And our brain tries to solve the fear to ease our anxiety but in reality we shouldn’t give it any energy at all, because giving it energy makes the brain think it’s something we SHOULD be afraid of
- Date posted
- 3y
I'm with you on this! My OCD tells me the same thing: If you just reflect enough on this, then you'll find an answer or figure it out. It's an OCD trap. OCD wants you to get stuck in a cycle of rationalization & rumination because then it wins. I so understand what you mean about having difficulty not getting angry or judging thoughts when they reappear. I think practicing some self-compassion can be helpful. It can be something as simple as saying to yourself, "It's frustrating that this thought is reappearing when I thought I already had it figured out. But as someone with OCD, this is how my brain works. It's not my fault the thought is back." Of course, the trick here is to resist engaging with the thought, because then you'll be running off into another cycle of rationalization. This could mean refocusing your behavior to another activity that isn't intended to decrease your anxiety. We unfortunately have to be willing to tolerate some level of anxiety, doubt, & uncertainty when refocusing. So much easier said than done, but just know you're not alone in what you're experiencing.
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 3y
I was given ERP homework in which I looked up “late in life lesbian” story lines to help with my HOCD. I got triggered sooo bad and then got worried I’ll get confused because many stories felt similar to mine, married with kids then the question happened. Does anyone else ever feel like OCD keeps dragging you back in, like the more I learn about sexual fluidity and accept it I still feel the need to “check” that’s It’s not happening to me
- Date posted
- 3y
Yup actually when I finally got over my HOCD and accepted it for what it was, my OCD changed themes to POCD and I have two kids. I swear it’s like OCD doesn’t get what it wants so it keeps coming back in different ways to keep you depressed and anxious
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 3y
@Anon1294 Any advice on how to handle HOCD? No reassurance! Just advice on how to handle ERP
- Date posted
- 3y
@Anonymous Yes! Okay so the most helpful thing I’ve found is accepting the uncertainty. I am pretty sure I’m straight because I have only been with men, enjoy sex with men, and I have had manyyy crushes on men. But my ocd is like “are you sure?” And my answer is “no ocd, I’m not sure🤷🏻♀️” and I accept the uncertainty. I sometimes just tell myself I’m bi and laugh it off. I allow OCD to win and I don’t allow the thoughts to give me anxiety. I’ve trained my brain to be like “yup oh well I’m gay” even though I’m not, and I don’t live that way at all. And the intrusive thoughts actually lessened and lessened after I started practicing that. It’s about accepting yourself no matter what and then OCD doesn’t have a hold on you anymore, and then the fog lifts and you are able to live life
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 3y
@Anon1294 Thank you! I’ve been in this loop for soooo long and I’ve been resisting but today’s ERP about late life lesbians really triggered me but I guess it’s part of the process. I appreciate your advice and I’m gonna keep going! Fog is getting thinner
Related posts
- Date posted
- 25w
Hi everyone. I’ve been doing therapy for about two months now and I would say it’s slowly helping me a lot. I explained to her the breathing techniques and “sitting in the anxiety for a bit” and I feel like those are helping. But then my therapist said “don’t sit in the thought because then you might act on it”. I don’t “sit in the thought” but rather i sit in the anxiety to comdition my brain into thinking it’s not a threat. But ever since yesterday, my therapy appointment, I’ve been really shooken up. Even though I don’t “sit in the thought” I feel like a bad person that she even had to bring it up even though I explained it wrong. I’m so upset I feel like I just took 3000 steps back from my progress and this little thing is really scaring me. Am I a bad person? I don’t want to act on any of my thoughts and it scares me so bad I hate living.
- Date posted
- 25w
It seems like every time I feel that I have an understanding of my intrusive thoughts and an understanding on how to deal with them I’m hit with a new and weirder intrusive thoughts that send me spiraling on what it means. I constantly search up the intrusive thoughts that I have to see if anyone online had a similar thought and that usually works and I calm down but there are a few time where the thought just feels too unusual and idk how to deal with it.
- Date posted
- 22w
Does anyone else experience a moment of clarity where you feel strong relief that the intrusive thought isn’t true, only to then immediately start questioning if you’ve only convinced yourself that because you don’t want the thought to be true? I’m pretty confident it would take some crazy mental gymnastics to actually successfully convince myself I didn’t do something that I deep down knew I did, but every time I resist the compulsions and try to sit with the uncertainty or tell myself to think about what is logical, I usually briefly know that this probably didn’t happen but am unable to move on out of fear I’m just in denial and have convinced myself of that.
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