- Username
- raghavsikka473
- Date posted
- 3y ago
I definitely recommend talking with your therapist if the exposures you’re doing don’t seem to be helping. They can help you make new exposures, or come at them from a different angle. And if your therapist isn’t a good fit, there’s nothing wrong with switching. Many if not most people don’t find a therapist they ”click” with right away, and trying a few different therapists before you find one who is helpful for you is normal. OCD never goes away, but with time and therapy, it can become manageable, so that it’s more background noise than the feature film, if you know what I mean. And, just like with any chronic illness (mental or physical), there will be times when it’s better and times when it’s worse. You might be in a worse time right now, but with the work you’re putting into therapy, better times will come.
OCD is a chronic illness. So it will never completely go away. ERP is hard and definitely makes you uncomfortable. It definitely takes practice. But you get out of it what you put into it. I suggest going all in and giving it 100%. A half hearted effort isn't going to cut it. Rumination is a tough one. It can be hard to recognize and even harder to stop. One other thing. Traditional talk therapy or CBT alone does NOT work for OCD. Before I realized I had OCD, I did about 10 years (off and on) of traditional therapy. I would go weekly for up to 2 years. I would open up and do all my homework. But I never got any better. I felt worse than when I started. I went to 5 different counselors. I started therapy through this app and have made more progress in 3 months than I did in years of other types of therapy. It is so important to get a therapist that understands OCD and specializes in ERP. I recently read a book that does a good job of explaining ERP, why you should do it, how to do it, and even barriers that can hinder your progress. Its available on Amazon and called Dare to Challenge OCD" by Dr. Joan Davidson. Another good one is Is Fred In the Refrigerator?" By Shala Nicely.
I don’t really have any compulsions per say, it’s just I end up stuck in my head getting repetitive thoughts. There aren’t enough videos out there for the specific thing I’m dealing with
A bit of ERP. But ERP has been majorly ‘homework’, homework being watching videos that make me uncomfortable
That’s correct
It’s sort of meta analysis of thoughts in terms of what the thought is, why it’s come, etc. Rather than just ‘going with the flow’
Thanks bro. Will do
Can we take this offline? Would be good to connect
WhatsApp?
Just message me and I’ll delete the post
Does medication truly help OCD? I feel like I need medication at this point as I’ve been battling this disorder for years now without meds.
I have been suffering from OCD for many years. I am on numerous medications through my psychiatrist and have been in therapy for over a year. I don’t feel like things have necessarily gotten better. While ERP has been a big part of my therapy, it has become harder to trust in the process. Has anyone experienced treatment-resistant OCD? I take responsibility for not being as dedicated to ERP as I was when I started, but I am so frustrated with my lack of progress. Any feedback would be appreciated!
I've been in treatment for about 3.5 months and I have definitely improved. However, I feel like I'm always relapsing... I do exposures for specific thoughts and it definitely helps. Usually my anxiety will go way down and that specific thought will improve. Then I may have a period of a week or so where my intrusive thoughts aren't so bothersome. But they ALWAYS come back. My ocd will latch on to anything at all and Im constantly having new intrusive thoughts. I seem to be stuck in a cycle of improvement and relapse. I don't know what I'm doing wrong. Will the intrusive thoughts ever subside??
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