Is anyone else sort of desensitized by their intrusive thoughts? I still get slight discomfort, and I don't like them, but I think I've been becoming numb to them in a way? It might just be a mental drain. I've been having an anxiety spike due to them for a month now.
Hello Andrew Escobar I see that you have been struggling with ongoing intrusive thoughts for the past month and are exhausted by it. In truth anxiety is exhausting and are bodies are not meant to be in an anxiety state for prolonged periods. I am sorry you are struggling with this. The thing is if intrusive thoughts are being triggered and compulsions remain, all we will see is ongoing OCD. Compulsions can include thoughts such as self-reassurance or behaviors like checking. Have you been struggling with compulsions? Have you tried to introduce uncertainty rather than engage in compulsions? Did your distress reduce? Are unsure where to start? At NOCD we are trained experts in the diagnosis and treatment of OCD and related conditions using Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP). ERP is the gold standard of treatment for OCD and related conditions, with the better part of the past century's research backing the efficacy of ERP. If you would like more information on OCD and ERP, please visit our website at www.treatmyocd.com. If you are seeking to begin/resume your journey of recovery, you may reach out to our member advocate team at care@nocdhelp.com. I hope this message reaches you well and know that at NOCD, we are always here to help! Take care, Ian M. Reeder
Thank you Ian, I appreciate your reply! And yes, I have still been having some minor mental compulsions. Currently, it's been little reassurance and or light arguments (saying that's not true ect. In my head.) The compulsions were pretty bad when my anxiety started peaking though. I would frantically journal, do meditation, and just a bunch of other self care like distractions. Which is good in retrospect, but definitely not the best when I was in that bad of an episode. I'm supposed to talk to a therapist again on the 14th, so that's good!
It's very common to feel desensitized or numb to intrusive thoughts after experiencing them for a while. This doesn't mean you agree with them or that they're any more real. OCD can be mentally exhausting, and sometimes our minds try to protect us by dulling the emotional response. If you’d like additional support, feel free to book a free call with our NOCD team. We’d be happy to share more information and explore ways to help. No one has to live in fear of their own thoughts. Also here are some helpful resources: https://www.treatmyocd.com/what-is-ocd/common-fears/how-can-i-date-with-avoidant-attachment-style https://www.treatmyocd.com/what-is-ocd/common-fears/is-my-relationships-age-gap-too-big-a-therapists-advice https://www.treatmyocd.com/what-is-ocd/common-fears/im-always-worried-that-people-are-mad-at-me-can-therapy-help
Thank you so much Brooke! I appreciate your response. I'm very glad to hear that it's common. Also thank you for the resources, I can tell that you might've seen a couple of my other posts.
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I'm really trying to see it as a good thing, but ik in the back of my mind it is causing a decent amount of concern
@nsth Same omg!! I realized that throughout like most of my life I've been dealing with so much false attraction. Ironically it also made me realize that I'm demisexual. I swear my ocd feels like a child. I could find someone good looking and it'll basically be like "OHHH so you want them, okay lets give you the intrusive feeling as well!" Awesome, now I'm practically obsessed with someone I don't want, thanks!
@nsth Trust me, that's good! It's clear to me at least that it's still something that is causing some distress. And trust me, as uncommon as it seems, sometimes the intrusive thoughts can be almost completely gone but if the intrusive feeling is there, it's still ocd!
@nsth You're probably just mentally drained as well. The intrusive thoughts definitely decrease a lot when your mentally drained.
@nsth Ocd is not curable and it’s a genetic component you have- so it will always be a part of you. It sadly doesn’t fully go away. And it’s not true that all people with OCD think about it 24/7 🙏 They only do that when their Ocd is severe and they barely resist compulsions. We all have different levels of intensity with OCD that increases and decreases throughout our lives 👍 When you recover from OCD, your obsessions & compulsions can go down as long as 2%. Ocd won’t be a problem in your life or won’t even be very noticeable :) But your OCD is still there quietly in the background
@nsth Understandable! 🫶 I won’t give any reassurance because that makes everyone worse and ruminate harder. What I will say is, try sitting with the uncertainty. Also, instead of focusing on your perceived negative aspect of this situation, I would instead try to focus on being appreciative that you’re not as anxious as you used to be. Because that’s a big win :)
It's called depersonalization, and I experience it a lot. I get slight discomfort, but the intense panic that I experienced during my onset of OCD has pretty much vanished. For me, it's because of my comorbid BPD and OCD causing far too much emotional strain, causing me to be in a constant state of emotional apathy and depersonalization. It's the brains way of protecting itself from heavy, possibly harmful emotions. Don't overthink it too much (ironic in an OCD forum), but it's nothing to be scared of or try to elimate.
Thank you! I have noticed myself zoning out a lot more often and I've had my fair share of derealization in the past. So I'm not doubting too much that it's anything more.
I struggle so bad with intrusive thoughts. They can be so bad that I'll cry because I KNOW that's not how I feel or want to do. (Too embarrassed to say what they're about) I'll constantly try to figure out why I have them, and constantly figure out what they mean, causing me to constantly circle around and around. I had to get on anxeity meds, which helped a little but the thoughts still happen. How do you help yourself with this? How do you know that you're just not some physcopath? 😅
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.
This is hard to admit, but I’ve been struggling with intrusive thoughts where the central theme is racism. I don’t use racial slurs but my brain worries that I have said something that hurts or offends someone and now I find myself analyzing every social interaction.
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