beatriceee
- Date posted
- 13w
false memory
can a false memory feel very very very real? because i literally don’t know if something happened or not. absolutely no clue but it feels so real
Sillygoose27Sillygoose27
- Date posted
- 13w
I read someone else’s experience on Reddit in which they confessed about wrongdoings they did in their childhood to a therapist, and their therapist immediately said that those things did not happen. OP was so persistent that they did happen because they felt so real but the therapist was very adamant that it did not. So based on what you are feeling, it is not impossible for it to feel very real. Hope this helps!
beatriceeebeatriceee
- Date posted
- 13w
@Sillygoose27 omg thank you 😭 i hope it applies to me too
- User type
- Therapist
- Date posted
- 13w
Hello beatriceee, I see you are struggling with an intrusive thought surrounding a false memory. The short answer to your question is that, yes it can feel like something horrible could have happened. Despite this feeling like a real possibility, in the case of OCD it is a false alarm. This alarm makes us doubt weather something has happened and makes us feel we have to know to handle it. When experiencing one of the intrusive thoughts, have you tried to introduce uncertainty? Are you struggling to let distress pass? Do you need help figuring out 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
Wolfram Wolfram
- Date posted
- 13w
I had one which I found about recently. It was a core memory of mine from childhood that was traumatising. Both my parents remembered what actually happened and I was shocked the brain could do that. It still feels real, thinking on it, but I know deep down that it doesn't make sense.
BroMike65BroMike65
- Date posted
- 13w
Sometimes when I wake up my intrusive will make up the dream I had and it’s usually horrible and I have to think about it.
Related posts
andrewt_
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 25w
Question about false memories, please help
Can it feel like you literally remember a false memory happening? And it feels like the memory has always been there and you vividly remember it happening that way? Because I don’t even know if I’m experiencing a false memory or not but god it feels so fucking real. Like I literally remember it happening. But what’s weird is the original memory was kind of different. 2 years later, the memory is not the same, but it feels like I literally remember it happening. And in this memory, I’m fucking snapping. I’m acting on my thoughts. I feel like a fucking psycho. I hope this is just OCD
Anonymous
- Date posted
- 24w
Real event or false memories
I’m reaching out for educational and self-awareness purposes, hoping to better understand something I’ve been mentally struggling with for several years. Around five years ago, I began having a deeply distressing memory involving the fear that I may have acted inappropriately toward my younger sister when I was around 13–14 years old. The details are vague, fragmented, and unclear—but ever since this thought first appeared, I’ve treated it as if it were a real event. I’ve carried immense guilt, fear, and anxiety for years, convinced that I must have done something horrible. Despite asking my sister (who remembers absolutely nothing, has never shown signs of discomfort, and has told me more than once that she would’ve spoken up if anything had happened), the doubt and guilt never went away. The memory feels real, yet there is no external confirmation, no direct recall, and no evidence beyond my own mental images and fear. I’ve also struggled with obsessive thoughts in other areas, such as health anxiety since childhood—frequent doctor visits, checking my pulse, obsessing over illness—and only recently learned about false memory OCD, which aligns with my experience. I’m not currently seeking therapy but would greatly appreciate your professional opinion from an educational perspective: Does this sound more like a real memory, or more likely a false memory created by OCD or anxiety-related mechanisms I am stuck between a normal person or a s*xual abuser
anthonycaronna
- Date posted
- 21w
False memory
Has false memory OCD affected you so badly that you feel that a lot of your memories period are unclear, vague, fuzzy and can’t recall correctly?
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