I’m in treatment, but I feel discouraged because I was told that OCD is permanent and won’t go away. I feel like my motivation has been destroyed. I need some encouragement to keep going — is that realistic? Also, I face daily pressures every day, and there’s so much stress. I’ve heard that stress keeps OCD alive — is that true?
Hello Anonymous, First I would like to commend you for beginning treatment! You are right that OCD is chronic, but that does not mean it stays at the level of intensity that you are experiencing now. By chronic we mean that if you start to utilize compulsions to reduce distress, OCD will become louder, so staying on top of practice and sitting with uncertainty, keeps the OCD quiet. I think of it as brushing teeth. You don't brush, you get a cavity. You brush it keeps your mouth clean. You brush daily, but it's a small portion of the time you spend in your day. This is analogous to OCD, in that it may only be a thought that passes, rather than experiencing prolonged distress. If you would like more information on OCD and ERP, you may visit www.treatmyocd.com. I also recommend being kind to yourself. OCD didn't develop in a day, but with your therapist, it will be brought down to the foundations much more rapidly. I hope this message reaches you well and I wish you the best on your journey of recovery! Take care, Ian M. Reeder
Hi, thank you for your advice — I really appreciate it. Yes, I’m managing my treatment on my own since my therapist is no longer available. I need your advice on something: there’s a post on my page that says “Please give me some advice, I really need it.” I think if you could leave a comment and share your thoughts there, it would really help me and make me very happy. Thank you so much for your effort!
It seems like OCD has latched onto OCD in your case. OCD is not necessarily permanent, and keep in mind that incurable does not mean untreatable. Recovery is possible and many people conquer their OCD. Stress can make OCD flare, but you will learn how to manage stress while keeping OCD at bay 🫶🏻
@truetrev One of the best answers yet. The old neuronal highway is still there but can go from a highway to track then almost never hears a thing except when condtions arise where down traffic can go down it. If we learn to divert back to the new highway we can forget once again that track even existed at all. That’s the truth about all things. Everything runs down these tracks and highways Memories are the same. The more engaged we are the more those highways remain open and don’t become tracks. Don’t think of them for years and some memeories even are forgotten.
I’m now more than 20 years free from mine now. I don’t hear it any more. Neuro plastic behaviour is real. We learn more about our true nature find the core fear and examine the fact thoughts are just thoughts and we are in fact completely the masters of our own destiny so I disagree. I used a bit of Buddhist philosophy to really break it all. We learn in that that we are made up of many things and thoughts really are not the sum of us. They come they go. When we give them energy they become more solid. Divert and learn their transition illusory nature and they dissolve. Learn about response your body has too knowing the cortisol and adrenaline releases that occur are misfires based on a misfired thought. I disagree with what you’re been told.
In some cases you can even live your life without even noticing it this takes time and effort, the harder you work on it the more your brain re wires itself the more free you become!
Hello and yes ocd doesn’t just go away, you just have to learn to ignore it. It’s like an annoying bully that you just have to block out it takes time and I’m still trying to overcome it. Stress is a key factor in ocd as well the more you feed it the more it’ll attack.
I just responded to our previous message. Try not to focus on what may or may not happen someday, take one day at a time. Trust the process, you'll experience freedom. I'm in your corner! 🙏🏼
It is permanent, but you can adapt and live a full life. Some people have health issues, others have mental disorders...every one has some cross. OCD does suck, but you can manage it. I promise.
I know everything im dealing with is OCD. I have accepted that, but I just feel down. I don’t want to live the rest of my life like this. I just want to be free from this horrible illness. Any positive stories and recovery journeys will help. What did recovery look like for you? I used to be so happy, I miss it so much. This feels like it’s taken everything from me. How do you just live your life despite how you feel? Any hope will help!
The thought of ocd being long-term is scaring me pretty bad. My therapist told me in our first visit last week that it will always come back and it triggered me. I know everyone says it’s manageable, but I keep having the thought that I won’t be able to handle it the rest of my life and I will want to suic. myself. I am terrified :(
I have this idea that if i stopped my current ocd it will comeback again in another form. Forexample, when i was 9 by the help of a doctor i stopped washing my hand every 10 mintues but then ocd switched into another theme, which is religious, and when i stopped that it again changed. And now i have prefction and mental ocd. So my question is why bother trying fix something isn't fixable? It takes a while to notice that the thing you have been doing is ocd, double the time to treat it, is there a permenant treatment or is it just tourture ? P.S sorry for my english i'm not from the U.S
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