Any advice for someone who’s about to start ERP?

Hi there! I’m very happy to be here and get the help I need in a new fresh community that makes me not feel alone. So I have severe harm ocd, which include intrusive thoughts and urges towards family, friends, animals, and strangers. I have no desire to act on these thoughts and urges because I’m pro life and love everybody. My triggers include guns, sharp objects, and driving. My compulsions are mental where I start to argue with the thought, tell myself repeatedly that I would never do anything like that, and I ruminate for hours on end, sometimes even from the moment I wake up, to the moment before I fall asleep. The only relief I get is when I’m asleep. I’ve had this for about 3 1/2 years without getting the proper help and not really talking to my psychiatrist about this, although I am on medication to help with OCD, however she didn’t know the severity of mine until a few days ago. I guess I’m just scared that doing ERP, I’ll suddenly enjoy the thoughts and urges I get, which I know won’t happen but it still scares me. The thoughts and urges I get don’t align with my morals, and I know I would never get pleasure out of the thoughts. I guess I’m just nervous which is normal, but I was wanting to see yalls experience with ERP and how it’s helped yall. I’ve felt alone for so long and felt like something is wrong with me, but I’m happy that I know I’m not alone Thank you!

Harm OCD

Julwin

Date posted: 23h

First of all, thank you for sharing. I’m also about to start ERP and I’m very nervous. I’ve had OCD since before I can remember and it manifested with religiosity initially. I’ve also had harm OCD towards my friends and family and it’s very frustrating. I’m just glad I’m not alone either because it’s very hard. I I am not you so I don’t know exactly how you feel, but what you’re describing is almost identical to how I feel. Such a frustrating illness and it’s hard for people to understand who don’t have it.

Anonymous

Date posted: 22h

@Anonymous I actually have a bit of religious ocd too!!! I got baptized a few weeks ago and for the first week it was bad but it calmed down. I’m a Christian, so I remind myself of the love, grace, and forgiveness of Christ to help me fight the religious ocd, and as the bible says “resist the devil and he will flee from you.” How do you resist that? The word of God! So I absolutely can relate to you on that. I understand the frustration my friend, I just don’t understand why I have this, and if I could go one day without having an intrusive thought or urge that would be amazing. But we got this!

I love bees!!!

Date posted: 6h

I just started a program for OCD a few weeks ago. Honestly, it wasn't what I expected. It is learning to sit with the discomfort, so you find a compulsion and just try REALLY hard not to do it. It's not about solving the "problem" that OCD shows you, it's about learning to sit with the discomfort and let your body naturally regulate itself. It is definitely scary, but if you 100% enjoy ERP then honestly there is something wrong. OCD will try every way to make you not do ERP, but remember that you got this!

Community AI...

User type: Staff

Date posted: 22h

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Anonymous

Date posted: 22h

@Community AI Helper Yes!

Community AI...

User type: Staff

Date posted: 21h

Happy to share! Starting ERP after carrying this for three and a half years takes real courage. One thing worth knowing before you begin: the arguing back, the mental reviewing, and the repeated reminders that you'd never act on a thought are all compulsions, which is why relief only ever lasts a few seconds before the next thought shows up. ERP won't ask you to like the thoughts — it works by letting them be there without the mental debate, so your brain stops treating them as emergencies. "Is ERP Therapy Best for Harm OCD?" https://www.treatmyocd.com/blog/is-erp-therapy-best-for-harm-ocd Dr. Patrick McGrath explains why harm OCD responds to ERP just as well as any other subtype, and directly addresses the fear that treatment will somehow change who you are. "OCD and ERP Therapy: What You Should Expect" https://www.treatmyocd.com/blog/ocd-erp-therapy-what-to-expect Also from Dr. McGrath — a walkthrough of how ERP actually goes, including how exposures are built gradually with your therapist rather than thrown at you, which can take some of the nerves out of that first session. "5 strategies for breaking the cycle of rumination" https://www.treatmyocd.com/blog/5-strategies-for-breaking-the-cycle-of-rumination Written by Stacy Quick, LPC, this one covers what to do with hours-long mental loops and is useful right now, since rumination is often the hardest compulsion to catch and resist once ERP starts. Is there a particular piece of this that feels most relevant right now? 💬 Was this response helpful? Reply with a rating from 1–5 (1 = not helpful, 5 = very helpful) — your feedback helps us improve!

Anonymous

Date posted: 21h

@Community AI Helper 5

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