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As some of you guys probably know, if I’ve been leaving annoyingly chirpy comments on your posts (?) I’m a huge believer in ERP. It works consistently with my OCD when nothing else has, its pulled me out of some dark places, etc etc. But I also see a lot of posts asking a heap of different questions about it. I totally get your frustrations and confusion. It was easier for me, in a way, because I was so hopeless when I discovered it I went, “if this doesn’t work, I’m just gonna give up an end it.” It was my last resort so I guess that helped in a way, but it did work. It really did. So where I’m going with this is, If anyone has any questions about ERP, dump them here in the comments and I’ll answer them as soon as I can. All questions, any questions, throw them at me. I want to help, I know what you’re going through and as an obsessively good researcher (even before my OCD kicked in) I have a tonne of different explanations on how it works, why it works, how it feels, and so on and so on and so on. Honestly, I just wanna be useful. I wanna help. Being able to help people through this stuff makes my OCD a teensy bit worthwhile. Give me your best shot :)

Does your head ever get numb from all the intrusive and helpful thoughts going through your head, and you start buzzing, and feeling like you just can’t talk?

Just posted something, unrelated, but who is medicated for OCD and what works for them. Anyone use medical marijuana - does it help? My therapist thinks we’re at a standstill with ERP until I try medication/medical marijuana to curb the anxiety in the beginning

Existential OCD Trigger Warning: What is the best ERP for the “What if I’m not real?” thoughts? I’d been doing better-ish, and today I’ve been freaking out. Okay, so truthfully, every day has been a form of a living hell on earth, it’s just some days aren’t quite as tormenting as others. I hate DP/DR, which came right along after I saw a post about a year and a half ago, from someone who acted like we can’t prove our existence. I know there isn’t any evidence to think I might not exist, but this is torturing me. Help! I need to do self-help because of finances at the moment.

Skeptical about ERP? I found ERP really conflicts with some other theories, like the theories of Louise Hay (who wrote the book “you can heal your life). I will elaborate on my confusions. 1. ERP asks us to experience obsessions without thinking “no I won’t hurt myself” “no I won’t hurt others”. “No, I am safe and those thoughts are not real”. Thinking “i won’t do dangerous stuff and I am completely safe” is considered as compulsion to rid us of anxiety, but Louise Hay thinks it as positive affirmation. 2. Will ERP make us believe what we think even more? ERP asks you to write your fears into those stories and scripts and repeat them again and again until you habituate. But why would I say to myself “oh, maybe I will kill my parents and I will accept that and move on”? How does this make any sense? 3. I read the book of Shannon Shy who has recovered from OCD and he used his own strategies. I remembered that when he confronted his obsession of whether he left the pot on, he would say to himself that “do you think the pot will turn itself on”? to help him better move on to do things that he should do. But according to ERP, isn’t this a compulsion? Cuz ERP asks us to accept that ok the pot may be on and my house may be burned down and I accept that and I move on? I just find ERP theories weird.

ERP doesn't make sense. It doesn't make sense for a person to do things against their values/likes/interests/preferences until they habituate. It's torture is what it is! People without the disorder would never do it. Why? Because no one should be told they need to live a backwards life in order to get better.

Question about ERP. So, if the goal is to habituate to whatever we are exposed to, how does that work logically on some exposures. For example, put your hand in a toilet & habituate to the discomfort. Or even, lick the bottom of your shoe & habituate to the discomfort. Make a picture crooked on the wall & habituate to the discomfort. My concern arises because even outside of OCD, I wouldn't completely habituate to these things as a person. #1, i don't have contamination OCD & I think sticking my hand in a toilet is icky. Licking the bottom of my shoe is icky too. Yeah, I can handle a picture crooked on the wall, but I prefer my pictures to hang straight. Get what I'm saying? Sometimes I wonder if I went through ERP, it wouldn't work anyway because outside of it, I'm not going to 100% habituate to these things. Not sure alot of people would completely.

How do you know whether you are doing exposure right? I mean I can resist obsessions at a point and continue to do my work no matter what thoughts my OCD brings (when I am doing this, trust me, the OCD brings even more thoughts to persuade me into thinking it all out). But, it feels like I have left something important (usually life or death) questions unanswered and unsettled. Then, at sometime later, my mind will start to try figuring the unanswered question out, cuz the fear is never really root out. So, I guess exposure is more than just ignore the thoughts and doing what we should do despite all the discomfort. When your fear is there, it’s a human instinct to go back and check. The fear and belief are the core. Not sure I express myself clearly.

I’m on vacation and just called someone out for stereotyping OCD at the mall. She said she didn’t want to buy these boots because they would “drive her OCD crazy.” I asked her if she had diagnosed OCD and she said “No, the boots just bother me.” So I said, “Well, I do. I’ve had it a long time, and as an advocate I just want to point out that it is a very debilitating condition and you never know who could hear you make comments like that, and for some sufferers it could be offensive.” She said, “I understand,” and I thanked her for hearing me out. I was super nervous to do it, but kept my cool and even if she just dismissed me as some crazy person, I’m glad I stood up for myself and the rest of the OCD community.

Am I the only one who has to erase and erase what I wrote until it feels « right »?

Hi!! Someone has obsessions related to wide open spaces and inmensity?

My anxiety/OCD got SO bad that I had a derealization episode. Scariest thing that has ever ever ever happened to me. If anyone has ever been there, please let me know. I have no idea what to do and am scared I’m losing my sanity :-(

I have really bad HOCD. It’s the only intrusive thought I’ve ever experienced. My therapist is 100% convinced it’s HOCD. I’ve had short relationships with boys and my feelings for them have been so strong. For the last 2 or 3 years I didn’t have these thoughts and I never had the desire to be in a relationship with a girl. But now my OCD is tricking me into thinking I did. I used to have girl crushes or be curious about things but for as long as I can remember since I was a little girl my dream was to always marry a boy. I know it’s going to take time and I’m not looking to get over it straight away but I’m just looking for advice on how to accept that this is just OCD? For some reason every time I try tell myself it isn’t real it’s just an intrusive thought my brain goes no you are just in denial. These thoughts are making me feel really ill any advice on how I can accept its OCD???

Does anyone else suffer from trichotillomania?

Why is it scary to be gay? Is it religious? A fear of not knowing who you really are? I am genuinely curious. I feel like this is one of the few types of ocd that I don’t deal with so I don’t really understand it.

So, I can’t stop pulling out my hair. I told my dad and he is worried, but my mom just said, “well if it makes you feel better then that’s fine. You have so much hair, you’ll never go bald” it does help me feel more relaxed, but I really regret it. I actually can’t stop. I know that trichotillomania is a big deal... H E L P!!! I’m only 13 btw

does anyone else get obsessive thoughts about their ex while they’re with their current partner? i was in an emotionally abusive relationship for almost 4 years (also my first relationship EVER) and i definitely have PTSD from a lot of it. he broke up with me and i’m so glad that he did, because i don’t know how much longer i would have continued to be in that relationship. the thing is, even though he’s done a lot of fucked up things to me, i don’t have hate for him in my heart. i have these thoughts like “oh if you don’t hate him you must still be in love with him” and they make me panic. i’ve been dating my current boyfriend for almost 2 years. i love him so much, he’s so supportive of me and great. i get these awful thoughts that my ex was “the one” for me, i will never feel the way i did about my ex with my current boyfriend, constantly comparing them, etc. i’ve been to therapy for years now, and have come to the realization that i am self-sabotaging. i’m lost, depressed, and scared. any advice would be appreciated ❤️

My OCD is spiking in the form of pOCD today. This particular type seems really scary to me because this type is the one that has led me to more severe panic attacks and this is the one that led me to discover that I really needed help. It feels like I let this go too far and went untreated for too long, and now my brain just makes the association whenever I'm exposed to a trigger, which leads straight to terrifying and horrendous thoughts instead of the usual tests to prove I'm not a pedophile. For anyone who has wrestled with pOCD: how do you sit with these thoughts? I understand that with OCD, you often times (or maybe always, I'm a bit new to this) need to learn to accept your thoughts as they are. When your thoughts are so horrendous and difficult to have, how do you accept them?

Why is my OCD mainly based around thoughts of hurting those that I love most in this world?! It distressed me to no end and I don’t understand

Is exposure making you better or worse? I am a bit confused. Like when I am at a high floor and my obsession is rushing towards the window and jumping off. How is the response prevention message helping by saying “yes, you may jump off the building?”