californiadreaming Posted May 25, 2017 Share Posted May 25, 2017 Hi all, in case you don't know - I suffer from OCD, mainly in the form of intrusive thoughts. My (current) obsession revolves around losing control and cheating on my SO while drunk, my compulsions come in the form of memory checking (my biggest one), ruminating, and sometimes seeking reassurance. Anyway, my therapist and I have been writing up scripts with my biggest fears and reading them over and over and over again. I say them out loud and gauge my anxiety levels after each 5-10 minute session. My problem with this is, when I do my exercises, I don't feel anxiety when I say it out loud or write it down. I feel most of my anxiety when the thought randomly just pops up. What's up with that? Does that mean ERP may not work for my type of OCD, or is this pretty normal? Anyone else have experiences with this? Thanks Link to comment
PolarBear Posted May 25, 2017 Share Posted May 25, 2017 Try going one step further and actually *think* about cheating on your partner. Don't just say the words. Try to get a vision in your head of you actually cheating. Link to comment
californiadreaming Posted May 25, 2017 Author Share Posted May 25, 2017 Hey PolarBear, I find that when I do that, I start to conjure up a false memory. Couldn't that be more harmful? Link to comment
OceanDweller Posted May 26, 2017 Share Posted May 26, 2017 8 minutes ago, californiadreaming said: Hey PolarBear, I find that when I do that, I start to conjure up a false memory. Couldn't that be more harmful? I would suggest it's beneficial as false memories are part and parcel of your OCD. You need to expose yourself to them so as to learn to recognise and accept them for what they are. Harmless charlatans! Link to comment
californiadreaming Posted May 26, 2017 Author Share Posted May 26, 2017 That makes a lot of sense, thanks! I've been doing a whole lot better just letting the thoughts come and go without memory checking and ruminating. Sometimes I do it, but it's way less than before. Link to comment
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