Markie1974

Well said !

I would also add, that in addition to NOT responding to these OCD thoughts , REFOCUS ! Look at the clouds. Wash some dishes. Concentrate on the moment. So long as you don't respond to the thoughts , they will fade away

Please don't mistake not responding to a thought with "avoidance" Avoidance, i.e. Not touching a door handle for fear of contamination, is a compulsion , and is bad. This only re-forces the irrational thought, and lends credence to the irrational thought. Thats not what I'm saying at all. I was once bombarded with HUNDREDS of thoughts coupled with horrific anxiety DAILY for days on end that I had AIDS. I knew what these thoughts were. I chose to not respond to them and Re-focus. The anxiety went away, and so did the obsessive thoughts.

Absolutely yes. That's what it's all about mostly. Recognize its just a thought, leave it be, and re-focus. You'll find that your brain will probably keep repeating the same thought (hence obsessions). Just be strong and keep re-focusing. It'll go away.

Hello my friends, it's been a while since I've posted on here. I just wanted to share with everyone that I am completely off my medicine and no longer "suffer" from OCD. I still have the occasional OCD thoughts, but I no longer suffer from the crippling anxiety and CONSTANT barrage of thoughts that I once had. I just wanted to share my story with you guys and hope that it inspires and gives hope to those of you that are suffering from this debilitating condition that you CAN get better and CAN recover. i will also post tips , strategies and techniques I used to get my OCD under control I want to first and foremost thank polar bear for his unselfish help and advice he's given to me. You helped me immensely Thank you To the others that have given me Help I've suffered from OCD for over 20 years it started in grade school, in the form of constant ruminating. It then progressed to OCD thoughts and then constant , debilitating anxiety. It got so bad that at times, I wanted to quit my job and go on disability. I had been on Zoloft for YEARS. Looking back, I realized it really didn't do anything for me ( for some people it doesn't work; if you're one of them , don't despair, I'll help you get better) last summer , I was up to 150 mg of Zoloft the anxiety was brutal, it was affecting my work and relationship this is what I did: i read as many books about it as I could the two best ones, IMO , are "brain lock" by Dr Schwartz, and "break free from OCD" another AWESOME source of information is Mark Freeman on you tube. He cured himself of OCD. He is credible , and I encourage everyone to watch all of his videos. Step one. RECOGNIZE the "thought" you're having , is an OCD thought. Often times, when you're anxiety is really bad, you tend to believe your irrational thoughts, so it's hard to recognize. It's ok. You must ask yourself these questions. Is the thought a "speculative" / "what if " thought? If so, it has ABSOLUTELY ZERO VALUE. Remember this. Example. "What if that red stuff in my food was blood!" "what if there are germs on my spoon" "what if my spouse is cheating on me" "what if the toilet seat is dirty" "what if the dentist used dirty instruments on me , and now I have AIDS?" you see, there is no limit to the "what ifs" your brain will throw at you. Now, the interesting part I've learned, and am convinced, is that this disorder is an addiction to dopamine disorder. I'll explain. Your mind sends you a terrifying thought. You get anxiety. You do compulsions to "figure out" or prove this thought wrong and avoid catastrophe. You avoid catastrophe. You feel a gratifying sense of relief and happiness. Dopamine rush. Your brain likes this. It likes the dopamine rush It continues throwing you anxiety provoking thoughts. You get into doing habits, rituals , compulsions to avoid catastrophe. You dont realize it, but the more compulsions you do, the more OCD thoughts you get. COMPULSIONS are the key, and you need to avoid doing them at all costs. Start small. Pick one. Do it. Even if yiu can avoid the compulsion for 60 seconds. Good. Next time increase time to 2 minutes . Then 5 and so on til you're done with that theme. Then conquer the next theme. Remember , and you must trust me: when you're having an anxiety attack , DO NOT DO COMPULSIONS. I promise you, that IF you do not do any compulsions , the anxiety WILL subside. Compulsions include but are not limited to mental or physical checking , reassurance , or ANYTHING you do to relieve the anxiety. You must not give any answer or response to the OCD thought. Doing so gives it power. Now last but not least and equally important part, which, even if you do it for a nano second, must be done. Re-focus on something in the present moment. It can be that bug crawling on the ground. Focus on the feel of air across your skin. Focus on the lyrics of the music. You must practice this everyday. And lastly, I incorporate mindfulness in my therapy. Concentrating on the exact moment. Example. Brushing your teeth. Feeling the bristles across your teeth. Tasting the minty toothpaste in your moths. Feeling the smoothness of your teeth when you're done. It can be staring out the window and watching the oak leaves move around from the wind and seeing birds land in the tree. I then weaned myself off the Zoloft by about 25 mg every month or two. If you practice this every day, your brain will stop sending you OCD thoughts. Your anxiety will go away. How do you ask? Know this: Your brain is a highly efficient super computer that WILL NOT waste energy sending you these thoughts anymore. With practice , it can be done. I still get thoughts , but I don't get anxiety from them. When they arrive, I Re-focus on something else and I eventually forget about them. you will eXperience a lot of pain and barrage of thoughts doing this therapy, but the rewards are well worth it.

No

Yes I made sure there were no cuts on my hands. Looking back, I realize Of course those are compulsions.

In the course of my job, have met at least 5 people who have HIV.

Yes !!! I need to get rid of my HIV phobia !

I think you should go!!!! it's a great exposure without having any risk !

Thank you. I'm thinking it's just my excessive rumination OCD.

Thanks polar !!!!

I have attention issues. I have trouble paying attention when people talk to me. I ruminate ALOT. I'm always catching myself ruminating and have to consciously focus in the moment. Does anyone else have this problem with paying attention. I'm wondering if it's ADD or I just ruminate a lot. Is ADD common with people who have OCD ?

Break free from OCD is the best one IMO

Good job!!! I would Keep doing exposures like going to public places and being in the car.