How do you know if you are beating OCD?

[Guest HeadAboveWater]

What would be signs of beating the disorder? Or of the intrusive thoughts losing their meaning and power?

The only thing I am scared of is if the intrusive thoughts start not to bother me anymore.... does that mean I am agreeing with them or that I just don't care if something bad happens or if I am a bad person?

[Imhotep]

I have gotten to that stage, and it is a weird transitional period.Your brain is getting used to not doing compulsions, although this is its 'default' setting, and it becomes tougher as you near the 'rewired' stage. You will not suddenly change personality if the thoughts bother you less. Think how someone without OCD would react to your thoughts. Initially yes, they would think "Where did that come from, I'm not like that!" but they would just move on, they wouldn't start ruminating and fearing the worst, like myself and others do on this forum. Everybody but everybody gets bizarre, hurtful, and extreme thoughts from time to time. If you continue to let intrusive thoughts bother you, then you will have OCD in the long run.

[PolarBear]

if the intrusive thoughts start not to bother me anymore.... does that mean I am agreeing with them or that I just don't care if something bad happens or if I am a bad person?

You won't care that they start to not bother you anymore.

It will be a slow, gradual improvement. You don't just wake up one day and bam! The obsessions start to come less frequently and the ones that do come through seem weaker some how, easier to just shrug off.