anthracite8

Thank you Polarbear for taking the time to explain exactly what I meant to say. You are on point. I sometimes take it for granted that other people are familiar with mindfulness.

Those are well known mindfulness techniques to defuse from thoughts and to stop avoidance. They are pretty advanced techniques so might not be suited for everyone.

Hey Cora don’t beat yourself up, us OCD sufferers tend to lack self compassion. It is part of the illness to seek reassure and to get angry/frustrated when you don’t get it. In a sense we are junkies, junkies to false certainty. It will take time to learn how to tolerate a life sober from false reassurance, and in the mean time, you will fail at times, binge on compulsions, ruminate, spam these forums for someone to tell you you aren’t your worst fears, we will be here along the way frustrating your addiction just enough by refusing to reassure you so that eventually you learn that this anxiety isn’t dangerous, but we will love you and embrace you for all the efforts you are putting in. Trust me, I almost came over here to tell you you aren’t aspd, but instead, I will ask you, can you just sit with this idea that you are aspd? Maybe repeating the sentence I am antisocial enough time and fast enough that it sounds ridiculous? Maybe singing I am antisocial to the tune of baby shark tududududu?

Yes it is one of the most common compulsion after avoidance

Congratulation on this step! It is probably the hardest, as polarbear said, next step is stopping the hyperanalysis. I feel a great way is to focus on physical sensations of anxiety and naming the thoughts that come and go: « i have the thought that I assaulted someone » good luck!

What do you mean by reign your anxiety in? If its using the cognitive part of cbt to analyse the proofs, it can become compulsive. If you are using breathing techniques or other relaxation techniques, that can also become compulsif. The whole thing about erp is not to try to control you anxiety. if by reigning in you mean sitting with it, without trying to do any mental or physical compulsion, then yes that’s the way to go, keep patient and eventually the episodes will become less frequent and less intense. Congratulations on taking on this work, it’s difficult work but it’s lifechanging.

Hi! This is your ocd talking, as others say you are looking for reassurance and I won’t give this to tou. I encourage you just to sit with this anxiety, even explore with curiosity the physical sensations of your experience instead of trying to reassure you that you aren’t bad. Maybe a first step of exposure therapy would be to write that scene down, even posting it as a reply to this thread. Trust us, we won’t even bat an eye, most of us have experienced similar things before.

Hey RockyRoad, Thank you for having the courage to post on these forums, this sounds like the beginning of your recovery journey. With what you are describing, it is really difficult to give you a proper diagnosis, it is difficult to say if it's generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) or ocd, as rumination and reassurance seeking are hallmarks for both disorders. A mental health professional should assess you properly, the nuances between these two diagnosis are subtle. I do think you should get some professional help. GAD and OCD treatments are very similar (both are treated with antidepressants and variations of CBT). Depending on where you are located, you might be able to self-refer to a CBT therapist, or might need to go through your GP. If you are interested in a medication (SSRI, SNRI, etc.) you should consult your GP. There are many amazing books for auto-therapy: This is an amazing, clear, concise, therapy book for OCD: https://www.amazon.ca/Overcoming-Unwanted-Intrusive-Thoughts-Frightening/dp/1626254346/ref=sr_1_14?dchild=1&keywords=ocd&qid=1619920852&sr=8-14 Additional infos: it is very common for OCD and GAD to flare up during pregnancy.

Hi! I believe the hyper vigilance caused by your ocd has caused you to read too much into her words. I think you need to sit with the anxiety caused by your brain cherry picking confirmations of your fears and let yourself experience this anxiety to its full extent, so I will not offer you reassurance as I know this won't be helpful. Cristo

Hey Bella, I have had similar obsession, fears of having sexually assaulted someone while being drunk and not remembering it. It is a scary thought and that might preclude you to get the help you need. What you are describing is intolerance to uncertainty and you might be scared that people might label you a rapist or something else. The way I see it, one of the most common compulsion in OCD is avoidance. The sole act of asking to be referred to a therapist and talking about it to a therapist would be the very start of your ERP journey. P.s. I am in the same boat as you, I work in healthcare, your info is protected, and I got the help I needed without needing to describe my symptoms to my GP, you don't need to go into specifics with your GP, and your GP shouldn't push you into talking about something you aren't ready to talk about, you could just say I have intrusive thoughts, they are disturbing me, and I can't tolerate uncertainty, if they ask for more, simply answer something vague like ''I am scared of having harmed someone I love''. Hope this helps, Cristo

Hi! This is my first post in these forums, I really felt like I needed support from fellow OCD sufferers tonight, as my friends and partner don't seem to get it. I have suffered from OCD (TOCD, HIV OCD, POCD) for 7 years, and have been in treatment for 5. I am even graduating as a psychiatrist in a few months. So needless to say that I have all the right tools to help me: meds, ERP, mindfulness, daily exercise, etc. and these tools have been very effective, reducing my symptoms by 95% on average. But as you all know, this disease waxes and wanes, and I have had a flare up recently which I got under control with the help of my therapist. But I feel like this 5% of leftover symptoms - the constant guilt, this feeling of impending doom (to lose all that I have worked for because people will figure out how bad of a person I am) -, and constant need to fight are winning this war of attrition. I really feel like my hope and fighting spirit are both dwindling... Has anyone else experienced something similar? Thank you all for your support! I hope I can become a supportive member of this community. Cristo