Caramoole

Hi Noah In years past I used to have lots of OCD thoughts around driving. What if I lose control & swerve my car into oncoming traffic? What if I intentionally drive into those people on the crossing (or bus stop or whatever)? What would stop me doing this? I must be insane. Having had that thought makes me dangerous! Etc etc. The next time you go out you've probably been thinking and worrying about this happening again, and Hey Presto, it does. Often with OCD there are dozens of tiny little thoughts going on that we barely notice.....it's the biggies that we latch onto and fear. As humans we are designed to be on alert to danger. Is that footpath slippy? Be careful, there's a steep drop there. Old person/ child crossing the road, take extra care. This motorway traffic is really fast,must take care. It's how we keep ourselves and others safe. Then often a sub-set of questions/feelings/thoughts crop up. Why am I feeling anxious? What could possibly go wrong? Why am I feeling like this?.......Well, you might lose control, do something mad. (What could possibly go wrong?) You might intentionally smash into traffic. OMG, why did I think that? It proves I "must" be mad.......and so it goes on......the obsession starts. Next time you even think about the situation the thoughts have already wound you up into a state of anxiety. How do you fix it? You do have to face it. You also have to accept the well-documented explanations about OCD and act on the advice. It's no good waiting to feel reassured & certain first. Understanding why you feel as you do is helpful but doesn't offer that feeling of certainty straight away. I used to put myself in driving situations every day, despite the fear. I worked on recognising compulsions I used and worked on reducing/ eliminating them. Just take care on motorways at first......not 'cos you're at risk of doing what you fear but because they are fast and sometimes dangerous, more so because of other idiots not obeying the rules. You need your wits about you and your attention focussed. Take short trips, travel a couple of junctions perhaps. Drive a bit slower. Be ready for the intrusive thoughts to start their nonsense. Are you currently getting any help?

Although change in hormones may play a significant part, I doubt it's such a simple solution. The fears that are worrisome are understandable & commonly held by many Mums, a part of the safety & protective mechanism but which become disproportionate & obsessive & then become a disorder because of the response & fear

Robin, forgive me for asking, but could I ask what was the nature/cause of the repeated incidents that you feel caused the brain injury you're concerned about?

It doesn't "specifically" because OCD-UK doesn't encourage or recommend the use of acronyms. However, most of the acronyms you quote relate to types of OCD people also term as "Pure O", another term we don't use. The article was explaining why and why they almost always have both mental & physical compulsions

Sadly, the most qualified, experienced OCD specialist in the world can't "cure" you. They can educate, explain, advise, suggest but ultimately, a sufferer has to work with the recommendations they make. Often a sufferer waits to "be convinced" to "get the right feeling first".....and this just doesn't work. Having seen your posts for the last decade, the latter is what you seem to be waiting for to happen. The feeling of certainty to come first. It hasn't worked Eric & won't. You have to trust & proceed without the guarantee of certainty.

In my personal experience the thoughts haven't stemmed from the unconscious mind but rather from my minds own safety mechanism. A response to anxiety and a rapid appraisal of potential dangers that could occur. It is having had that thought flagged up that it then becomes obsessive and intrusive and the subsequent compulsions (particularly rumination and avoidance) that sustain and worsen it, obsessive & intrusive which become a disorder. It is for this reason I find it quite understandable for OCD & GAD to be bed fellows and closely related. The thoughts we have can be so fleeting we can barely notice or recognise them happening but they are very often there

Funnily enough, I was talking to a Cousin today who was also hospitalised with almost identical symptoms, particularly the brain fog/confusion/ inability to think. She was told it was a virus. Good news is she's fine again. The anxiety you felt about this is very normal. Hope you feel better very soon Summer

20 years??? Where did that go? I blinked and here we are! Happy Birthday Forum & Well Done Ashley

The only thing that's pointless is a therapist who doesn't respond to enquiries. Try and e-mail again or rather look up a phone number and ring. As Snowbear mentioned on New Years Eve.......this type of post is harmful, futile and we have to stop. You may not accept you have broken bones but yours are smashed to pieces but the pain is so great you can't even think rationally any mire. Chase up the enquiry or try another therapist. I'm sorry they haven't had the courtesy to respond

You certainly sound to have been through a very stressful time. Sorry to hear that. Stress tends to create anxiety, OCD is a bed fellow of anxiety. We can't always control the stressors or events in life.....we can look to the things we can do to try and improve them, like sleep, exercise, good diet, relaxation, timeout for ourselves etc The biggest skill I have learned is recognising the role of thought, of self-talk, of rumination (thinking/trying to work things out), of reaction. Without these things the anxiety tends not to rise. It seems so natural to respond to the physical symptoms of anxiety......that gut wrenching sensation in the stomach, palpitations etc etc and we usually follow it up with a fear reaction and actions to solve it. Sadly, these can often be compulsions which fuel the fire. I personally believe that stress, anxiety, OCD are all part and parcel of the same thing and for me, learning to not react with fear to both the physical symptoms and worrying thoughts is the key.

Eualice......I'm really sorry you're suffering this way. I know how scary & disheartening it is..... But despite this starting 8 years ago....it doesn't mean it can't be resolved. It just means that so far you've kept responding in the same way......shock, horror, fear, shame (and the rest). You can start to change that tomorrow by a shift in response & thinking. I know it sems impossible but really it isn't. But that won't happen by waiting for the feelings to go, for the sensations to stop......by waiting to "feel sure" OCD, its symptoms, its manifestations......and how to handle it are very well documented. You have to dig deep, take those facts on board and try taking the advice on board......and that includes moving forward without having certainty first. It's well worth trying

Absolutely.......watch the rumination which is fuelling this For lost car keys, phone or dog....useful. For OCD, fuel for compulsions, proceed with caution

Hi Eva What brings you to an OCD forum. You've clearly come here for a reason. Have you read something about OCD that rings a bell, have you been diagnosed as having OCD?

Eric this has to stop. Truthfully, I think that posts like this should simply be removed. I know this is distressing but you're not taking any advice on board, or (on the face of it) attempting to change your set response. We can't monitor what you do on other forums but I'm unhappy that you're using this one as a tool for these compulsions.

Sadly, as has been explained, this is going to keep happening Your attention is so firmly focussed on this that you cannot expect anything else. Your obsessions and fears have gotten you so firmly fixed on this it is literally impossible for you to react normally to women and your attention is so fixed on checking around men, the reaction you fear will happen (Pavlov's dogs theory) Because you continue with compulsions......it's going to happen but we've been through this so many times. Until you start to change this way of dealing with things, nothing will change. I'm sorry the therapist hasn't replied yet....after Xmas, try follow it up and make a pledge to yourself that in 2024 you're going to try and change your method of dealing with this. The way you're handling this, the OCD way will never work and will just see us here at Christmas 2024 having the same conversation. It's a no brainer Eric and futile

As has been said, after a traumatic event it is perfectly normal to go over things as a means of processing what happened, someone without ICD will do just the same. Traumatic events or periods of stress also tend to worsen OCD. As a sufferer we do have to beware of that old enemy of rumination where we constantly churn over details. Rumination seems like an automatic process but actually isn't, it is we ourselves who engage in this thinking process, usually as a way of trying to work ht out, checking whether we could have done things differently, if we are to blame etc etc. We have to look out for when we slip into this cycle and work at breaking it and putting our attention elsewhere. It's not easy but we have to work at stopping the internal dialogue we have with ourselves. to the forum

Have you got room for another PemB? That sounds amazing Interesting with the baking.....Nadya Hussain suffers from anxiety and like you, she bakes as a diversion that makes her relaxed and happy. It's odd, I could never understand why people ate Stilton.....I always just thought it was plain nasty and yet I didn't mind a bit cooked. I often make Broccoli & Stilton soup, so I often have some in the fridge and do taste it. Recently I had a small piece and enjoyed it.....don't know what's happened but my opinion has changed And any of those will do for me

It's Christmas.....not always easy. We can put so much pressure on ourselves with the need to be perfect and yer it will come, it will go and we'll live to fight another day. In the meantime we can enjoy some of life's little pleasures and indulge a little. So, what treats have you got in your fridge or cupboard that you might not normally buy? What are you really looking forward to eating? For me, smoked salmon in various forms. Sliced with prawns and Marie Rose sauce. Salmon mousse. Breaded Brie & Mozzarella with red currant jelly. Baked cheddar with various croutons & breadsticks. A huge box of Lily O'Brien chocolates ( not for sharing, all mine) Trifle and Christmas pudding. After Eights. What's your indulgence this year?

In the past I tried hypnotherapy several times and found it to have no impact whatsoever on OCD.

Really pleased to hear from you NLL and that you're doing so much better Glad that you came off the meds, they did seem to cause a huge increase in your anxiety. Keep sailing towards calm waters. Well Done

I think you know the answer as to what's causing this Twinkle The next step is what you do to change this. You've seen your GP about all of these other health worries but what about your OCD, what help are you having for this?

I'm really pleased for those of you that have found medication helpful but as mentioned in an earlier sentence this can be different for every person and sometimes they are not only unsuccessful but positively damaging, as I can attest. I wouldn't discourage anyone from trying medication but it does anger me that medical professionals can be very dismissive of the severe side effects some can encounter and exert undue pressure to take the medication route. It is also possible for CBT alone (even self-directed) to be successful.

It's a long time since I saw a copy of Jolly & Grump but it provides a good explanation for a young child

You've had nothing but reassurance for over a decade. It doesn't work, does it? You need to work with a specialist who can work with you to help you to help yourself. Continuing as you are is simply destroying you....it's a no brainer.

As LookingfirPeace says......you say exactly that. Psychologists are trained to treat a whole range of things Eric, not just OCD and you need help Eric