Ocd symptom regression

[zx123]

Since starting to attending a self help group last week,  my ocd symptoms seem to have gotten worse.

I am having obsessive thoughts which had stopped for a while and I am also getting physical symptoms of anxiety.

Has this happened to anyone else?

[Guest OCDhavenobrain]

Do not go down that route. Why are you analyzing why you are feeling more anxious, what will it benefit you, also if you already know the answer it is actually harmful for you to hear the answer, because it is reassurance.

If you are in therapy it is normal to get more anxious. If you are doing exposure it is normal and how it should be, but I am also finding that only thinking and talking about once problems makes one more anxious. 
The thing I would watch out for/warn about is that you will start to analyze why you are anxious and it will start to be a compulsion in itself.

Edited November 20, 2018 by OCDhavenobrain

[dksea]

Hey ZX, its perfectly normal (unfortunately of course) to experience an increase in anxiety when you are doing therapy because you are going to be confronting and intentionally interacting with thoughts and situations you normally try and avoid/neutralize.  In time as you work through it and avoid the compulsive responses that come up you'll find the anxiety goes down.  One of the overall goals of the therapy is to basically desensitize you to the source of your anxiety, to break the link in your brain between the intrusive thought and the anxiety/compulsive response.

Its also not uncommon for OCD symptoms to increase and decrease as you go through daily life.  Stress, illness, and other factors affect our bodies and minds and that can make us more or less vulnerable to OCD flareups, just like it can for regular illness.  Try not to focus on why or what and do what you can to apply the CBT steps to help with the OCD.

Meanwhile, I hope the self help group ends up being a positive experience for you.  I've only had limited opportunities to participate in them and really wish I had it again.  they can be great resources for help and support!

[zx123]

On ‎21‎/‎11‎/‎2018 at 03:36, dksea said:

Hi,

thanks for the information.