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The simple way I got over an obsession.


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Just wanted to share a success story. I hope it might help others struggling at the moment.

 

i had a very distressing obsession really bothering me for weeks. My OCD was telling me I'd hurt someone close to me. Deep down I knew it was nonsense but still it tormented me. It caused me a lot of anxiety and I was fighting compulsions to confess my 'wrong doing' in order to seek reassurance.  

 

I remembered speaking to a consultant psychiatrist I was lucky enough to be sitting next to on a train years ago. I asked him how to get over ocd. He simply said "don't do the compulsions". I fought the urge to confess (my compulsion) by putting it off time and time again by setting different time frames i.e. I'd tell myself I could confess in a week, then moved it to 2 weeks and so on. I found that over time my obsession started to fade and my anxiety and compulsion reduced also. Eventually, after a few weeks I realised the obsession had gone and I could see it for the ridiculous nonsense it really was. I've not had a obsession for a week now but I know another will crop up sometime but this success has given me the confidence to know how to tackle OCD.

if you only remember one thing let it be this - just don't do the compulsions. (And a compulsion is anything you do to relief  the anxiety).

I hope this helps someone x

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Good post. Yes, delaying is a great tactic. On the same, I'm reminded of a quote by a well know therapist, along the lines of 'the threat might be real, but I won't respond to it (perform a ritual) until there is minimal anxiety'. 

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That's great Lisa!

Always good to hear a success story :) 

17 hours ago, Lisa123 said:

I've not had a obsession for a week now but I know another will crop up sometime but this success has given me the confidence to know how to tackle OCD.

Yes keep this success in mind if a future one crops up--keeping our successes in mind really gives us confidence in future battles!

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