I REALLY need advice

[diegohamiltonParticipant]

Help, I REALLY need advice, as I am freaking out about a new OCD intrusive thought. I saw a video, and it said OCD can NEVER be cured, which made me terrified. I tried thinking about something else but couldn’t keep not thinking about the video. I felt terrifed but tested myself by looking at it again. I compared it with another similar video and ended up researching this and thinking about it all night. Im worried that because I started believing this thought, that in a weird way my OCD means I like this thought. Please someone help me.

[wannabefreeParticipant]

Hi there,

It is possible to be in recovery from OCD. The compulsions can actually lose their grip, the less we respond to them. This is how I am at present. I’m on medicines, but live a relatively normal life now. What really helped me was Cognitive Behavioural therapy. My OCD is contamination based. I sort of stopped when the rest of the world started using antibacterials for covid. I also read and wite about my experiences, keeping a daily journal makes it easier for us to reason with, rather than just have it swimming around in our heads.

There is a way through this, definitely.

Wannabe

[Heartly9Participant]

I have over come OCD several times

 

it does tend to come back for me when I’m anxious or going through change tho

 

but I’m determined to never have it as bad as it has been in the past

 

CBT worked for me too (plus meds and held from family)

[AndyFollettParticipant]

i think what they meant when they said that is that having an ability to be anxious is a normal healthy response. Likewise having unusual or upsetting thoughts is normal. The horrific thoughts and imaginings you might be thinking about are all completely normal. We watch gruesome things on TV and humans have a morbid fascination of horror. Most of us struggle NOT to look at a car wreck as we pass by. We imagine ourselves in the situation as victims bystanders or perpetrators. So being anxious and separately having a disturbing thought is normal and  I think this may be the point that this person was trying to make? However OCD (the cycle where anxiety drives the thought and the thought brings on the anxiety can DEFINITELY be broken (just not the way ocd sufferers automatically try to resolve it).

Even when youve learnt how to quickly break the link and stop an ocd thought, we still need to be mindful when another bad thinking habit or an old one comes back so that we can break it again. (Thats what talking therapies do. They teach new ways of thinking which might sound a bit wishy washy but absolutely work to provide the skills to defuse ocd). The fact that ocd can come back doesnt mean it would cause distress because with the skills you bat it away with a laugh. Also the point that the person who said this to you was likely trying to make, is that an OCD brain isnt really any different to any other brain. Thus ALL brains have a capacity to act in an ocd way (overly focused on a topic because its fired by fear of that topic) so ALL ocd and non ocd people can think in an ocd way. Those who have learnt how to deal with it become much better at noticing, relaxing and putting it aside though.

 

[AndyFollettParticipant]

Plus.. another thing to think about is this.. suppose you go through your particular “hot or ruminative thought” whatever that may be in your instance… Just imagine for a moment that it simply didnt bother you! Imagine that!… being able to allow your thought to pass through your neural pathways without a spike in anxiety. My question for you is…”For that to happen (you remain chilled and unbothered by the thought same as everyone else without ocd would be) would it mean that you had become/acted/become capable of acting that thought”? The answer is..Of course not! No more than any one else in the population (actually less likely because youre petrified of the idea and most people arent even bothered by the thought). All it would mean is that youre unafraid of the thought. What im pointing out, is that being chilled and unafraid of the thought should be your aim. At the moment your OCD method of dealing with it is to prefer being afraid of the idea or thought. Your faulty coping method is to remain fearful of it as it implies you wont do/be or become whatever it is youre afraid of and if therefore the opposite must be true. BUT THIS IS THE ERROR in your ocd habit. But being unafraid of it is not the same as becoming it. The techniques and training you need to do might seem incredibly frightening because your aim is to focus on allowing yourself to give in to anxiety rather than resist it. Giving in to anxiety WILL NOT mean you have “given in to the thought.” Breaking free of the anxiety is how you break the cycle and learn the skill to swot ocd off as a nonsense. If you dont learn the techniques, which are simple if youre openminded, ocd remains a horrid energy sapping compulsion. but it absolutely IS something you are equipped to overcome. There is nothing wrong with your brain other than youve formed bad habits which is why its is important to find a good cbt trainer or someone who understands how to change your thinking style. But when you can have your hot thought and switch it off from anxiety, you will see that the fear and kerosene that keeps the thought first and front of your attention, evaporates in an instant.

 

[Forum Moderators]

Hi:

We’re sorry you’re going through a difficult time with OCD and we want you to know that OCD Action offers several types of support for you.

You can contact the OCD Action Helpline and Email Service to talk to or email someone who understands OCD.

Our Helpline volunteers provide confidential information and support for people with OCD. Most volunteers have personal experience of OCD; all understand how it can impact your life. Contact our Helpline by:

• phone: 0300 636 5478
• email: support@ocdaction.orguk

Support groups for people with OCD offer a safe place where you can talk openly about OCD and support other people. Read information about UK-based groups here:

• OCD Action Skype/Phone/Zoom support groups: https://ocdaction.org.uk/i-need-support/ocd-action-skype-phone-zoom-support-groups/

If you don’t live in the UK, look for groups near you on the International OCD Foundation (IOCDF) website. Under “Find Help”, choose “Listing Types”, then “Support Groups”: https://iocdf.org/

And please remember that you’re never alone – OCD Action is here to support you.

Forum Moderators

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