#ERP therapy

[fangsup-cobrastyle]

I've always had a very hard time being happy and living in the moment. Years and years of therapy and tools haven't helped at all. You know what did? Exposure response prevention (ERP) therapy. I tried being happy today - despite a lot of negative things happening - using the methods I've learned in ERP, and it worked!!! Turns out the other methods haven't been working because they were targeting my anxiety and depression, not my OCD, but my OCD is why a single bad moment can ruin my day.

I can't find it but someone in my OCD memes group made a meme of "Wait, it's all OCD?" "Always has been." And I can't stop thinking about it because I never would have imagined my bad attitude was OCD. I feel like 90% of my psychological problems have actually been OCD this whole time.

Seriously, I know everyone is different and the same methods won't work for everyone, but if you have access to ERP for your OCD, you should at least try it. It's been like a miracle for me. It's giving me a life I never thought was possible before.

[intheguttersofmymind]

I have my first exposure therapy appointment today and I am very scared

[neurocophany-theyshe]

That moment when your therapist introduces a new treatment modality you’re gonna try with an acronym that makes it sound like you’ll be getting an electric shock through the head that is going to fix your entire brain,

but then you find out you’re literally just gonna be feeling the feelings and remembering the remembories that you spend every day trying to NOT feel or remember

[beauty-grace-outer-space]

This is a very specific request, but does anyone have any information about ERP Therapy for Pure OCD?

I don't fully understand how it's supposed to work given that there aren't physical compulsions...

[outsmarting-arfid]

Hi if you have anxiety or a phobia or trauma behind your arfid, I can't recommend enough that you try "exposure response prevention" therapy.

And you know what's wild? It's much less scary than you'd think. Literally part of it is not trying challenges that feel too scary. I would feel SO POWERFUL when I would complete a challenge.

Am I eating like a "normal person"? No, but I've got physical stuff going on that limits how close to "normal" I can get. But I AM eating a MUCH more balanced diet, a more varied diet, and still adding more foods to my "feels safe" list on my own.

Anyway, I hope this helps someone. I had to do a lot of digging and calling places and spent much too much time with a therapist who was a terrible fit before I found anyone who had treated someone with arfid before, only to find out that, basically, I just needed "make the scary part not scary" therapy.

Good luck :)

[apredispositionforanxiety]

Does anyone else just get completely burnt out from exposures?

There's a chance this is related to depression or health issues but I did 2 days of good exposure (going to work for a few hours) and yesterday I had high anxiety all day and today I'm just. Drained. Mentally and emotionally. Brain fog. Fatigue. No motivation. Ugh.

[pure-mornings]

[queercatcave]

Most therapists: I had my client identify their emotions and decide on a coping skill to practice this week.

Exposure therapists: I had my client cover themself in dirt and threaten to hurt me.

[fangsup-cobrastyle]

When your therapist is helping you through your real event OCD but also acknowledges that you might have legit trauma from the event and it's not just your brain making it up

[waywardtyrantpirate]

God, I wanna cry so bad. I was doing laundry today and my brain keeps saying that I drank the wrong amount of drinks in between loads an now I can't apply for jobs but I really need to apply for jobs. I'm literally going insane. But my brain says that if I do that then *something really bad, a very specific and horrible intrusive thought* will happen an itll be all my fault bc im evil.

Anybody else relate???

[pleuvoire]

it’s funny how the main effective psychological treatment for ocd is “simply don’t do that. just stop.” but the hard part is actually acting on that and weathering the aftermath

[kteenys]

god i wish i could practice mindfulness but unfortunately god cursed me with ocd so mindfulness just ends up becoming Rumination Time and helps me 0%

[sydmarch]

might have a mutual breakup with my therapist tomorrow sigh

[freakinhorse123]

my ocd brain, upon hearing the lyric ‘you don’t have to believe every single though that runs through your head just ’cause it sounds like you talking’

[narutosfrogwallet]

nothing makes me feel like more of a badass than being able to recognize when my body is starting to have physical anxiety symptoms and instead of letting my brain spiral and go into a panic attack, i can just sit with that anxiety and let it be there instead of trying to make it go away (which always makes it worse)

[e77y]

Sometimes cooking in a 90 degree car is good for the soul (it’s not) (I’m just trying to save gas bc I wanted to sit in my car instead of the library)