TreatMyOCD

Analyzing thoughts and their content can be a helpful part of treatment for many mental health conditions—but not for OCD, which rarely responds to logic.

That's because our OCD doubts, fears, and worries aren't really about the content of the thoughts, but rather about overarching feelings of doubt and intolerance of uncertainty behind them.

While you can't out-logic OCD—as arguing with OCD thoughts tends to only bring up dozens of new what-ifs—you can learn how to stop falling for OCD’s tricks in ERP therapy.

OCD can cause—or lead us to fixate on—a wide variety of physical sensations, some of which can feel uncomfortable or taboo to talk about. This can often be the case for things like the groinal response or intrusive, false urges that we may experience with certain OCD themes.

It’s common for people to feel ashamed, confused, or distressed by these sensations, and it's important to know that these things can absolutely be caused and exacerbated by OCD, and that trying to alleviate the distress caused by these symptoms with compulsions or rituals only feeds the OCD further.

Have you ever experienced physical sensations related to OCD?

Have you heard about Existential OCD, or perhaps experienced it yourself? It's an OCD theme or subtype that revolves around a fixation on unanswerable, philosophical, or existential questions, often about things like the nature of existence or reality, what happens after we die, or the meaning of life.

While it’s common to occasionally think about philosophical or existential matters, Existential OCD goes beyond that: It can often feel all-consuming and take up a lot of time and energy. It may even lead to feelings of depression or hopelessness due to the nature of the doubts.

If you’re struggling with this, you don’t have to face these daunting questions on your own. An OCD specialist can teach you tools that can help lessen the weight of Existential OCD, and provide support as you move towards reclaiming your life.

OCD can feel incredibly real, and this can be a big hurdle for doing our exposures, seeking help, or stopping our compulsive or ritualistic behaviors. Because it feels so real, it can feel incredibly difficult or downright irresponsible to try to break the cycle.

If you struggle with this, you're not alone—and knowing OCD's tricks that make it feel so real can be helpful for grounding and sticking to the things that help us heal from OCD, despite all the scary things OCD throws at us.

Drop a comment down below if this sounds like a familiar experience to you!

This can be a really hard concept to digest, but it's our reaction to the thought that determines whether they fester into something more. If we can allow the thought to come and go while we sit back as the observer, it will do just that - it will come and go. If we drop what we're doing and engage with it and give it a place to hang out, it will do just that.

What do you think about this idea?

What did summer look like for you? Fall is a great time to dive back into your skills and therapy. ❤️

You might be more equipped than you think to face this upcoming school year! These skills all come from ERP therapy. What skills would you add to your “backpack”?

A reminder as some of you start school again! Comparison is a trick OCD may like to pull and it can lead to feelings of isolation. Remember that there are others who understand and turn to resources like our app to keep that in mind!

The bottom line is *anything* can become compulsive if it’s a behavior you're doing to try to reduce your distress! What is one compulsion you were surprised to learn about?

Have you ever noticed your OCD theme changing, either randomly or when you've just managed to stop worrying about whatever your previous theme was? This can be caused by a few different things, including focusing too much on the content of your obsessions, or something that's called the 'back door spike.' Have you ever experienced a sudden theme change in your OCD?

OCD can latch onto anything. It's not strictly defined by particular subtypes, as it can focus on anything you care about, don't tolerate doubt about, or that gets a reaction out of you.

Some common themes, however, include your core fears and values, taboo topics, your identity, or your memories and feelings.

What else would you add?

Many people with OCD experience very similar fears and worries, but don't end up talking about them due to fear, stigma, and lack of supportive or understanding environments.

Here are some common shared experiences many of those with OCD go through. Have you experienced any of these? What else would you add?

When does OCD develop? Short answer: it can develop at any point. Longer answer: While OCD can develop at any stage during your life, there are certain points in time when you're more at risk of developing it.

For example, times of high stress—like being postpartum, having experienced trauma, or adolescence—can lead us to be particularly prone to experiencing OCD symptoms.

The most typical age of onset for OCD is before the age of 25, but this is by no means a strict limit; many people can develop OCD symptoms later on for one reason or another.

When did you first start experiencing OCD symptoms?

So much of our time is spent online—but have you ever thought about how the internet might affect OCD?

This can range from internet-related OCD themes, to the internet playing a part in our compulsions (search engines really aren't your friend when you have OCD!), but online spaces can also serve as helpful resources where we can learn more about OCD and feel less alone.

What else would you add? How do you think your internet use affects your OCD?

How do we know if something is an intrusive thought? Ironically, desperately trying to figure this out is often a sign of OCD in itself; but what about if we're genuinely not sure what intrusive thoughts are or aren't sure how to identify them?

Here are some core features that intrusive thoughts tend to have. Remember, pretty much everyone experiences intrusive thoughts—but if you find yourself obsessing over yours, or if they cause you extreme distress, you might be dealing with OCD.

R-OCD, or relationship OCD, is an OCD theme or subtype that revolves around your relationships. Someone who struggles with ROCD tends to experience distressing intrusive thoughts or doubts about their relationship, compatibility, attraction levels, or other matters related to their relationship, and experience a sense of urgency and time-consuming anxiety related to these thoughts. Have you ever experienced ROCD?

What do the symptoms look like for you?

OCD can be visible and present with obvious behavioral signs - think hand-washing, asking for reassurance, repetitive rituals or checking - and it can also have invisible or very subtle symptoms that might go unnoticed by others or even remain unidentified by the person struggling with these things due to the lack of awareness about invisible OCD symptoms and mental compulsions or rituals. This is a good reminder that you can't always know if someone is struggling based on what you see!

What other OCD symptoms would you add to this list?

One OCD theme that tends to be discussed less often than others is suicidal OCD. It's different from actual suicidal ideation, as the thoughts are entirely unwanted, don't align with the person's real desires, and tend to cause doubt and confusion. While it's important to seek out professional help if you're struggling with suicidal thoughts, a trained OCD therapist can help you figure out if you might be struggling with Suicidal OCD.

Have you ever experienced this theme?

Did you know that OCD can have physical symptoms and effects? OCD tends to cause high levels of anxiety and distress, which means that all the usual physical symptoms of anxiety are often present in OCD, too. This tends to include things like heart palpitations, nausea, hyperventilation, derealization and depersonalization, insomnia, dizziness - everything you'd typically get with anxiety! However, there are a few more ways that OCD might show up in the form of physical symptoms.

Have you ever experienced physical symptoms or sensations with OCD?

The idea of facing your OCD fears can sound intimidating and anxiety-inducing, especially if we've been stuck in the OCD loop for a long time. However, facing our fears in therapy is incredibly important and beneficial, and often a key part of OCD recovery. As facing your fears can feel very distressing - and because it can be hard to know where to start or what exactly your fears and compulsions are - it's recommended to work with a therapist to figure out a personalized plan for tackling your OCD. With the help of a therapist, facing your fears in therapy can become at least a little bit easier!

Avoidance can be a huge part of OCD! Often, we may find ourselves trying to find just about any way around our distress. The old saying is true - when you can’t go around it, under it, or over it, the only way out is through!

Allowing yourself to experience whatever distress comes up when you face those fears is the courage that can help you get better. What’s one thing you’ve gotten back to after avoiding it?

Intrusive thoughts aren't just 'what if' thoughts (although they certainly can be)! But even when they’re scary, it can often be easier to label ‘what if’ thoughts as intrusive, whereas other forms of intrusive thoughts can seem much more real—and therefore, much more distressing in some ways.

Here's your reminder that the nature of intrusive thoughts isn't dependent on how they're worded in your brain; they come in many shapes and forms, and they can range from statements to intrusive images and more! Does this resonate with you?