I created a blog last year with ideas for creative exposures when doing ERP. You name the OCD type, and I will probably have ideas for you. I am currently working on adding more ideas and updating my site, so feel free to contact me through the site or through here if you need ideas to get rid of a specific fear or compulsion. Unfortunately, my site is not on Google yet so you can only access it if you have the link. I would love for more people to visit the site and share ideas with me to add to the blog! You can search by category, or just look through all the posts.
Please, if you have a minute, take a look! It would mean a lot to me and the more people raise awareness for it and see it, I can make it better!
If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact me.
Also, my blog was published in the Stanford Staff Newsletter last year, and it was endorsed by the head of the department, so this is legit :).
I like to make myself gag. For years I would throw up after eating and developed acid reflux and stomach issues. I never told anyone about the vomiting. Last year in March 2019 I had acid reflux surgery where they put a wrap around ur stomach to ur esophagus to stop acid reflux. It also made it physically impossible to throw up after the surgery so now I make myself gag several times a day to the point where I have no gag reflex anymore to it takes for ever to do it 18 times. It consumes my thoughts until I do it. And I do it to just get it over with to stop thinking about it. I hate it. I just started therapy and told her about it. Things she suggested has not helped. If u can help I would be thrilled. I would do anything to make this go away. I know I am damaging my surgery and NOTHING ever comes up. No food ever comes up when i do it. It just makes me feel better. I will check ur site out but any help would be appreciated. Thank you.
I am so so sorry about what you are going through. I actually had a similar thing, but less severe. I would make myself do this wierd burbing sound, and I felt terrible until I would do it. This is how I would suggest getting rid of this terrible OCD:
First, I would pick a time a day where you are relaxed, like NOT when you just had a hard day or another trigger. This time should also be when you are home, with no one watching you do this exposure. Then, I would begin collecting data for the exposure, so you can figure out what your goal is. Keep a clicker with you in your pocket, and every time you do it/feel the need to do it, click it. Do this for several days and average it out.
Now, you are ready to start. Map your "average" number and 0 on a number line, with 10 intervals in between, Decide 10 realistic intervals to slowly transition into doing this ritual less and less. Give your self a reward after every day of exposure. Rewards are a whole other thing, I can tell you more about that another time if you are interested.
While doing this exposure, it is important to keep yourself in the state of mind that it might be ok, but it might be scary, though I will do it anyway.
Thank you so much for responding to me. I am going to try this. I will get a clicker I think they sell them at pet stores and try it. I will try anything. We’re u doing the same thing? And what type of reward? I appreciate any help. Thank u so much. If this helps with the advise as soon as I wake up the gagging is what consumes my thought so I try to do it as early as possible to get it out of the way so I don’t have to think about it for the rest of the day. Most of the times it works as long as I do it 18 times. Sometimes I will do it in the evening but usually just morning. Thank u for ur help
Thank you so much for elaborating, it rlly helps! So for the waking up specifically, I would first sit up in bed, turn on a meditative music and begin your day with meditating. I have a compilation of specific meditation routines and mantras if that helps. Try sitting out the urge of a minute, and then you can do it. After you think it is easier to resist, move on to 2 minutes. and keep going like that. I meditate every night just because that works better for me, and it has been super beneficial. For rewards, what I did was I gave myself a daily HW. Every time I completed it that day, I put a pom pom in a jar. I also made a chart of things I could get (my mom would get them for me
Thank you again for your advice. I never tried meditation. I am going to look it up. I know what it is and heard of it but never tried it, so I don’t know what to do. I see a few things in my area. Chair yoga and tai chi. I may try them. I have back issues. Had tow surgeries in the past year and now I am on my second say of the trial spinal stimulator. It is helping with pain how ever I shouldn’t be lifting or bending or moving during this trial. Of course gagging consumes my thoughts. I didn’t do it for two days but Gabe in this morning. I thought with this trial I would stop for the 7 days I have it on. The trial is on the outside. I’m going to look up meditation right now. Thank you, it feels good to talk about these things and any help is appreciated. I just want to be normal and I don’t know when the last time I felt normal.
Thank you for responding. How can this hurt me? Please let me know. I really wish I was scared into stopping. It’s crazy that my mind tells me do it or something bad will happen but when I try to trick my mind saying if I do it something bad will happen it doesn’t work. Ugh.
My ocd is a need to know and remember, I note take and record everything, I have to remember everything from my past or my brain will ruminate for weeks or months until a new compulsion takes over.
a) the specific thought (s) that drive your compulsion
b) what is your compulsion
c) what about it scares you?
IDK how bad your phobia is, but I was officially diagnosed with a phobia too, of vomiting.
I spent months if not a year getting rid of it, and it has gotten SO SO much better, almost nothing now. When I do get scared, I have learned amazing tools to keep at bay, so I would be glad to share those, it would just be helpful to have more info. Since I was diagnosed with OCD and this phobia, the line has been very blurry between OCD and the phobia. I was told by many qualified OCD specialized psychologists and psychiatrists that I should just do CBT and ERP for them, which is what I did.
Don't lose hope! I had a super severe phobia for many years and I stretched my brain to think of creative exposures and to work hard to withstand the fear, and I am super proud of what I achieved. I promise, soon you will be too.
You got this, and I look forward to hearing from you soon!
I'm a 39-year-old man. I began having intrusive sexual thoughts and images at the age of fourteen. I have them about men, women, children, family members, animals, and even inanimate objects. When I was 20 I developed the phobia of semen. I feel like semen is everywhere in my house. I try to avoid contamination as much as possible. When I can't I hand wash. My arms up to my elbows sting all the time. I don't know what semen will do to me, other than cause me discomfort. Semen just seems dirty. As a kid I witnessed 2 sexual situations that weren't good. And another happened to me as a teen. I didn't tell anyone, or get help during any of those situations. I have guilt and shame associated with these events. I've done ERP, though, I stopped when I started to get to higher level contaminations.
Look up Jon Hershfield. He is a Therapist in Baltimore MD. I recall reading an excellent example of dealing with fear of semen on his blog. Check it out.
So some exposures could be, writing the word semen, drawing sperm and semen, and perhaps recording your "thoughts" on your phone (the scary ones about semen/sperm) and then listening to them over and over. You can also do some sort of matching games with all your scary thoughts or words that could trigger you.
When it comes to the actual thoughts, here is a tool that I learned that usually works really well. (Don't expect it to, otherwise.... just chill and try it!)
Say the following out loud to yourself, as many times as you think you need.
1. I know you are an OCD thought. I know this because ... (ex. I get anxious from this thought). I know exactly what you are.
2. Its just a thought. Maybe its real, maybe not, but its just a thought.
3. (DON"T SAY THIS, DO THIS) Look around and take in the light sounds and smells around you. Do you hear the birds singing, or the water flowing through the pipes?
4. You can stay here as long as you like. For a minute, a day, a month or longer. It doesn't matter to me. You can stay and I just won't mind you.
5. You are just a thought. I am stronger than you and I know who you are. You can stay here, but remember, I know that your are OCD. Thanks OCD, but NEXT!!!!!!
That is basically the mantra I use, and I alter it a little sometimes. The basic thing is that you tell both yourself and your OCD to chill. Just relax with it, I mean... its JUST a thought. (I know how hard the thoughts can be, but if you take a step back and look at it in its basic form, it is a thing in your head, which could be real, but maybe isnt. Live with the uncertainty.
This really freaks me out. I keep telling myself I can get over my OCD without facing it directly and using these techniques will only make it worse. But I can’t get through and I have days where it’s manageable and then bam I’m incapacitated. Just overwhelming fear anxiety and depression because of an intrusive thought. I don’t want to keep living like this I just want it to stop and let me go back to my life.
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