ACT and OCD

[newmercies]

Hi all-

I am learning more about ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) and wonder if anyone else has experience with it in relation to their OCD. Have you found it helpful when obsessive thoughts and compulsive urges come up? I'm curious. I struggle with accepting anxiety (anxious thoughts and feelings) when it comes up and would appreciate any advice on that as well. Thanks!

[MothFir]

I haven't formally done ACT but I suppose I've done components of it. I believe that ERP is what has really helped change my behavior and reduce my obsessions, but the trick is learning how to do ERP consistently, and accepting anxiety is a big part of that.

Lately I've been trying to actually welcome the anxiety when I feel it coming. Anxiety is after all just a feeling and not necessarily a reflection of reality, especially if you have OCD. It's also coming whether I like it or not, so I might as well do what I can to embrace it.

Instead of reacting as if anxiety is something I need to avoid at all costs, I try to reframe it as just another emotional sensation. I want to welcome it because I know the more I experience it the more I will get used to it and the less power it will have over me. This attitude isn't always possible but it's often easier than you might think.

Also, to me it's really helpful to separate the sensation of anxiety from its content as much as possible. For example, I often have OCD around contamination. If I suddenly feel that my lunch is contaminated, I don't think, "Well, this food will probably kill me, but I'm going to eat in anyway." Instead I think, "Well, I suppose there's a miniscule chance this food will kill me, but it's infinitely more likely that this feeling of doubt and fear is just a fake sensation generated by my OCD. I'm going to eat it anyway and put up with the discomfort of anxiety just as I would put up with a headache or muscle pain. It will go away eventually, and next time it won't be as bad, because I'm building a tolerance to it and teaching my brain that its crazy warnings are irrelevant."

Hope this helps!

[Engelbrekt in reply to MothFir]

I´m currently working through the book "The ACT workbook for OCD" written by Marisa T Mazza. I like it!

[Mabelocd in reply to MothFir]

Thank you! The details of your explanation are really helpful to me.

[newmercies in reply to MothFir]

Thank you, this is helpful. I struggle with contamination-related OCD as well. Learning to sit with anxiety and uncertainty is a challenge, and I’ve found it can provide a growth experience, too.

[sligoguy in reply to MothFir]

Great take on it