Its time for Taboo Tuesday! I am Krista Reed OCD specialist in Wichita, KS and IOCDF advocate.
Let’s continue with this month’s theme: Fear of suicide and/or harm to self
Last week I discussed in vivo exposures, curious about what that means- read last weeks’ post to learn more.
Today I will be sharing some imaginal exposures that individuals in treatment may practice. Imaginals are used when the obsession cannot be directly exposed in a behavioral or tangible way OR it can be a stepping stone to assist someone if they are stuck on a obsession before performing an in vivo exposure.
Imaginals can be written down as a script or a spoken story. The whole point is to deep dive into the fear, in detail, with the scary or disgusting outcome and not compulse simply because the disturbing thoughts are present.
Examples of suicidal or self harm imaginal stories: Actually cutting or stabbing yourself because you did not pray correctly, overdosing accidently and your spouse leaving you, or even telling the story of because you had a thought of jumping off a bridge and you did not ignore the thought, you actually did this.Imaginal are best done with an OCD specialist who is properly trained in ERP.
Check out next week’s taboo Tuesday as we go to the next taboo topic- Harmful identity!
Remember- Stigma and shame die where communication and validation live ❤️
I wish I could have my old life back
Resources to share #2
Harm OCD when depressed
How can I educate myself on OCD & overcoming it without it becoming a compulsion?
