Constant OCD thoughts

[lilly246]

Does anyone have any tips for getting out of a bad loop of OCD thoughts? Usually my OCD focuses on one topic at a time, but over the last 3 weeks everything has been triggering my OCD and making me have major worries and doubt about everything. Has anyone experienced a similar feeling? What helped getting out of this thought process? I'm working on thought stopping in therapy, but the body reaction from a worry (sweating, fast heart beat, upset stomach) makes me doubt myself so much and makes it hard to try to stop the thought. Thanks!

[Natureloverpeace]

Thought stopping doesn’t work as an OCD treatment. It actually makes thing worse instead of better because it feeds the OCD cycle. I encourage you to see an OCD specialist for your OCD. Therapists without specific training in evidenced based treatments for OCD mean well but they can make OCD worse by giving excessive reassurance, trying to figure the thoughts out, using distraction and thought stopping, etc. ERP is the treatment for OCD with the most evidence for its effectiveness but it needs to be done by a licensed therapist who specializes in OCD and has the specific training to treat it. ERP has evolved to more than just habituation. Treatments such as ACT and DBT can be used as adjuncts to ERP.

[lilly246 in reply to Natureloverpeace]

Thank you so much for this information. That completely makes sense. I bet that has been contributing to the loop I've been in. I have been looking for a specialist for a long time, but many do not take insurance. I will keep looking though!

[deValentin]

While in an OCD peak it’s normal to be absolutely sure you’ll eventually get the peace of mind you’re looking for and ignore the possibility it’s an endless pursuit that will make you neglect the other domains of your life. It’s the mood of the moment that pushes to hold a biased view of reality. With response prevention (ERP), compulsion delaying tactics, distracting, investing in activities you really value (ACT), etc., your mood will naturally change over time and your thinking will become clearer. Don’t forget that with ERP (while waiting to see a therapist, you can start to practice it yourself with the help of some YouTube videos and internet OCD support groups) you’re not fighting against yourself, but against the difficulty to think clearly in triggering situations. If you’re conscientious and some anxious thoughts come to your mind, it’s normal to find it sometimes difficult to objectively view reality.

[lilly246 in reply to deValentin]

Thank you for the advice! I am going to try to find a therapist that specializes in ERP, but will check out Youtube in the meantime.

[Battlepope]

Did you know before, that before this heinous mental problem was called ocd, it was know as the doubting disease? See, that's what it does. It's the part of your mind that tells you lies, spreads misinformation, plants memories of things that never happened. The average human mind has issues with this, but if you take a look at a scan of a brain of a person with ocd, it is basically on fire, always. You can't take it on head first, it will out maneuver every time. No matter how logical you are, you will lose and you will make it stronger. I've been suffering from it for a long as I can remember and been actively dealing with it for well over a decade. Talk therapy doesn't do much for us sadly, the things that seem to help is cbt and I had some successes from emdr. We make up about 1% of the population. If that isn't winning the worst lottery, I don't know what it is. Most doctors know very little about ocd so we have to do our homework. In my state of Texas, it's almost non-existent. If you can find ocd treatment, it's expensive. Now this may all sound like doom and gloom, but there are ways of coping. I have to distract myself to get any relief from myself. It doesn't fix it. But I'm not feeding it. I'm not great at expressing these things, so this may come off wrong. Although you probably feel very alone, you aren't. Though I don't know you, in a way, I do. I don't ever want to push things on people. If you don't want to take meds that's up to you, if you don't want to do the type of therapy, that ok too. I can only hope the nightmare I have been living with for close to 40 years and all the mistakes I made, can help someone, even one person get a few moments of peace. I truly hope you find your path. While I can't walk it for you, I can tell you my story. I hope you are as well as you can be. Reach out of yourself to people you can trust, as much as you can, if you can. Thank you for reading my rant that might be jumbled.

[lilly246 in reply to Battlepope]

Thank you so much for sharing your story I really appreciate it. It helps a lot to know that I'm not alone, and it is just OCD creating these thoughts. It is so isolating, so having the support from others that are going through the same thing is comforting, especially because I don't know anyone going through what I am. Sending my best to you and your OCD journey.

[Battlepope]

Any time. And thank you. Being able to feel understood, even a little bit, means the world.

[beth196]

You

[beth196 in reply to beth196]

I've taken 20 mg of lexapro for many years. I've had this for 31 years and its an awful disorder. However, YOu can live with it and learn to cope. I'm finally in a support group every month with highly trained psychologists who teach ERP. When you get stuck in a loop it's hell. It won't leave you alone. I was put on 40 mg lexapro and clonazepam for a month which got me out of the loop. I'm now just on 30mg lexapro and waiting a week to go back to lexapro 20mg which is my usual dose. I'm finally doing ERP at 65, I should've done this sooner. OCD wastes so much time. It's really not worth it. get the help you need.