Therapy fatigue and tireless disorder

[deValentin]

OCD often appears to be wear-free, that is, it doesn’t take any decision to keep it alive and well. On the other hand, reasonable intentions are susceptible to wearing and they need periodic efforts (decision or habituation, depending on the circumstances) to keep them in optimal shape. It’s probably so because, if OCD has become, in one’s eyes, the only way to regain peace of mind, it’s extremely difficult to extinguish it. Likewise, it’s extremely difficult to be motivated to do what’s necessary in order to live an OCD-free life, if treatment doesn’t seem to progress, and one gradually becomes used to an impaired life (boiling frog syndrome). I guess one way to reverse the pattern would be to counteract the negative effects of habituation by looking at our situation, once in a while, with fresh eyes, and not waiting too long to make appropriate decisions. It would also be beneficial to tap into the positive effects of habituation, and get used to a reasonable degree of uncertainty or incompleteness in life (ERP). Just a thought.

[dutchgirl71]

We’ll said. I too am stuck with hating rituals, yet enjoying the momentary relief they bring. Doing ERP exercises seem so scary, but are the only way to defeating OCD. You are correct that learning to live with uncertainty is key to beating this horrendous disorder.

[deValentin in reply to dutchgirl71]

When I think about past rituals, I found them ridiculous, but, in the moment, I enjoy, like you, the momentary relief they bring because they deflect the pressure to make more sensible choices. “Let me perform some rituals, and then, after my mind is appeased, I’ll return to a more reasonable life”, I tell myself. So, sometimes, I’m wondering whether having OCD is to be addicted to those fleeting moments where everything deceivingly seems to be all right and I feel on the verge of finding the solution to my problem. "This time is going to be different from the other times", I think, but it never is.

[TomFed]

If you are losing edge to OCD and getting unmotivated, principles of ACT therapy could be useful to more consciously realise what negative impact OCD has had on your life and how it prevents you from realising your true self and living a life that you want. Through repetition (compulsions) and strong emotions associated with them, many of us OCDers have had OCD pathways so ingrained into our neurons that it literally becomes a mental Stockholm syndrome.

Healing is a work. I have developed alcohol addiction due to self medicating myself for a few decades, and I find some of the addiction recovery principles useful to heal from OCD as well. One of them is that healing is always an active work, not passive "getting to feel good" state. In other words, it's actions not thoughts or intentions that matter. Second, when you start procrastinating or feeling like going back to your old ways, it is always useful to help others (alcoholics, OCDers, or any other people whom you could help). It is a guaranteed easiest way to get out of our own heads.

[deValentin]

I agree 100%.