I've had OCD since I was little but it had been dormant for years and years. I was going through a really stressful time in my life about a year ago and heard a podcast on Simulation theory. Que existential OCD. It took me a few weeks and videos like this to get through it. I kept thinking I was the only one that was real and it caused complete panic and I literally thought I was going insane and was going to be locked up. Thank you so much for doing what you do. Treatment is out there and it works.
Wow I didn't realize Existential OCD can trigger thoughts that of "I'm not that connected to my wife, my friends, etc...). It's oddly reassuring to learn that. Thank you!
I constantly think about how my reality is totally different from someone else’s. It’s freighting to know that I’m alone in my head. And I keep thinking about existentialism and the nature of life. I have been constantly thinking about how others are perceiving things. I just don’t feel my existence anymore. It is getting worse and worse and seems like there’s no answer to this.
You’re not alone Imad, i think exactly like you do, what If I am alone in this? What if that’s not real? What will happen after I die? All of these questions and its terribly frightening. I am actually taking Zoloft and its really helpful! I hope you are doing better now, 7 months later. Peace and love everyone
@@kristianda6728 i know what you mean, I keep thinking of reincarnation, I don't like the idea of me forgeting my loved ones an forgetting all my memorys with them, I rather go to the spirit world an be with them forever instead of becoming someone else. Then it's also well if you don't ask these questions an try to find the answers this will happen an you'll lose your family... So I look up alot of things only to find out that alot of religions believe or believed in the idea... It hurts me alot. Making my life feel pointless an what if I have no free will, what if when I die I don't get a choice to be with my family or reincarnated? Existential OCD is terrible I was afraid of actually saying this on here because I didn't want to trigger someone else out there so if I triggered anyone I'm really sorry it was not my intention to I honestly didn't want to say anything but I don't know maybe me getting it out there and make me feel better. My ocd started with harm ocd then I smoked weed an got depersonalization disorder an now I get this. Before it was what is god ???? What is good an evil? God wants good? Stuff like that an then It went to the current one about free will an losing my family after death an becoming someone else... That would mean I had another family before I was born an I can't remember them. Or maybe I didn't idk maybe the idea is shite idk... I just don't know. I wake up an OCD is there ready to ruin my life. Plz who ever reads this I hope this doesn't trigger you. What happens after death your guess is as good as mine.
@@kristianda6728 I'm doing ERP atm everyday my compulsion is to get my phone on Google every possible scenario every possible religion that talks about reincarnation, how everything might be a simulation and free will, it just makes it worse, I get the compulsion whenever OCD has a new question, then I wanna look it up an see what others think whether the question is about free will on reincarnation either one. but I'm trying to basically allow the thoughts to be there and don't look it up like I think that that's my compulsions. And I am taking medicine and taking and smoking CBD whenever I do this therapy so that way the anxiety can go down.
I wish I had seen this before I started smoking weed. About a few days after I quit, when acute withdrawal started, I went through horrible anxiety and other really uncomfortable physical and mental symptoms. (This was all about 3 months ago.) A few weeks later, that devolved into DPDR and Existential OCD. I still experience the intrusive thoughts and existential fears, but they don't cause me crippling anxiety anymore. I've had about every single fear / thought you can have with this, and I have to say that it kind of just begins to fade away after you run them all through and reassure yourself that we have no answers to these questions. Anxiety is a strange beast, but the negative feelings and terror start to go away as you deal with the anxiety itself, not the thoughts. Unfortunately, anyone is prone to this, but drugs and alcohol usually are the spark to the feelings and anxiety. After acute and post acute withdrawal, you can make a full recovery. I also love the thought that "nothing is affected by my thoughts about it, whether that be my own existence, or death." That's a great comfort one, along with the fact that we are all subject to the same experiences. You haven't "woken up" to existence and can't get back into the simulation, you are just going through a natural part of human life that is necessary for growth. The thoughts and anxiety will end, but don't rush yourself, just let it all occur and get help.
I've recently been diagnosed with OCD, and mine seems to be (for now) focused on existential and harm OCD, a condition which seems to have been brought to the foreground as a result of cannabis use and possibly isolation during covid. Your videos are very informative and are helping me understand a bit more about my predicament as I'm waiting to begin therapy. Thank you for sharing this.
Help I’m going insane and don’t know what to do! I’m questioning everything even questions themselves and then questioning questioning questions themselves to an infinite extent and questioning what is an infinite extent? Can’t getter better because I question what gettting better means, can’t find happiness or solve the problem because I question what that means, can’t accept it because I question what that means. Even questioning what means means! Confused af right now and feel like my entire brain and mind and everything contained within it doesn’t make sense even sense doesn’t make sense. I’m not joking or exaggerating this is EXACTLY how I feel and I’m completely and hopelessly confused!
@Skye Chey hey. I've had a breakthrough for sure.. i became alot less sensitive to the thoughts.. they don't affect me the way they did before. i have some moments still especially when I'm tired where it will randomly pop up . But its more annoying than scary now. Im hoping with some more time it will fully go away and just be a thought like anything else that doesn't effect you negatively
@@graciegavin745 what he just said about being depersonalization same thing happened to me after that. My ocd went insane first Harm ocd then I smoked weed. Thc made me get depersonalization an now I'm with this.
My OCD is usually: what if I’ll never be happy again? What if my brain is broken? If this is my way of thinking and everyone has their own way of thinking and seeing things, what is true or real?? What do we have to rely on and if we do have something certain then are we all like robots and what is the point? What is the point of everything? What if my “normal” happy self was all fake and all an illusion? What is even real? - can anyone relate??
For me it started when i saw a video of sam harris saying the self would be an illusion... I couldn't stop thinking since that moment about the question what am i actually? Am i consciousness? Am i the body? Or do i as sam harris says not exist at all?... And it's really freaking me out. The stupid thing is in addition i gained depersonalization as well... And that makes the erp difficult because the depersonalization gets triggered by these philosophical thoughts and gets really extreme when i see a video about it... Idk i just want to live a normal life it is soo fucking annoying. Since 4 fuuucking years i'm dealing with this shit... Allready went to 10 different therapists and doctors. Tried 10 different medications and still it is bothering me... It is annoying af Even dropped out of college because of this shit...
I very much identify with the things you've been saying. I, too, have been incredibly debilitated by existential OCD, harm, contamination, relationship, you name it. I've found in my experience that I've gotten so constantly triggered and had so many intrusive thoughts that doing "proper" ERP where I write down thoughts over and over was too much for me. SO, what I did instead was decided to start repeating back in my head every intrusive thought I had, and it's been incredibly helpful. It takes a lot of the pressure off because you don't have to do a terrifying task all in one go, you just take each thought as it's own opportunity for a random exposure. I get that anxious intrusive thought of "do I even exist?" too, and immediately I say it back with power "I don't exist at all, nothing is real and I'm not real!" At first it's terrifying, but now the anxiety is INCREDIBLY diminished. This happens to me most when I have a strong moment of depersonalization and I feel fake. Those moments are subsiding and happen less and have less power. You CAN do this. You can make progress. I once thought I' be trapped there forever, too, but you can fight your way out.
i've recently gotten into spirituality but also had to distance myself from a lot of it, especially abraham hicks and other certain gurus that discuss the whole "how much free will do we have" debate because ive learned that while spirituality has helped me in ways im greatful for, it's also harmed me i think more so, you know? this woman started saying things in a video and it STILL freaks me out so i try not to think about it.
Hey there, I'm really glad you covered Solipsisim, as this is something I've been dealing with for a long time since developing Depersonlizatoin/Derealization disorder about 5 months ago. I'm doing a little better, but the thoughts still bother me. Do you have a program that OCD sufferes can purchase for recovery? I see that you reply to people by saying somethign along the lines of "You have to learn to accept the uncertainity of life" but how is it that one accomplishes this? What do I do when a thought pops up?
I thought that it is extreme anxiety with dpdr as symptom but it is definitely existential OCD too... Im so scared of anything, i feel like i realized some big truth about existence while i got this panic attack induced by weed... And now i keep returning to it and i have constant anxiety, its really ruining my life :(
I had the thought 'what if nothing is real, and I made everything up in my mind.' I feel like ive been brainwashed to believe this. Is there hope I can get to the point where I dont feel I believe it again? I feel like i've lost everyone I love..... Feeling like there is no way to 'fully' recover from this one.
Megan this is incredibly common and one I suffered from myself, clinging to not thinking that way isn’t the path to recovery, it’s all about welcoming it in, changing your relationship with the thoughts and rationally seeing that even if we didn’t have that level of connection it wouldn’t be scary as we imagine it to be, that is our current perception, this whole process comes together to form recovery and takes awhile to understand and embody.
@@Megan-zp2rb just know you aren't alone... I struggle with this too, and get very severe panic from these thoughts. I hope and pray we're able to recover sooner than later, I wish you the best.
Wow. This is very timely for me. The tormenting thoughts that I have had for a very long time have finally been given a name "Existential OCD", I have been getting back into cannabis, and have been looking into psychedelics, which have been an academic interest of mine for a very long time. This video has given me a lot to think about. I also agree with you concern now that microdosing, etc... has gone mainstream. Thank you!
Bryce Katzman im 15 and smoking marijuana sparked my existential ocd. it has severely affected my mental state and i think it is a horrible idea. i vow to never drink alcohol or do any drugs ever again for the rest of my life. it only further disconnects me from reality.
T M 0 seconds ago After family trauma going on at the same time as an abusive relationship (also traumatic) I developed derealization which was torture, followed by existential OCD. After being gaslit so much I realized I started questioning my own feelings…which I understand is also OCD. It’s been 9 months now of this feeling and I am miserable. Feels like I’ve discovered a reality no one else has access to and I’m just stuck with no way to turn. No sense of control, certainty, or peace. I start ERP tomorrow. I really really hope it works.
I have had existential intrusive thoughts on lsd which makes them super hard to handle when ur under an intense trip. Shrooms on the other hand have helped me work through my ocd, and leave the numbness and depression behind I got post-episode.
Is ERP as useful in existential OCD, or is unconditional acceptance and acceptance of uncertainty more key to focus on, cognition wise? I am finding my compulsions difficult to manage in ERP, as my only compulsion is to think about it constantly and try and work out reality...but then obviously, ERP would tell me to stop doing that, within which my anxiety goes up but then starts to come down like it is supposed to. However, the original fear still remains. It is never fixed. How do I gain acceptance of a reality in which I am eternally lonely, in pain, and scared, which is what my brain is telling me could be true? How do I learn to not be scared about that? Is it healthy for me to think about how I would cope with it if it was true, or would that be compulsive?
ps. my OCD tells me that my solipsistic reality would be a blank, black space which I am trapped in forever, a very lonely reality. And I create scenarios and 'lifes' and people for myself to escape this reality. But every time I come out of one, I grieve everyone I've ever known etc.
@@OCDRecovery Yes, I am afraid that I am the only conscious being. I am afraid that I somehow, to save myself from the pain of my actual reality, have created sub-realities for myself (such as this). And that I have purposefully limited my knowledge of my real solipsism reality, but some higher knowledge has slipped through and revealed to me the truth. I am afraid that when I die, or this reality somehow expires in some way, or if I accidentally bring it on in some way, that I will then wake up all alone with nothing. Dont ask me how this would be possible, my brain seems to have made up a very strange scenario that probably wont make sense to a lot of people haha! sorry.
I will cover this specifically in one of the latest Instagram Lives, I suffered from this and variations myself and will show how through both uncertainty and rational thinking we get under it.
Your asking me to accept my greatest fear and find happiness in it, that even if i knew life is not real, I can still find things to do. Great, now I have obssessions about finding things to do in a fake life and whether the hobbies I usually love doing are still doable, millions of doubts and questions. Can't I accept uncertainty without having to experience living in my worst horrible imaginative life? I saw other channels that say I can accept uncertainty without having to live in them or experience them. But now I even have obssessions about finding the right way of doing ERP and ACT, and which one is the right way of doing it. What if my thought is about eternal fire? Accepting living in eternal fire isn't so much fun. How would genuine ACT work here? Does it work for such questions. I also want to add that I am aware, that ACT must be genuine acceptance, but how would genuine acceptance work for eternal fire, it's just impossible to even think of being in the worst pain endlessly, or the feeling of being buried alive forever or whatever you can imagine worse, which is infinite. I would really appreciate if you answer this, thank you!
How do I know if it is existential OCD or spiritual awakening knocking on my door, where I have to find the God, spirit, the truth? I'm an agnostic, but brought up Catholic, lost my faith as a teen when I started with critical thinking. I am afraid that I do have to figure it out and it's not just an OCD. Most of people on earth believe in God, how do I know this is not a calling for me to finally figure it the .... out?
I had read a lot of astronauts also suffer from solipsism syndrome! I had a holiday a couple of weeks ago and found myself thinking about the topic less and less. However, now that I’m back working at home, the topic is haunting me again. I imagine there must be a high correlation between people having this theme and also living in isolation.
I had sensermotor ocd...and now i suddenly think that if i harm myself? This is so scary for me ..and just after that i thought and strange fear trigger me that is fear of ourself.. 🥺🥺i fear about myself...is it curable?is that fear and that ocd exist or not ..m so scared 🥺🥺pls reply asap! Srry for my poor English..
I think I have got OCD, last week I had a sudden thought in my head and then a panic attack. I was depersonalized for three, four days but I got over it and now I am left with this existential OCD. It's really confusing and scary. Can you please tell what's the first thing I should do? And how?
I've had OCD since I was little but it had been dormant for years and years. I was going through a really stressful time in my life about a year ago and heard a podcast on Simulation theory. Que existential OCD. It took me a few weeks and videos like this to get through it. I kept thinking I was the only one that was real and it caused complete panic and I literally thought I was going insane and was going to be locked up. Thank you so much for doing what you do. Treatment is out there and it works.
Did you take any medication?
What helped you to recover?
Wow I didn't realize Existential OCD can trigger thoughts that of "I'm not that connected to my wife, my friends, etc...). It's oddly reassuring to learn that. Thank you!
I constantly think about how my reality is totally different from someone else’s. It’s freighting to know that I’m alone in my head. And I keep thinking about existentialism and the nature of life. I have been constantly thinking about how others are perceiving things. I just don’t feel my existence anymore. It is getting worse and worse and seems like there’s no answer to this.
Imad Khalid you are only stuck because you fear being alone and fear others judgement.
You’re not alone Imad, i think exactly like you do, what If I am alone in this? What if that’s not real? What will happen after I die? All of these questions and its terribly frightening.
I am actually taking Zoloft and its really helpful!
I hope you are doing better now, 7 months later.
Peace and love everyone
@@kristianda6728 i know what you mean, I keep thinking of reincarnation, I don't like the idea of me forgeting my loved ones an forgetting all my memorys with them, I rather go to the spirit world an be with them forever instead of becoming someone else. Then it's also well if you don't ask these questions an try to find the answers this will happen an you'll lose your family... So I look up alot of things only to find out that alot of religions believe or believed in the idea... It hurts me alot. Making my life feel pointless an what if I have no free will, what if when I die I don't get a choice to be with my family or reincarnated? Existential OCD is terrible I was afraid of actually saying this on here because I didn't want to trigger someone else out there so if I triggered anyone I'm really sorry it was not my intention to I honestly didn't want to say anything but I don't know maybe me getting it out there and make me feel better. My ocd started with harm ocd then I smoked weed an got depersonalization disorder an now I get this. Before it was what is god ???? What is good an evil? God wants good? Stuff like that an then It went to the current one about free will an losing my family after death an becoming someone else... That would mean I had another family before I was born an I can't remember them. Or maybe I didn't idk maybe the idea is shite idk... I just don't know. I wake up an OCD is there ready to ruin my life. Plz who ever reads this I hope this doesn't trigger you. What happens after death your guess is as good as mine.
@@user-tl6he1mn7s Did you start your therapy? (Medicine/Speech) ?
@@kristianda6728 I'm doing ERP atm everyday my compulsion is to get my phone on Google every possible scenario every possible religion that talks about reincarnation, how everything might be a simulation and free will, it just makes it worse, I get the compulsion whenever OCD has a new question, then I wanna look it up an see what others think whether the question is about free will on reincarnation either one. but I'm trying to basically allow the thoughts to be there and don't look it up like I think that that's my compulsions. And I am taking medicine and taking and smoking CBD whenever I do this therapy so that way the anxiety can go down.
I wish I had seen this before I started smoking weed. About a few days after I quit, when acute withdrawal started, I went through horrible anxiety and other really uncomfortable physical and mental symptoms. (This was all about 3 months ago.) A few weeks later, that devolved into DPDR and Existential OCD. I still experience the intrusive thoughts and existential fears, but they don't cause me crippling anxiety anymore. I've had about every single fear / thought you can have with this, and I have to say that it kind of just begins to fade away after you run them all through and reassure yourself that we have no answers to these questions. Anxiety is a strange beast, but the negative feelings and terror start to go away as you deal with the anxiety itself, not the thoughts. Unfortunately, anyone is prone to this, but drugs and alcohol usually are the spark to the feelings and anxiety. After acute and post acute withdrawal, you can make a full recovery. I also love the thought that "nothing is affected by my thoughts about it, whether that be my own existence, or death." That's a great comfort one, along with the fact that we are all subject to the same experiences. You haven't "woken up" to existence and can't get back into the simulation, you are just going through a natural part of human life that is necessary for growth. The thoughts and anxiety will end, but don't rush yourself, just let it all occur and get help.
I've recently been diagnosed with OCD, and mine seems to be (for now) focused on existential and harm OCD, a condition which seems to have been brought to the foreground as a result of cannabis use and possibly isolation during covid. Your videos are very informative and are helping me understand a bit more about my predicament as I'm waiting to begin therapy. Thank you for sharing this.
We have a Harm OCD webinar coming up that will help you with this. 📧 phil@ocdrecovery.com for info
@@OCDRecovery Thanks will definitely e-mail!
Help I’m going insane and don’t know what to do! I’m questioning everything even questions themselves and then questioning questioning questions themselves to an infinite extent and questioning what is an infinite extent? Can’t getter better because I question what gettting better means, can’t find happiness or solve the problem because I question what that means, can’t accept it because I question what that means. Even questioning what means means! Confused af right now and feel like my entire brain and mind and everything contained within it doesn’t make sense even sense doesn’t make sense. I’m not joking or exaggerating this is EXACTLY how I feel and I’m completely and hopelessly confused!
Broose Wain stop trying to make sense of it all and move to making peace with it not making sense.
How are you feeling now?? 3 months on... it's just started for me.
Feeling exactly the same, you're not alone...
@Skye Chey Feeling better. Recently got busy with life and the thoughts become boring and less annoying.
@Skye Chey hey. I've had a breakthrough for sure.. i became alot less sensitive to the thoughts.. they don't affect me the way they did before. i have some moments still especially when I'm tired where it will randomly pop up . But its more annoying than scary now. Im hoping with some more time it will fully go away and just be a thought like anything else that doesn't effect you negatively
I got this after already being depersonalized and then going into spirituality
same have u gotten rid of it
@@graciegavin745 what he just said about being depersonalization same thing happened to me after that. My ocd went insane first Harm ocd then I smoked weed. Thc made me get depersonalization an now I'm with this.
Wait me too well my cycle started with derealization then Harm ocd, suicidal ocd, then existential ocd then depersonalization.
Then I went into spirituality which made it worst..
@@maytegonzalez6444 same
My OCD is usually: what if I’ll never be happy again? What if my brain is broken? If this is my way of thinking and everyone has their own way of thinking and seeing things, what is true or real?? What do we have to rely on and if we do have something certain then are we all like robots and what is the point? What is the point of everything? What if my “normal” happy self was all fake and all an illusion? What is even real? - can anyone relate??
For me it started when i saw a video of sam harris saying the self would be an illusion... I couldn't stop thinking since that moment about the question what am i actually? Am i consciousness? Am i the body? Or do i as sam harris says not exist at all?...
And it's really freaking me out. The stupid thing is in addition i gained depersonalization as well... And that makes the erp difficult because the depersonalization gets triggered by these philosophical thoughts and gets really extreme when i see a video about it...
Idk i just want to live a normal life it is soo fucking annoying. Since 4 fuuucking years i'm dealing with this shit... Allready went to 10 different therapists and doctors. Tried 10 different medications and still it is bothering me... It is annoying af
Even dropped out of college because of this shit...
I very much identify with the things you've been saying. I, too, have been incredibly debilitated by existential OCD, harm, contamination, relationship, you name it. I've found in my experience that I've gotten so constantly triggered and had so many intrusive thoughts that doing "proper" ERP where I write down thoughts over and over was too much for me. SO, what I did instead was decided to start repeating back in my head every intrusive thought I had, and it's been incredibly helpful. It takes a lot of the pressure off because you don't have to do a terrifying task all in one go, you just take each thought as it's own opportunity for a random exposure.
I get that anxious intrusive thought of "do I even exist?" too, and immediately I say it back with power "I don't exist at all, nothing is real and I'm not real!" At first it's terrifying, but now the anxiety is INCREDIBLY diminished. This happens to me most when I have a strong moment of depersonalization and I feel fake. Those moments are subsiding and happen less and have less power.
You CAN do this. You can make progress. I once thought I' be trapped there forever, too, but you can fight your way out.
How are you feeling now?
How are you feeling now
i've recently gotten into spirituality but also had to distance myself from a lot of it, especially abraham hicks and other certain gurus that discuss the whole "how much free will do we have" debate because ive learned that while spirituality has helped me in ways im greatful for, it's also harmed me i think more so, you know? this woman started saying things in a video and it STILL freaks me out so i try not to think about it.
tori I take it you are scared of the idea of us not having free will?
@@OCDRecovery yes i think so
tori watching things on free will if scared is good exposure, Sam Harris has some great stuff.
@@OCDRecovery is exposing yourself safe to do even if you haven't been properly diagnosed or treated for it? is it dangerous
Did you ever have thoughts about no self or what is I?
Hey there,
I'm really glad you covered Solipsisim, as this is something I've been dealing with for a long time since developing Depersonlizatoin/Derealization disorder about 5 months ago. I'm doing a little better, but the thoughts still bother me. Do you have a program that OCD sufferes can purchase for recovery? I see that you reply to people by saying somethign along the lines of "You have to learn to accept the uncertainity of life" but how is it that one accomplishes this? What do I do when a thought pops up?
Tim Westchester for coaching info please email info@ocdrecovery.com thank you 😊
Hi, how are you doing now?
I thought that it is extreme anxiety with dpdr as symptom but it is definitely existential OCD too... Im so scared of anything, i feel like i realized some big truth about existence while i got this panic attack induced by weed... And now i keep returning to it and i have constant anxiety, its really ruining my life :(
Marek Šenkyřík same thing happened to me as well
@@mareksenkyrik2632 I have the same problem
I had the thought 'what if nothing is real, and I made everything up in my mind.' I feel like ive been brainwashed to believe this. Is there hope I can get to the point where I dont feel I believe it again? I feel like i've lost everyone I love..... Feeling like there is no way to 'fully' recover from this one.
Megan this is incredibly common and one I suffered from myself, clinging to not thinking that way isn’t the path to recovery, it’s all about welcoming it in, changing your relationship with the thoughts and rationally seeing that even if we didn’t have that level of connection it wouldn’t be scary as we imagine it to be, that is our current perception, this whole process comes together to form recovery and takes awhile to understand and embody.
@@OCDRecovery I don't think I can bear to live with this pseudo delusion though.... Im just so sad... I want my family...
Can you please tell me though...when you recover, does it feel true still?
@@Megan-zp2rb just know you aren't alone... I struggle with this too, and get very severe panic from these thoughts. I hope and pray we're able to recover sooner than later, I wish you the best.
Megan how are you feeling?
After depersonalization, I got this OCD. It seems that it will never pass!
They all feel like "If only this one hadn't happened I would be fine."
same have u recovered
Wow. This is very timely for me. The tormenting thoughts that I have had for a very long time have finally been given a name "Existential OCD", I have been getting back into cannabis, and have been looking into psychedelics, which have been an academic interest of mine for a very long time. This video has given me a lot to think about. I also agree with you concern now that microdosing, etc... has gone mainstream. Thank you!
Bryce Katzman drugs aren’t not a good idea with existential OCd
I really do not suggest that
@@OCDRecovery I agree. Seeking reassurance, through any means, is a waste of time. A brilliant man taught me that.
Bryce Katzman im 15 and smoking marijuana sparked my existential ocd. it has severely affected my mental state and i think it is a horrible idea. i vow to never drink alcohol or do any drugs ever again for the rest of my life. it only further disconnects me from reality.
I wish I could click the thumbs-up a hundred times!
Is it normal that I've had this since childhood, and it seems to get worse every year. And thanks for this video this helps a lot
lestatmac way reassurance
How are you feeling now?
T M
0 seconds ago
After family trauma going on at the same time as an abusive relationship (also traumatic) I developed derealization which was torture, followed by existential OCD. After being gaslit so much I realized I started questioning my own feelings…which I understand is also OCD. It’s been 9 months now of this feeling and I am miserable. Feels like I’ve discovered a reality no one else has access to and I’m just stuck with no way to turn. No sense of control, certainty, or peace. I start ERP tomorrow. I really really hope it works.
How it's going on now?
You okay now??
I have had existential intrusive thoughts on lsd which makes them super hard to handle when ur under an intense trip. Shrooms on the other hand have helped me work through my ocd, and leave the numbness and depression behind I got post-episode.
Is ERP as useful in existential OCD, or is unconditional acceptance and acceptance of uncertainty more key to focus on, cognition wise? I am finding my compulsions difficult to manage in ERP, as my only compulsion is to think about it constantly and try and work out reality...but then obviously, ERP would tell me to stop doing that, within which my anxiety goes up but then starts to come down like it is supposed to. However, the original fear still remains. It is never fixed. How do I gain acceptance of a reality in which I am eternally lonely, in pain, and scared, which is what my brain is telling me could be true? How do I learn to not be scared about that? Is it healthy for me to think about how I would cope with it if it was true, or would that be compulsive?
ps. my OCD tells me that my solipsistic reality would be a blank, black space which I am trapped in forever, a very lonely reality. And I create scenarios and 'lifes' and people for myself to escape this reality. But every time I come out of one, I grieve everyone I've ever known etc.
Rachel G can you explain a bit more specifically of what your fear is, it is solipsism?
@@OCDRecovery Yes, I am afraid that I am the only conscious being. I am afraid that I somehow, to save myself from the pain of my actual reality, have created sub-realities for myself (such as this). And that I have purposefully limited my knowledge of my real solipsism reality, but some higher knowledge has slipped through and revealed to me the truth. I am afraid that when I die, or this reality somehow expires in some way, or if I accidentally bring it on in some way, that I will then wake up all alone with nothing. Dont ask me how this would be possible, my brain seems to have made up a very strange scenario that probably wont make sense to a lot of people haha! sorry.
I will cover this specifically in one of the latest Instagram Lives, I suffered from this and variations myself and will show how through both uncertainty and rational thinking we get under it.
OCD Recovery Thankyou so much!
Your asking me to accept my greatest fear and find happiness in it, that even if i knew life is not real, I can still find things to do. Great, now I have obssessions about finding things to do in a fake life and whether the hobbies I usually love doing are still doable, millions of doubts and questions. Can't I accept uncertainty without having to experience living in my worst horrible imaginative life? I saw other channels that say I can accept uncertainty without having to live in them or experience them. But now I even have obssessions about finding the right way of doing ERP and ACT, and which one is the right way of doing it. What if my thought is about eternal fire? Accepting living in eternal fire isn't so much fun. How would genuine ACT work here? Does it work for such questions. I also want to add that I am aware, that ACT must be genuine acceptance, but how would genuine acceptance work for eternal fire, it's just impossible to even think of being in the worst pain endlessly, or the feeling of being buried alive forever or whatever you can imagine worse, which is infinite. I would really appreciate if you answer this, thank you!
You have to know tjat not the fact is the Problem. Its your emotional state of beeing. If you solve the emotion your fear will disapear
How do I know if it is existential OCD or spiritual awakening knocking on my door, where I have to find the God, spirit, the truth? I'm an agnostic, but brought up Catholic, lost my faith as a teen when I started with critical thinking. I am afraid that I do have to figure it out and it's not just an OCD. Most of people on earth believe in God, how do I know this is not a calling for me to finally figure it the .... out?
I had read a lot of astronauts also suffer from solipsism syndrome!
I had a holiday a couple of weeks ago and found myself thinking about the topic less and less.
However, now that I’m back working at home, the topic is haunting me again. I imagine there must be a high correlation between people having this theme and also living in isolation.
We have an existential webinar coming up this month!
@@OCDRecovery Great! Look forward to it 🙌🏻
Are you still struggling with it?
@@beeberry8055 its been a few months. But its getting better! I also believe there are many refutations to the thought.
@@teacharfromafar5360 how did you recover? Medication or therapy? And can you give me arguments against solipsism?
so happy there r others like me
Include shrooms. Got dpdr due to shrooms. Don't know if I can still get myself back, it's been years.
I had sensermotor ocd...and now i suddenly think that if i harm myself? This is so scary for me ..and just after that i thought and strange fear trigger me that is fear of ourself.. 🥺🥺i fear about myself...is it curable?is that fear and that ocd exist or not ..m so scared 🥺🥺pls reply asap! Srry for my poor English..
Ohh poor me no one reply 🙂🙂got my comment after one year but now i have existential ocd🙂🙂
I think I have got OCD, last week I had a sudden thought in my head and then a panic attack. I was depersonalized for three, four days but I got over it and now I am left with this existential OCD. It's really confusing and scary. Can you please tell what's the first thing I should do? And how?
What are your existential thoughts ?
It was mostly about death. Now I am all okay :)
@@itxshruti did you take any medication?
@@itxshruti i am afraid to be the only real person (solipsism) 😔
@@beeberry8055 you have dpdr i guess
I am so depressed because of solipsism.. are there arguments against it? 😔
We have an existential webinar on solipsism coming up
@@OCDRecovery when? Does it cost anything?
📧 info@ocdrecovery.com for info
Are there any proofs of solipsisim? Not really lol
Its unfalseable
Is there ways we can contact
Callum O'Connor for coaching enquiries email info@ocdrecovery.com