I like to think of it as if you're exploring city and the thoughts are the buildings. When you find yourself in a building that you don't like there's no need to tear down the building, simply walk away from it.
Certainly the first goal should be to change your responses to it, but in the long term if you continue to respond in a healthy way you'll find the problem can be overcome. There's no reason you have to live with OCD - you can beat it, although it's not easy!
Yes, you are quite right. The most difficult thing to get an OCD sufferer on board with is the idea that the more they try and stop it or wish it away, the worse it's going to get. So yes, totally agree and thanks for sharing that.
Katie d'Ath No worries, Iam always happy to share my own experience. Hopefully this may help others with their OCD. I also found that a book called BRAIN LOCK, written by Dr Jeffrey Scwartz M.D. Was also an amazing help and taught me so much about my disorder and how to deal with it. I would highly recommend it to anyone suffering from OCD or Tourettes Syndrome, as it covers both disorders.
It's so frustrating that my head is congested with so many annoying thoughts that I can't ignore, and also that no one I know has any idea I'm having them. Thanks for the videos and hopefully one day I can look back and think of how silly this was.
Hi Declan, Yes it can be very frustrating but you need to try and develop an attitude of not caring so much about the intrusive thoughts (hard I know) and in doing this you will rob them of their power. Good luck. Katie
Oh my God.I've been having OCD problems for 2 years and didn't know what to do about it. I cried. I thank you soooo much for making this video! I can't thank you enough…because this video really made a difference. My life is not as miserable. Keep this up!
OCD sucks for me. if i imagine myself running, a thought will pop into my head of a wall appearing out of no where and blocking me. and if i try and imagine the wall not being there, it always comes back and takes over my brain and its impossible to imagine running again because the thought will always come back and enslave my brain.
I am so glad to find this video. I have been trying to fight my thoughts and they ARE getting more severe. This affects my depression and I don't want that to happen. I want to be well.
This was really helpful. I've been experiencing pure OCD about two months now. I thought i just had really bad anxiety. I've had depression on and off since I was 21-22(26 now) and my anxiety was at its highest last year with facial numbness/tingling and racing thoughts. So I googled intrusive irrational thoughts yesterday and found out that pure ocd is exactly what I'm going through. I'm happy I have an answer and don't feel like I'm some sort of sick/evil person. Any books you recommend? I stopped seeing my therapist months ago for my depression because I felt better. Your videos are very helpful! Thank you so much! Don't stop making them!!!
It's almost as if everytime you do something you would concider to be a negative action that you can't forgive yourself so it concerns you with worry that you'll recreate that moment over and over again, where as if you try not to care you could over come the thought barrier
Wow Katie, I am astonished to find out about you. I speak for myself and I do suffer quite a lot from my repetitive thoughts and patterns of thought, and it is so nice to see someone like you that works on helping people to stop suffering as we do. Thank you very much for being such a kind person. You already know this but it does mean the world to us to get better on our pain, and you contributing to such thing is quite honorable. I feel so much gratitude right now. Thanks again
I keep having these thoughts in my head that I won't be able too pee.. and when I go to the toilet I can't, It's way out of order now, It's horrible. Please help.
Very interesting, I have been analyzing my thoughts and anything and everything to the point where I am now suicidal. I have done the whole listening to my pure o and letting it control me by giving into it, because I haven't let the thoughts just sit there and I have paid SO much attention to it and convinced myself how evil I am it has just escalated more and more to the point of where I am now which is very difficult just to function for 1 minute. It's very hard to just ignore thoughts that make me feel totally scared and in hell but I have tried recently and will continue now that I have seen this video. I am on medication and it does help the thoughts and words be more quieter but it does NOT get rid of things.
hi i know what you mean it happened to me but i just came across this and found out it was ocd im a little relaxed that im not the only one but we just need to calm down
i am 20 years old and from small i have this pblm from early age idont know what to do i also have dreams bad dreams but i try to control by haring songs and watching romantic movies witch has less action but i watch action movies and ilove em and when ever i see blood i get scared that i may like it at the age of 11 i hurt a kid by cutting his hand with a blade and i still remember the flesh opening up wheni cut him deep from that day onwards i isolated my self from all family ties icontrol my fear by laughing idontget angry much often but if i do get angry i cant control the urge to kill or seeing blood i always hurt myself to become normal and control myself by cutting myself or locking myself up and punching the cubord plz help idont go out i dont hve freinds and i need help
Since seeing this video the other day I have kept what you have been saying in this video and other videos of yours and though it is hard what you do with the thoughts afterwards keep things lingering on. I guess we just have to accept what comes into our heads no matter how annoying it is
Hi there. Thanks for sharing your experience. I'm glad that you've been trying to put the new techniques into practice. Don't worry about the fact that the thoughts are still there - remember the goal is NOT to get rid of the thoughts but to respond to them differently. The more we respond differently - i.e stop trying to get rid of them, stop analysing them, stop attaching meaning etc the less power they will have and the less they will bother you. If you keep doing this (and keep doing this some more) you will find that they bother you so little that you don't notice them anymore, and if you don't notice them, who cares if they are there? Hope this helps. Katie
Thank you for reminding me of this therapy.. The train metaphors were the first therapy I had back in the days I first realized & diagnosed. It really work back then but as far as time goes I forget about it sometimes and all I want to do is back to the habit of pursuing the thoughts.
Hi Katie, thanks for this video. It really makes sense to me that thoughts are just meaningless mental images that we don't need to pay attention to.This has been really useful. Mostly, I can now prevent myself from reacting to disturbing thoughts by using breathing exercises, and let the anxiety dissolve. Although, I still have a few thoughts that I find so imposing that I can't stop myself from repeating a positive mantra - which I know is completely irrational. If try to ignore these particular thoughts I have a lingering, uncomfortable, kind of 'itchy' feeling which only goes away once I perform the ritual to 'nutralise' it. Do you have any tips for this? Or do I just have to ride-out the anxiety? I think that could get a bit stressful and I'd kind of like to stay in a positive emotional state if I can. Thanks again for all the videos!! James
Hi Katie .. First thanks for posting the videos , I have been suffering from OCD from last 2-3 years but in last one year i have been facing severe OCD problem at my workplace. I keep checking my work again and again and can't satisfy myself that i am doing correct work. Example - I keep on checking the numbers and words again and again , if i read a number 10 i just keep on checking it again and again that i am reading it right (In short i am really afraid that i will lose my job if i will do something wrong that's why i keep on checking it again and again). In this way i am taking really long time to complete my work. Please suggest something , i have even tried medicines for this for around 10 months but to no effect.Should i try CBT also please suggest.And as you suggested that whenever a thought comes don't focus on it keep it in the mind and do something else , just want to ask will this work for me as my thought are related to my work and i can't proceed further if i will do something else. Please help, Waiting for your early reply and thanks in advance
So distracting yourself from the thoughts is'nt helpful as it makes them worse? Same as ignoring them? Also with stopping the thoughts - i have a habit from my panic attacks is saying stop to myself in my head - this is a bad idea with OCD?
Yes that's right - trying to distract yourself is like saying you can't bear having them and you need to do something to get rid of them. HOWEVER - re-engaging in something else whilst allowing the thoughts to be there is different and an effective way of teaching yourself to not care about the thoughts being there. Definitely not a good idea to be saying STOP to the thoughts - again this gives them attention and power - by allowing the thoughts to be there and ignoring them you teach yourself they are just mumbo jumbo that doesn't mean anything. katie
Katie, i understand what your saying about just let the thoughts be, and don't fight them. but what do i do then? what is a step by step thought process that i could follow? For instance, i dont fight the thought to check something again, so i let the thought sit in my mind, and then do i let it leave by just doing something else that takes my mind off of it? How do i stop myself from jumping on the train?
Hi there, the short answer to your question is - when you notice the thought let it be there and then REFOCUS your attention on something else. Refocusing is not the same as distraction - you focus on something else while letting the thought do whatever it's doing. The more you focus on something else the less you will notice the thought. The difference between this and DISTRACTION is the idea behind destruction is that you can't stand the thought and need to get away from it. What we want people to do is let the thought be there but then not pay attention. Hope that helps a bit. I will be making some more videos with some techniques and exercises soon I hope. Katie
hi katie i had this problem like couple yrs ago but i was able to get rid of it but now it seems that the thoughts are coming in more frequent and yes i have tried to block them and push them im scared of them they are images of me hurting my family animals i love animals i never wana hurt them but its just images please help im scared.
Hi Pamela. So as you hopefully understand from the videos blocking or trying to push the thoughts or images away only makes the problem worse. You need to teach yourself that the thoughts and images are harmless (but very anxiety provoking short-term) but letting them be there and re-focusing your attention on whatever you are doing whilst having the thoughts. It is hard to start with but it gets easier the more you do it. I will be making some specific videos about this as soon as I have time so check back soon.
hi pamela, i am the same as you, my intrusive thoughts are really severer and depressing to me. i have the same thoughts as you I have intrusive thoughts that i am going to harm my wife and my kids thoughts that i am going to mount the kerb when i am driving and run someone down.hurts animals ect. i thought i was the only 1 that had thoses particular thoughts now i know i am not
Derek Trou hi yes your not alone see i highly advise you too look at her videos i learned to control it and also look it up online knowing what is goin on with you is the answer cause you know your not crazy its just your mind. it sticks to an event and keeps pushing it infront of the line the more you think of it the more its there just relax clear your mind and practice have the thought just dont pay attention to it let it be and you do your daily stuff honestly im not gonna lie i though i was being possesed like i had an evil spirit in me waiting to hurt someone i still get a little anxiety when i read the bible but im controling it and getting better day by day hope you doin good and are able to control this
Dear Katie, I looked in the amazon there are too many books by various author with the same title " overcoming OCD". Is there a particular book / author you were mentioning? Plze recommend. Thanks Jay.
Yes it's the one by David Veale and Rob Willson. Here's the link for amazon (uk) - www.amazon.co.uk/Overcoming-Obsessive-Compulsive-Disorder-David/dp/1849010722
HI I don,t know if I have ocd but I have a compulsive issue when I want to remember a name in the past there faces pop up and then it begins im in my head for hrs tring to remember can you define what this is and why I cant just stop thinking about it
Hi, I'm not quite clear from what you say here. Are you saying that when you try and remember someone's name you can only remember their face and the more you try and remember the name the less you are able to?
I have motion sickness and when I am in the car I have OCD thoughts that tells me to throw up in the car.....do I just do nothing when that happens....I often get sick in the car.
Dwelling on the thoughts is never helpful. How do you think the OCD impacts on your motion sickness or do you think your motion sickness is part of the OCD?
I keep thinking I going to get sick in the car and then I panic...I not sure if it motion sickness or OCD but I do have OCD thoughts telling me to throw up in the car...then I panic. I do not know why this is.
Hello, Katie! I want to ask you this thing. I do ocd rituals in my head like counting something and repeating some words over and over again. It's a thought too so should I ignore it and let it be there, resist the urge to do that or should I do something else? I'm a little bit confused about that.
So you need to resist the urge to count or repeat and instead do the opposite of what the OCD wants you to do. i.e OCD wants you to count/repeat in order to alleviate anxiety or guilt so what would make you feel more anxious or guilty? Perhaps deliberately thinking a bad thought whilst doing something important? It's hard to say exactly not knowing your personal experience of OCD but the rule of thump is to NOT perform the rituals AND do something that will make your feel WORSE not better in the SHORT TERM - this will help take the power out of the OCD and you will feel BETTER in the LONG TERM. Katie
Katie d'Ath Well, I don't feel anxious or guilty. I count and repeat kind of because not doing that makes me feel discomfort and I think about the thing I want to count until I just do that and yes, it gives me relief in short term. I also like to rearrange things on my table until everything feels just right. Thanks for the answer, now I know what to do better and it will help me deal with this problem! :)
Hi Katie I am new to OCD. and My Problem is i cant control my Thoughts and its too difficult for me too face it all the time When i consulted Psychiatrist, I said everything about what i have been going thorugh,and he said i am having "God Fear n Few", Does these all comes under OCD ? I am facing many problems due to this,I dnt knw when will i get rid of this an how to face, Would you Help me by few suggestions ?
Dear Katie, first of all thankyou so much for those wonderful videos. Secondly where can I get those " overcoming OCD" videos?. Also please give us some more resources if you can. Looking forward for more videos on ERP, infact if you can make us a step by step ERP with more examples it would be great. I totally understand the ERP principle, when I watched your videos and I thought it should not be that though. But actually when I applied it in my practical situation I couldn't do it more than some time as the urge was extremely forceful. Please if you can guide us step by step on how to beat this monster I would really appreciate that. There are not many people ( without OCD) who understand the pain of OCD sufferers and their mental agony . Thankyou so much for understanding our problem and it's intensity. Thankyou for your time and effort in providing us the best resource. Looking forward for more videos and the site to find " overcoming OCD" video.
Hi there. The Overcoming OCD is a book not a video I"m afraid - you can get it from Amazon (or similar)> Yes I will certainly be making more specific ERP videos - sorry I haven't had a chance to make anything else for ages but I haven't forgotten and I will get on it asap!
I like to think of it as if you're exploring city and the thoughts are the buildings. When you find yourself in a building that you don't like there's no need to tear down the building, simply walk away from it.
Yes that's a great way of looking at it. Thanks for sharing that.
The goal is not to get rid of the OCD, but rather to control your responses to it.
Certainly the first goal should be to change your responses to it, but in the long term if you continue to respond in a healthy way you'll find the problem can be overcome. There's no reason you have to live with OCD - you can beat it, although it's not easy!
Yes, you are quite right. The most difficult thing to get an OCD sufferer on board with is the idea that the more they try and stop it or wish it away, the worse it's going to get. So yes, totally agree and thanks for sharing that.
Katie d'Ath No worries, Iam always happy to share my own experience. Hopefully this may help others with their OCD. I also found that a book called BRAIN LOCK, written by Dr Jeffrey Scwartz M.D. Was also an amazing help and taught me so much about my disorder and how to deal with it. I would highly recommend it to anyone suffering from OCD or Tourettes Syndrome, as it covers both disorders.
It's so frustrating that my head is congested with so many annoying thoughts that I can't ignore, and also that no one I know has any idea I'm having them. Thanks for the videos and hopefully one day I can look back and think of how silly this was.
Hi Declan, Yes it can be very frustrating but you need to try and develop an attitude of not caring so much about the intrusive thoughts (hard I know) and in doing this you will rob them of their power. Good luck. Katie
I've had to keep my thoughts to myself all my life
Oh my God.I've been having OCD problems for 2 years and didn't know what to do about it. I cried. I thank you soooo much for making this video! I can't thank you enough…because this video really made a difference. My life is not as miserable. Keep this up!
OCD sucks for me. if i imagine myself running, a thought will pop into my head of a wall appearing out of no where and blocking me. and if i try and imagine the wall not being there, it always comes back and takes over my brain and its impossible to imagine running again because the thought will always come back and enslave my brain.
She has such a soothing voice
This is mindfulness..I think.
Everyday everything has to be perfect everything has to be the same I just can't help it.
I am so glad to find this video. I have been trying to fight my thoughts and they ARE getting more severe. This affects my depression and I don't want that to happen. I want to be well.
Hi Jennifer. Time to stop fighting the thoughts and let them be there. Katie
This was really helpful. I've been experiencing pure OCD about two months now. I thought i just had really bad anxiety. I've had depression on and off since I was 21-22(26 now) and my anxiety was at its highest last year with facial numbness/tingling and racing thoughts. So I googled intrusive irrational thoughts yesterday and found out that pure ocd is exactly what I'm going through. I'm happy I have an answer and don't feel like I'm some sort of sick/evil person. Any books you recommend? I stopped seeing my therapist months ago for my depression because I felt better. Your videos are very helpful! Thank you so much! Don't stop making them!!!
It's almost as if everytime you do something you would concider to be a negative action that you can't forgive yourself so it concerns you with worry that you'll recreate that moment over and over again, where as if you try not to care you could over come the thought barrier
Yes not caring is the key.
Wow Katie, I am astonished to find out about you. I speak for myself and I do suffer quite a lot from my repetitive thoughts and patterns of thought, and it is so nice to see someone like you that works on helping people to stop suffering as we do. Thank you very much for being such a kind person. You already know this but it does mean the world to us to get better on our pain, and you contributing to such thing is quite honorable. I feel so much gratitude right now. Thanks again
Hi Borja. You're very welcome, I'm glad you're finding the videos helpful. Katie
I keep having these thoughts in my head that I won't be able too pee.. and when I go to the toilet I can't, It's way out of order now, It's horrible. Please help.
Very helpful. I keep getting the thoughts and solving them. N it never ends but this is the answer
Thanks Katie,you have changed my life......thank u soo very much.
Thank you this has really helped me
Thank you so much for posting these videos.
Very interesting, I have been analyzing my thoughts and anything and everything to the point where I am now suicidal. I have done the whole listening to my pure o and letting it control me by giving into it, because I haven't let the thoughts just sit there and I have paid SO much attention to it and convinced myself how evil I am it has just escalated more and more to the point of where I am now which is very difficult just to function for 1 minute. It's very hard to just ignore thoughts that make me feel totally scared and in hell but I have tried recently and will continue now that I have seen this video. I am on medication and it does help the thoughts and words be more quieter but it does NOT get rid of things.
hi i know what you mean it happened to me but i just came across this and found out it was ocd im a little relaxed that im not the only one but we just need to calm down
This needs more views!!
Thank You! This is a very helpful video. Excited to see the rest!
i am 20 years old and from small i have this pblm from early age idont know what to do i also have dreams bad dreams but i try to control by haring songs and watching romantic movies witch has less action but i watch action movies and ilove em and when ever i see blood i get scared that i may like it at the age of 11 i hurt a kid by cutting his hand with a blade and i still remember the flesh opening up wheni cut him deep from that day onwards i isolated my self from all family ties icontrol my fear by laughing idontget angry much often but if i do get angry i cant control the urge to kill or seeing blood i always hurt myself to become normal and control myself by cutting myself or locking myself up and punching the cubord plz help idont go out i dont hve freinds and i need help
Since seeing this video the other day I have kept what you have been saying in this video and other videos of yours and though it is hard what you do with the thoughts afterwards keep things lingering on. I guess we just have to accept what comes into our heads no matter how annoying it is
Hi there. Thanks for sharing your experience. I'm glad that you've been trying to put the new techniques into practice. Don't worry about the fact that the thoughts are still there - remember the goal is NOT to get rid of the thoughts but to respond to them differently. The more we respond differently - i.e stop trying to get rid of them, stop analysing them, stop attaching meaning etc the less power they will have and the less they will bother you. If you keep doing this (and keep doing this some more) you will find that they bother you so little that you don't notice them anymore, and if you don't notice them, who cares if they are there? Hope this helps. Katie
Thank you!
Great stuff! Thanks!
Thank you for reminding me of this therapy.. The train metaphors were the first therapy I had back in the days I first realized & diagnosed. It really work back then but as far as time goes I forget about it sometimes and all I want to do is back to the habit of pursuing the thoughts.
Hi Rendra. Yes it's easy to fall back into bad habits so I'm glad you found the videos so you can help yourself let the thoughts be there again. Katie
Hi Katie, thanks for this video. It really makes sense to me that thoughts are just meaningless mental images that we don't need to pay attention to.This has been really useful.
Mostly, I can now prevent myself from reacting to disturbing thoughts by using breathing exercises, and let the anxiety dissolve. Although, I still have a few thoughts that I find so imposing that I can't stop myself from repeating a positive mantra - which I know is completely irrational. If try to ignore these particular thoughts I have a lingering, uncomfortable, kind of 'itchy' feeling which only goes away once I perform the ritual to 'nutralise' it.
Do you have any tips for this? Or do I just have to ride-out the anxiety? I think that could get a bit stressful and I'd kind of like to stay in a positive emotional state if I can.
Thanks again for all the videos!!
James
Hi Katie .. First thanks for posting the videos , I have been suffering from OCD from last 2-3 years but in last one year i have been facing severe OCD problem at my workplace. I keep checking my work again and again and can't satisfy myself that i am doing correct work. Example - I keep on checking the numbers and words again and again , if i read a number 10 i just keep on checking it again and again that i am reading it right (In short i am really afraid that i will lose my job if i will do something wrong that's why i keep on checking it again and again). In this way i am taking really long time to complete my work. Please suggest something , i have even tried medicines for this for around 10 months but to no effect.Should i try CBT also please suggest.And as you suggested that whenever a thought comes don't focus on it keep it in the mind and do something else , just want to ask will this work for me as my thought are related to my work and i can't proceed further if i will do something else. Please help, Waiting for your early reply and thanks in advance
So distracting yourself from the thoughts is'nt helpful as it makes them worse? Same as ignoring them?
Also with stopping the thoughts - i have a habit from my panic attacks is saying stop to myself in my head - this is a bad idea with OCD?
Yes that's right - trying to distract yourself is like saying you can't bear having them and you need to do something to get rid of them. HOWEVER - re-engaging in something else whilst allowing the thoughts to be there is different and an effective way of teaching yourself to not care about the thoughts being there. Definitely not a good idea to be saying STOP to the thoughts - again this gives them attention and power - by allowing the thoughts to be there and ignoring them you teach yourself they are just mumbo jumbo that doesn't mean anything. katie
Katie, i understand what your saying about just let the thoughts be, and don't fight them. but what do i do then? what is a step by step thought process that i could follow? For instance, i dont fight the thought to check something again, so i let the thought sit in my mind, and then do i let it leave by just doing something else that takes my mind off of it? How do i stop myself from jumping on the train?
Hi there, the short answer to your question is - when you notice the thought let it be there and then REFOCUS your attention on something else. Refocusing is not the same as distraction - you focus on something else while letting the thought do whatever it's doing. The more you focus on something else the less you will notice the thought. The difference between this and DISTRACTION is the idea behind destruction is that you can't stand the thought and need to get away from it. What we want people to do is let the thought be there but then not pay attention. Hope that helps a bit. I will be making some more videos with some techniques and exercises soon I hope. Katie
hi katie i had this problem like couple yrs ago but i was able to get rid of it but now it seems that the thoughts are coming in more frequent and yes i have tried to block them and push them im scared of them they are images of me hurting my family animals i love animals i never wana hurt them but its just images please help im scared.
Hi Pamela. So as you hopefully understand from the videos blocking or trying to push the thoughts or images away only makes the problem worse. You need to teach yourself that the thoughts and images are harmless (but very anxiety provoking short-term) but letting them be there and re-focusing your attention on whatever you are doing whilst having the thoughts. It is hard to start with but it gets easier the more you do it. I will be making some specific videos about this as soon as I have time so check back soon.
hi pamela, i am the same as you, my intrusive thoughts are really severer and depressing to me. i have the same thoughts as you I have intrusive thoughts that i am going to harm my wife and my kids thoughts that i am going to mount the kerb when i am driving and run someone down.hurts animals ect. i thought i was the only 1 that had thoses particular thoughts now i know i am not
and katie d'ath thank you so much
Derek Trou hi yes your not alone see i highly advise you too look at her videos i learned to control it and also look it up online knowing what is goin on with you is the answer cause you know your not crazy its just your mind. it sticks to an event and keeps pushing it infront of the line the more you think of it the more its there just relax clear your mind and practice have the thought just dont pay attention to it let it be and you do your daily stuff honestly im not gonna lie i though i was being possesed like i had an evil spirit in me waiting to hurt someone i still get a little anxiety when i read the bible but im controling it and getting better day by day hope you doin good and are able to control this
I followed someone for the first time on TH-cam. I am going to follow with your all videos. I need help as I am suffering from OCD .
thanks for this I have OCD. :)
Dear Katie,
I looked in the amazon there are too many books by various author with the same title " overcoming OCD". Is there a particular book / author you were mentioning?
Plze recommend.
Thanks
Jay.
Yes it's the one by David Veale and Rob Willson. Here's the link for amazon (uk) - www.amazon.co.uk/Overcoming-Obsessive-Compulsive-Disorder-David/dp/1849010722
HI I don,t know if I have ocd but I have a compulsive issue when I want to remember a name in the past there faces pop up and then it begins im in my head for hrs tring to remember can you define what this is and why I cant just stop thinking about it
Hi, I'm not quite clear from what you say here. Are you saying that when you try and remember someone's name you can only remember their face and the more you try and remember the name the less you are able to?
yes but the condition is obsessive to remember sorry took so long for got I chatted this lol
I have motion sickness and when I am in the car I have OCD thoughts that tells me to throw up in the car.....do I just do nothing when that happens....I often get sick in the car.
Hi Thomas. Do you think you throw up as a result of the thoughts?
I think so I think it just my panic attacks and I dwell on the thoughts too much.
Dwelling on the thoughts is never helpful. How do you think the OCD impacts on your motion sickness or do you think your motion sickness is part of the OCD?
I keep thinking I going to get sick in the car and then I panic...I not sure if it motion sickness or OCD but I do have OCD thoughts telling me to throw up in the car...then I panic. I do not know why this is.
Thomas Zolotor well then you mind is idle which means end up thinking these things. it best to listen to music or anything that keeps your mind busy.
I'm New to OCD. Which thoughts?
Hello, Katie! I want to ask you this thing. I do ocd rituals in my head like counting something and repeating some words over and over again. It's a thought too so should I ignore it and let it be there, resist the urge to do that or should I do something else? I'm a little bit confused about that.
So you need to resist the urge to count or repeat and instead do the opposite of what the OCD wants you to do. i.e OCD wants you to count/repeat in order to alleviate anxiety or guilt so what would make you feel more anxious or guilty? Perhaps deliberately thinking a bad thought whilst doing something important? It's hard to say exactly not knowing your personal experience of OCD but the rule of thump is to NOT perform the rituals AND do something that will make your feel WORSE not better in the SHORT TERM - this will help take the power out of the OCD and you will feel BETTER in the LONG TERM. Katie
Katie d'Ath Well, I don't feel anxious or guilty. I count and repeat kind of because not doing that makes me feel discomfort and I think about the thing I want to count until I just do that and yes, it gives me relief in short term. I also like to rearrange things on my table until everything feels just right. Thanks for the answer, now I know what to do better and it will help me deal with this problem! :)
Hi Katie
I am new to OCD.
and My Problem is i cant control my Thoughts
and its too difficult for me too face it all the time
When i consulted Psychiatrist, I said everything about what i have been going thorugh,and he said i am having "God Fear n Few", Does these all comes under OCD ?
I am facing many problems due to this,I dnt knw when will i get rid of this
an how to face,
Would you Help me by few suggestions ?
Dear Katie, first of all thankyou so much for those wonderful videos. Secondly where can I get those " overcoming OCD" videos?. Also please give us some more resources if you can.
Looking forward for more videos on ERP, infact if you can make us a step by step ERP with more examples it would be great. I totally understand the ERP principle, when I watched your videos and I thought it should not be that though. But actually when I applied it in my practical situation I couldn't do it more than some time as the urge was extremely forceful. Please if you can guide us step by step on how to beat this monster I would really appreciate that. There are not many people ( without OCD) who understand the pain of OCD sufferers and their mental agony . Thankyou so much for understanding our problem and it's intensity. Thankyou for your time and effort in providing us the best resource. Looking forward for more videos and the site to find " overcoming OCD" video.
Hi there. The Overcoming OCD is a book not a video I"m afraid - you can get it from Amazon (or similar)> Yes I will certainly be making more specific ERP videos - sorry I haven't had a chance to make anything else for ages but I haven't forgotten and I will get on it asap!
Thank you!
Thank you!