my journey to a life without ocd and much more

highlands

highlands

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Here is the new thread.

I'm starting my own thread about my treatment against obsessive compulsive disorder and social phobia.

a few sentence about myself.

I'm a man of thirty three . I've had obssesive compulsive disorder about last twelve years (since last months of 1995 ).

My obsesions are especially on following

- clearliness.. avoiding touching things and people due to dirt suspicion
- mental obsesions such as thinking non sense things, swearing God , thinking of sexual scenes with religional subjects .. this obsessions has made me very disturbed for years..
- controlling the stove,lights etc before going to bed and leaving the house

My obsesions are currently at moderate level.In the past, I had severe and profound obsessions levels.

I had a few treatments in the past but all were left unfinished :Oops:

I wanted to get rid of this useless disorder and to have a better quality of life

I'll go on :)
 
Overcoming OCD can be a struggle, at at times, frightening because it forces one to let go of behaviors that serve, in some way to relieve anxiety. I wish you luck, and will be there for you anytime you need support.
 
highlands said:
Here is the new thread.

I'm starting my own thread about my treatment against obsessive compulsive disorder and social phobia.

a few sentence about myself.

I'm a man of thirty three . I've had obssesive compulsive disorder about last twelve years (since last months of 1995 ).

My obsesions are especially on following

- clearliness.. avoiding touching things and people due to dirt suspicion
- mental obsesions such as thinking non sense things, swearing God , thinking of sexual scenes with religional subjects .. this obsessions has made me very disturbed for years..
- controlling the stove,lights etc before going to bed and leaving the house

My obsesions are currently at moderate level.In the past, I had severe and profound obsessions levels.

I had a few treatments in the past but all were left unfinished :Oops:

I wanted to get rid of this useless disorder and to have a better quality of life

I'll go on :)
Click to expand...
Have you thought of making a mental checklist of everything?

For instance, you're in the kitchen and you want to make sure everything is done before you leave. The things you have a habit of checking... is the microwave door closed, is the water turned off, is the refrigerator closed, are all pantry doors closed, is everything turned off?

Well, suppose the following are in order in the kitchen... clockwise: you walk in and the first thing on your left is the refrigerator. You check to see if that's closed. Next, you walk by the sink. You check to make sure the water is turned off. Across from the sink is the oven. Everything is turned off. You walk again and pass the microwave. It's closed. Now, you look around to see if all cabinet doors are closed. Done. You turn the light off and leave.

That way, you don't stand in one place and repeat over and over forgetting what you did before.
 
VamPyroX said:
Have you thought of making a mental checklist of everything?

For instance, you're in the kitchen and you want to make sure everything is done before you leave. The things you have a habit of checking... is the microwave door closed, is the water turned off, is the refrigerator closed, are all pantry doors closed, is everything turned off?

Well, suppose the following are in order in the kitchen... clockwise: you walk in and the first thing on your left is the refrigerator. You check to see if that's closed. Next, you walk by the sink. You check to make sure the water is turned off. Across from the sink is the oven. Everything is turned off. You walk again and pass the microwave. It's closed. Now, you look around to see if all cabinet doors are closed. Done. You turn the light off and leave.

That way, you don't stand in one place and repeat over and over forgetting what you did before.
Click to expand...

It is not a matter of forgetting, Vampy. Someone with OCD remembers that they just checked, but have the compulsion to continue checking. It is not just a behavioral problem. It is an obsessive thought paired with a compulsive action. It is not as easy as reassuring oneself that one has indeed checked to see the stove is off. OCD is an anxiety disorder, and the repetitive actions, no matter what form they take, serve to relieve that freefloating anxiety.
 
jillio said:
It is not a matter of forgetting, Vampy. Someone with OCD remembers that they just checked, but have the compulsion to continue checking. It is not just a behavioral problem. It is an obsessive thought paired with a compulsive action. It is not as easy as reassuring oneself that one has indeed checked to see the stove is off. OCD is an anxiety disorder, and the repetitive actions, no matter what form they take, serve to relieve that freefloating anxiety.
Click to expand...

well said ,jillio. When I jump in obsessive thoughts I know it is nonsense and tiring for nothing but I can't help doing or thinking of them. It is very disturbing at times. Writing down things on a piece of paper is not helping as opposed to what vampyrox thinks.

One day in the past, I got such deep obsessions that drove me mad and I was out of control . I broke the window of our living room door :Oops:

From my experience, people with obessions are intelligent and have strong memory but they consume their energy on useless things or thoughts
 
I went to a doctor on February 18 and she prescribed me zoloft. The dose was 25 mg a day during a week and after that week it's been 50 mg a day.Last week I saw a new doctor and she added anafranil to my medication as half of a 75 mg pill . I'm going to see her three weeks later .
 
I bought several books on anxiety and cbt and I've been trying to have a basis for my therapy. Getting to know the inner structure of such disorders like ocd and social phobia is a great step to success .

Some of the books

Mind over mood ,Dr Dennis Greenberger-Dr.Christine A.Padesky ,The Guilford Press

Treating anxiety disorders, Walton T.Roth, Jossey-Bass Inc.,Publishers

Practicing Cognitive Therapy ,A Guide to Interventions - Robert L. Leahy

Anxiety Disorders and Phobias , A Cognitive Perspective - Aaron T. Beck , Garry Emery

The Portable Therapist - Susanna McMahon
 
highlands said:
well said ,jillio. When I jump in obsessive thoughts I know it is nonsense and tiring for nothing but I can't help doing or thinking of them. It is very disturbing at times. Writing down things on a piece of paper is not helping as opposed to what vampyrox thinks.

One day in the past, I got such deep obsessions that drove me mad and I was out of control . I broke the window of our living room door :Oops:

From my experience, people with obessions are intelligent and have strong memory but they consume their energy on useless things or thoughts
Click to expand...

Yes, people with this disorder are usually very intelligent, and don't have any sort of memory problems. And talking to them about logic doesn't help either. They know that the things they do are not logical, and can tell themselves that they are not being logical. But it doesn't matter. It is not something that they want to do, but something that they have to do or the anxiety gets so bad that they do things like break windows out of doors. Writing things down on a list would probably just become another obesession. You would have to compulsively make lists for everything, or compulsively check you list over and over again.

I must say, that I admire your courage in talking about your disorder and taking the steps necessary to recover. You are a very strong person. People with OCD are usually survivors, as well. Look how long you have survived with your disorder interrupting your life. I have every confidence that you have what it takes to get better.
 
highlands said:
I bought several books on anxiety and cbt and I've been trying to have a basis for my therapy. Getting to know the inner structure of such disorders like ocd and social phobia is a great step to success .

Some of the books

Mind over mood ,Dr Dennis Greenberger-Dr.Christine A.Padesky ,The Guilford Press

Treating anxiety disorders, Walton T.Roth, Jossey-Bass Inc.,Publishers

Practicing Cognitive Therapy ,A Guide to Interventions - Robert L. Leahy

Anxiety Disorders and Phobias , A Cognitive Perspective - Aaron T. Beck , Garry Emery

The Portable Therapist - Susanna McMahon
Click to expand...

Those are all excellent resources. I think you are correct in wanting to know what to expect from therapy. One does not always need to know why something works; only that it does work. But knowing what to expect can help you to get the most out of it.
 
Highlands:
Thanks for sharing with us. I hope that you are able to take back your life!!!! Stay well.
 
Thanks . As in a famous saying, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger :thumb:

I don't think I will become a person without ocd ..This is not realistic.
Yet, I can expect that I can minimize it and make it out of my daily life.
Ocd is an extreme and repetitive thinking situation so 'thinking process' will not die but can be directed to useful areas.


Ocd is like a wild tiger. What I should to is to turn it out to be a soft cat :)
 
jillio said:
Those are all excellent resources. I think you are correct in wanting to know what to expect from therapy. One does not always need to know why something works; only that it does work. But knowing what to expect can help you to get the most out of it.
Click to expand...

Yes, you are right. One doesn't always need to know the hidden part . I personally like to get a little deeper knowledge when I want to do something.

I've trying to know some of the basis of cbt. It's hard work but helps me a lot .. also,it makes my brain a little busy that helps me to get ocd in control.
 
highlands said:
Yes, you are right. One doesn't always need to know the hidden part . I personally like to get a little deeper knowledge when I want to do something.

I've trying to know some of the basis of cbt. It's hard work but helps me a lot .. also,it makes my brain a little busy that helps me to get ocd in control.
Click to expand...

I can tell from your posts that you are approaching this with eyes wide open. You are one step ahead of the game. And you are correct, taming the tiger into a manageable cat is the goal. I wish all of my clients had your self awareness.
 
Oh sorry to hear. I know OCD isn't funny! ! Hope there is something better for your life. Stay Well! ! :fingersx:


:afro:

M-
 
Today's report

My ocd level is around 55 out of 100 :) moderate level. In the past, I experienced days with a level of around 85 to 90 .

My social phobia level was around 40 out of 100. I went out after work and visited stores and tried to relax myself among people.it worked out
 
highlands said:
Today's report

My ocd level is around 55 out of 100 :) moderate level. In the past, I experienced days with a level of around 85 to 90 .

My social phobia level was around 40 out of 100. I went out after work and visited stores and tried to relax myself among people.it worked out
Click to expand...

Terrific! That's good progress.:hug:
 
highlands said:
Today's report

My ocd level is around 55 out of 100 :) moderate level. In the past, I experienced days with a level of around 85 to 90 .

My social phobia level was around 40 out of 100. I went out after work and visited stores and tried to relax myself among people.it worked out
Click to expand...

Ohhh thats great!! Im happy for ya.. keep it up! :thumb::thumb:


:afro:

M-
 
thanks ,ScubaladyTx

I need a regular road map of my cbt.. any suggestions would be welcomed :)

jillio, have you heard me ? I would be glad If you would give me a brief map for a cbt therapy

My therapy starts on April 3. I don't know what approach the therapist are going to use. wondering
 
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