Real Event OCD | 10 Treatment Tips

Summary

This video script addresses the struggle of individuals with Real Event OCD, offering 10 practical tips to help retrain the brain and manage intrusive thoughts. It emphasizes understanding personal values, focusing on the present, and recognizing OCD as the underlying issue. The script encourages self-compassion, avoiding rumination, and seeking specialized therapy that includes exposure and response prevention techniques. It also highlights the importance of accepting uncertainty and living life without the need for certainty.

Takeaways

• 🔍 Real Event OCD can cause individuals to fixate on past events, even minor ones, and feel compelled to address them, despite the impossibility of rectification.
• 🤯 The intrusive thoughts associated with Real Event OCD can lead to extreme anxiety, fear, and guilt, consuming one's life and causing distress.
• 🧭 To combat Real Event OCD, use obsessions as a guide to understand personal values and what matters most in life, then take active steps towards them in the present.
• 📝 Make a list of life areas that are neglected due to OCD's interference, and use this list as motivation to refocus on what truly matters.
• 💡 Each time an urge to perform a compulsion arises, reflect on whether giving in will bring you closer to or further from your desired self.
• 🚫 Recognize that OCD is the issue, not the past event, and use a visible reminder to keep this perspective in mind.
• 🙏 Practice self-compassion by acknowledging your suffering and offering yourself kindness without reassurance or indulging in compulsions.
• 💭 Understand that thoughts and emotions are transient; let them come and go without trying to suppress or eliminate them.
• 🤔 Rumination is a form of compulsion that should be ignored, as it only serves to keep you trapped in a cycle of unproductive thinking.
• 🤷‍♂️ Accept the possibility that your scary thoughts might be right, but more importantly, learn to live with uncertainty and not be held back by the need for certainty.
• 🩺 Seek professional treatment for OCD, specifically from therapists who specialize in exposure and response prevention and practice acceptance and commitment therapy.
• 🔗 Find a specialist or access resources through organizations like the International OCD Foundation, and consider online courses for exposure and response prevention training.

Q & A

What is Real Event OCD and how does it affect a person's life?

Real Event OCD is a form of obsessive-compulsive disorder where a person becomes consumed by a past event, constantly ruminating over it and feeling the need to rectify it, even if it's impossible. It can lead to extreme anxiety, fear, and a significant disruption in daily life.

How can understanding one's obsessions help in dealing with Real Event OCD?

Understanding one's obsessions can reveal core values and what matters most in life. This self-awareness can guide individuals to focus on their present values and take active steps towards them, rather than being consumed by past events.

What is the significance of making a list of neglected aspects in life due to OCD?

Creating a list of neglected aspects helps to identify areas of life that are being affected by the focus on past events. It serves as a reminder and motivation to reengage with what truly matters and to move forward with life goals.

Why is it important to question the urge to perform compulsions in Real Event OCD?

Questioning the urge to perform compulsions helps to determine whether giving in to these thoughts will bring one closer to or further away from their desired self. It's a powerful tool to break the cycle of compulsive behaviors.

How can a visible reminder help in managing Real Event OCD?

A visible reminder that OCD is the issue, not the past event, can help shift focus from past experiences to the present. It serves as a constant reassurance that the past event is not as significant as the OCD makes it seem.

What is the role of self-compassion in dealing with Real Event OCD?

Self-compassion involves acknowledging one's suffering and offering kindness without reassurance. It helps to counteract the negative thoughts that one does not deserve kindness and should continue to suffer.

Why should one not attempt to get rid of thoughts or emotions associated with OCD?

Thoughts and emotions are natural and will pass on their own. Trying to get rid of them can be counterproductive. Instead, redirecting attention to important aspects of life can help in moving forward without waiting for emotions to subside.

How does rumination act as a compulsion in Real Event OCD?

Rumination is a form of compulsion that keeps individuals trapped in a cycle of problem-solving and replaying past situations. It prevents them from living in the present and engaging with life as it is.

What does it mean to accept that scary thoughts might actually happen in the context of OCD?

Accepting that scary thoughts might happen means embracing uncertainty and not striving for certainty that doesn't exist. It's about living life with the understanding that one may never know for sure, which can be liberating.

Why is seeking treatment important for individuals struggling with Real Event OCD?

Seeking treatment is crucial as it provides access to evidence-based therapies like exposure and response prevention, which can help retrain the brain and alleviate the symptoms of OCD. It's important to find a therapist who specializes in OCD.

What are some of the specific therapies recommended for treating Real Event OCD?

Exposure and response prevention, acceptance and commitment therapy, and cognitive-behavioral therapy are recommended for treating Real Event OCD. It's important that the therapist specializes in these areas to ensure effective treatment.