37. OCD Treatment: The Myth of "Intrusive" Thoughts

[@gitanjalireddy4372]

It's a weird feeling; one I never thought I would be able to feel some months ago. I was mentally very disturbed because of the onset of my harm OCD in June 2021. It was very overwhelming, confusing and worrisome. I had gone from being happy, calm and functional to very disoriented, disturbed, sleepless, anxious all the time, having multiple panic attacks in a day and hopeless. But over the course of time along with so many platforms online and tons of thanks to Katie herself, I healed. I did everything she has told in all of her videos and interacted and gotten to know so many people and gained so much knowledge about OCD as I tried understanding what was happening in my brain and now it almost gets tears to my eyes to say that I have a completely normal life. All the intrusive thoughts which (ahhhh Katie debunked in this video) and the anxiety along with the entire package of mental illness have stopped. I did not take any supplements to help myself, got myself a book, started writing, practiced ERP, started exercise, switched to healthier food habits and here I am. Just scrolling through KZbin and finding a video of Katie in the corner of my suggestions. If I can do it, so can you. Believe in yourself and do not loose faith in yourself. I promise you, it will get better and a million thanks to Katie, you have no idea how grateful I am to you.

[@arielelizabeth2407]

Hello! I'd love to get in touch and talk about how you overcame this! I'm in a similar situation as you, and I'm getting to a point of wanting to just end it all.

[@23katied]

I'm so happy to hear that you have been able to help yourself and found the videos useful. It's so great of you to share this because I think so often people struggle to believe that they can not only overcome the problem but moreover, overcome it with self-help. Awesome job!

[@sophiakoivisto6328]

@@arielelizabeth2407 I’m sorry you are feeling this way, and have had thoughts like this as-well because I feel like there’s no way to help myself. But I truly believe things can get easier for both of us.

[@jamesjohnstone1224]

Hey just wondering how you’re getting on now, could do with some reassurance, cheers

[@AdolGlow]

@@arielelizabeth2407 no matter what keep striving to stay alive. Get the help you need and try to stay positive by telling yourself that you can and will heal.

[@bettina_s]

Those who disagree: She says that certain thoughts are intrusive BECAUSE you give them meaning so they come back. This is true. I have severe OCD which I can not let go. And I have sometimes harm related thoughts but this can not stay, because I know I wouldn't hurt anyone so it cannot scare me.

[@Luke-Emmanuel]

Have you tried milk thistle supplement?

[@Luke-Emmanuel]

And probiotics and staying away from processed foods and dairy? Really helps. Haven't tried milk thistle yet but looks promising to add

[@rylandweet7750]

@@Luke-Emmanuel I was doing the probiotics though lactose free yogurt but I relized it’s still dairy lol

[@Luke-Emmanuel]

@@rylandweet7750 probiotic capsules are best. Do probiotic research with KZbin. When it's low the capsules are best. Pickles are good too

[@rylandweet7750]

@@Luke-Emmanuel I have some gummies, I was going to try them tonight , do you know how many days it takes to notice when they are working?

[@Legend-pc3ng]

intrusive thoughts are so sick and fucked up. hate it, because it attacks with the stuff you value most, the stuff i hate and find seriously evil.

[@arimassuh6294]

Can weed help?

[@hellokittycutie2003]

@@arimassuh6294 Honest answer…it depends 🤷🏽‍♀️. I’d say the safest option is cbd.

[@kimberlyolson8875]

I understand.

[@jamesjohnstone1224]

Hey just wondering how you’re getting on now, cheers

[@truthsayer13]

Welcome back Katie and thank you for this video; empowering as always! I recently finished the self-help book you co-authored "managing ocd with cbt for dummies" which I highly recommend to all ocd sufferers. The intricate understanding you have of ocd when so many of us have gone misdiagnosed and felt misunderstood means the world 💖

[@23katied]

HI Devinder. I'm really happy you find the videos and book helpful. Thanks for letting me know.

[@nov2675]

Hi Katie, Thank you so much for making these videos. I feel like you are the only person who understands what I am going through. Reading your book has helped me so much and still helps me to this day. I'm still struggling a lot but I temporarily feel better reading your words. You don't know how much this means what you are doing for others.

[@shivi248]

Well my OCD was about loosing my loved ones.have been fighting this for 16 years now .life has been hell . every time I tried to break the cycle it failed. But what really broke me down was when I lost my father last year. Having thoughts tormenting me and actually seeing him pass away in my arms... The pain was beyond anything I have ever felt . With my father I also lost my courage and hope that I can fight OCD, resist it. But I'm not going to give up because I know that my dad is watching me nd he would have wanted me to defeat ocd and live my life nd after reading comments of so many people knowing their story ,I know that I'm not the only person in pain so I will not give up will try get hold of my life this time. May GOD help everyone Amen 🙏

[@23katied]

Firstly, I'm so sorry for your loss. Definitely don't give up on learning to overcome your OCD - there is help and resources out there so reach out and find what works for you. It can be tough to beat but it's possible!

[@shivi248]

@@23katied thank you Katie 😇 ur words mean a lot to me 😊

[@Beto-o1y]

Hi katie! This video is a treasure. It is so helpful, I love the example about the annoying neighbor. I feel so privileged you dedicate your experience as a therapist to help us through your videos. I always feel happy when I find a youtuber that provides high quality content ❤. Thank you so much from Chile!! 🇨🇱👍❤

[@23katied]

Hi Andrea. You are so welcome. I'm glad you find the videos helpful.

[@starrypunk20]

It was so crazy to me to find that our brains work in such wild ways. Thinking things out of our control. I have to tell myself that I didn’t think something “bad” on purpose, it just happened. My reaction to the thoughts has been to “confess” them to my partner as a means of expelling the bad energy. This has controlled my life all day for 4 years. You have helped me so much to better understand what is happening.

[@23katied]

I'm so glad you are finding the videos helpful.

[@MoxieRocker]

In my opinion, as someone who has lived with OCD for nearly 20 years, comparing intrusive thoughts to regular everyday thoughts that everyone has feels like it SEVERELY diminishes the disorder. Not everyone sees a horror movie in their head a few times a day or is compelled to do something to alleviate their repetitive thought. The label of intrusive thought does not impact or deter the treatment for OCD. Calling them intrusive does make them special, because they are special. Treating them does not become less successful or more difficult because we acknowledge that they are abnormal. If they were normal, we wouldn't have a need to treat them. This whole video sounded incredibly patient-blamey. "The reason you're having intrusive thoughts is because YOU give them power" is an extremely condescending and diminishing idea. Whatever works for your patients works for your patients I guess, but putting this type of information out there when it is NOT the medical consensus is extremely damaging to people. I suggest putting a disclaimer before your videos in the future.

[@theminecraftwhisperer995]

Definitely agree with parts of this. Her previous videos have been really helpful. The idea of just letting these thoughts pass and essentially dissolve definitely helped. But seriously this kind of video just felt like she was giving some horrible validity to intrusive thoughts. They are outside of your control. If any thought, feeling, sensation, etc… is intrusive, it is not real to you, and shouldn’t be treated as real or valid, and certainly not true. It’s just something that happens to be in your brain, and you need just let it take care of itself. Even the thumbnail felt like it was crossing a line and could really hurt someone. Personally struggling with sexual OCD right now, and the thumbnail and what I’ve watched of the video really didn’t help.

[@srishtysamal8600]

Heyyy! I get a lot of negative and even cruel thoughts about my loved ones. There are times when I feel that I'm thinking such things intentionally and that's when I start to feel really anxious and guilty. Is this normal?

[@MoxieRocker]

@@srishtysamal8600 that would be a question for a qualified therapist after several sessions of analysis.

[@downspiral]

What makes it intrusive is you. You imbue it with that meaning that it is an attack on your wellbeing. When you change the meaning, it is just another thought, even if these thoughts follow specific traits. Great video, incredibly helpful with my towing with OCD.

[@yawssdin699]

Between this video and the video about being OCD about the treatment of OCD, I think finally now I have a strategy to overcome my OCD: it seems like it's entirely different way of viewing OCD and thoughts in general, just being okay with things and trusting your intuition and letting your thoughts go without passing judgment on them; it's an attitude, it's a mindset, it's a state of being to live without OCD, not labeling any of your thoughts or behaviors, but recognizing when you are anxious, yet not responding to anxiety with some sort of compulsive behaviors, but instead letting the thoughts go just as you would let any thoughts go. Then, in the end, it doesn't matter if you watched enough videos or read enough documentation or learned enough; you can still just start working on your OCD right now and remember that you will eventually feel better over time only if you let yourself let go enough to finally stop obsessing over everything so much. Thank you very much, Katie! I really appreciate you and I really appreciate your videos so much!

[@23katied]

I'm so glad to hear that you have had this lightbulb moment and that you are interacting with your thoughts and feelings differently now. Thank you so much for sharing as I think it's so important for others to hear success stories.

[@JB-et7zs]

So well conveyed. It's hard to describe how just having a random terrible thought is easily dismissed as obvious nonsense but then I will obsess to the point of exhaustion over an idea.

[@purr3568]

I really love your videos! I suffer from extreme ocd and I find your videos very helpful. I’m glad I came across your channel!!

[@HookBeak_66]

An OCD moment takes hold; one, two, three , four checking that I've locked the door. Five, six, seven, eight if this continues I might be late. It's one thing being thorough but not to the extent of an OCD moment. I can certainly relate to what Katie d'Ath says.

[@APerchOfPillows]

I listened to this one a few days ago and I’ve been seeing the function of what you mean, labeling what feels inappropriate for x reason as an “intrusion” really does feed into the cycle of reaction. Thanks so much for these videos, all the bits have been coalescing over time.

[@jaranarm]

How true these words ring. What's intrusive is actually what you do, think and feel after the certain thoughts take place. My OCD is centered around health, namely prevention from sickness and death. Any test results, good or not, trigger an endless assortment of ruminating what-if catastrophic doomsday scenarios all day every day that it's become almost impossible to take care of myself with any trust or confidence. The OCD tells me what's the point of putting in all this effort if you're going to die like everyone else anyway, or how I failed to stay healthy so give it up because I'm an incompetent person no matter what, or how I better keep checking every little thing with doctors frequently and taking note of every single bodily sensation, the list goes on and on. This is no way to live. What's been helping me is delaying any compulsive acts and mental reassurances for upwards of 10-15 minutes until my brain gets tired of pushing me to immediately do something about the thoughts. This is the toughest battle of my life and it's made me hate life itself.

[@itsRichieArts]

Wishing you the strength to get through this, I know the struggle. I hope you know that you’re not alone and that things can get better. Although it takes so much. I wish you well.

[@jaranarm]

@@itsRichieArts Thank you so much!

[@shyaaammeneen63]

Nice video. For overthinking problem be careful what you feed your mind. Avoid comparing yourself with others, reduce watching negative social media and vulgar movies and avoid constipation as it affects the mind. Your breathing is closely related to the brain [mind] and gives relief from stress-anxiety. For a relaxed mind observe the sensations of your natural incoming--outgoing breath at the entrance of the nostrils for 10-15 minutes or more. You can sit or lay down--eyes closed--No deep breathing. Don’t fight your thoughts. Never meditate with expectations. Make it a life-time habit to observe your breath day and night before sleep, at work, when travelling, etc with eyes open or closed. Best wishes--Counsellor.

[@mr.wigglemunch3856]

I love you Katie. You're one of those few people taping into my demons. nobody ever comes there and because you do i don't feel completely alone.

[@jamesjohnstone1224]

Hey just wondering how you’re getting on with this now cheers

[@zzzcocopepe]

This is really novel and I really appreciate this perspective. I think it's important to identify things, I think that's a step in the process. And I think it's important to break down that identity when it's time to move on. Like for example, let's say you have depression. Accepting and identifying and acknowledging that is an important part of the process. And then once you've worked through your problems and you're ready to be happy again, you really are ready, that's when it's time to let go of that identity. And a lot of people hate me when I say this, I got a lot of flak online for this. But I haven't heard any kind of argument against it that makes any sense. Just a lot of wailing and flailing against it.

[@dane6730]

I hope this works for most people. My thoughts urges etc, when at their peak, our almost constant. Repeating phrases several times a minute. Thoughts are so constant I can’t focus on the road. The only thing that makes it better is medication. Medication reduces them enough to do ERP. If you’re still struggling while implementing these strategies., know there are other ways. Not everyone responds the same. ❤

[@mdderrek9280]

I suffered from SEVERE OCD to the extent it deprived me of the ability to drink, eat, sleep, and move around. It is under the category of Scrupulosity and Magical Thinking to be precise. I live in a country where Psychiatrists know nothing. They gave me tons of medication which - to my observation and my personal experience - had no positive effects at all. I spent all I have on nothing and I shouldn't stop medication on my own, but at the same time, I can't afford to buy them anymore. ERP (Exposure- Response Prevention) therapy worked well for me. BUT it seems that I have to practice it on a very frequent basis, even when I am doing OK. When I feel ( i am fine now), I spend a good time, then suddenly OCD gets me off-guard. In these situations, it seems like some skills got rusted and had to be refreshed again. Now, when OCD strikes, I try (not to think about it) because if I do, it is a lost battle and I will yield to my compulsions. I am not sure if this approach is helping me in the long term because I always feel on the edge and I might fall. Please advice. Thank you!

[@edwardtomkinson3418]

With my Intrusive thoughts I see the outcome in my mind which is scary and it’s hard to ignore at times especially when it becomes sexual.

[@stevemelvin7308]

Thank you for your videos. I have a bad case of OCD, my checking of water taps and door locks and many other objects drains me every day. I'm glad you are helping others and myself with these short but informative videos.

[@23katied]

Glad you are finding them helpful.

[@lunamaru65431]

Can anyone extend some advice please? I’m struggling with horrific anxiety and harm OCD. I’m now experiencing emotional numbness which is a new symptom of my anxiety. I’m trying very hard to listen, engage and absorb information but it’s almost like my brain won’t allow me to absorb or “feel” anything to start healing. Is this just me or can anyone else relate? Thank you.

[@robinmantell6140]

Yes, I had the same! The first step is to see a well rated specialist (Psychiatrist). It will cost a few hundred but best decision I had ever made after struggling for years (Only now 23 Years old). From there a combination of medication / other stuff will get you feeling back to feeling normal again. God Bless!

[@jamesjohnstone1224]

@@robinmantell6140 hey just wondering how you’re getting on with this, any tops many thanks

[@jamesjohnstone1224]

Hey just wondering how you’re on with this, cheers

[@lunamaru65431]

@@jamesjohnstone1224 Hi James. So I had to take a short course of sedatives prescribed from my GP and started counselling. I’m trying to change my relationship with food and exercise a bit more but the main thing is acceptance. I’ve listened to some amazing Audiobooks and the common theme amongst them all is around retraining the brain into accepting the fear and nervous energy. Have you’d tried any Apps?

[@jamesjohnstone1224]

@@lunamaru65431 thanks so much for your reply ! Absolutely I’m finding that a lot that acceptance is so so important, so have you improved since you wrote that comment

[@yathartharora6096]

hello mam i have been a great admirer of you..can u please help me..I have around 30 days left for my final exams..i am trying my best to let go of the OCD thoughts but every time I experience it i become very confused and anxious so I perform compulsions to stop wasting my time which helps me in the short term gain.plz tell should I continue to ignore these thoughts or perform compulsion for this period of time?

[@robd2650]

I haven't totally gotten my head around this yet, but it sounds absolutely brilliant. A bit courageous as well, seeing what's been established up to this point. Thanks much for your insights. I think I'll try this approach to dealing with thoughts.

[@elaRRman]

i am having this instrusive thoughts for almost a year now . Basically i have random thoughts about hurting people or sexual thoughts and before i realise it was OCD i thought i was goin crazy and that caused me huge amounts of anxiety . Eventually i did one session with a psychologist and the fact that this is just the result of an "illness" and am not going crazy helped me a lot . Thoughts are still arounds here and there . Some days they are more intense some other days i dont even have em at all . One method i saw from your channel is the train one . i treat them as these thoughts were a train and by known am in full charge of my self and would never hurt anyone , i just let the train pass(thoughts) and dont give a crap about it . Its a struggle still , sometimes the anxiety from this thoughts is kinda annoying but am getting throu it . Thanx for your videos !

[@pumpkin1982]

Sometimes they feel as if they come out of nowhere, then after that they can become ones you create because you keep assigning meaning.

[@contiki6277]

I am so glad that you are making videos again,In the past i watched your videos and i must say that they helped me.I dont want to get on medication again because of the side effects and especially the effect they have concerning your sex life. i cannot afford to pay for a psychoherapist.my ocd is worsening everyday ,i have ocd with almost every object in my house ,especially the things that i care about like my pc.I spend hours and days on checking the cables inside and outside of the case not to touch one another to the point i wish i could die just to end this suffering.The other day i bang my head to a door because of my extreme anxiety.i!!Hyperawareness ,checking etc its part of my every day life.Every 2 minutes or so i am checking on things and very often i hurt my hands or my back pretty bad because of the crazy postures i make to check on things or squezzing very hard with my hands on something until i make sure its ok and of course it almost never is, .My friends dont understand and i cant blame them ,my family the same. I am so alone and i have no one to realy talk to about this.I have ocd for as long i can remember .It destroyed my life completely.A times that my ocd is "sleeping"i am a happy person and i can be the soul of the party but unfortunately that doesnt last for very long.Thank you so much for your help.You are an angel and i mean that!

[@jamesjohnstone1224]

Hey just wondering how you’re getting on now, cheers

[@kimihugh6658]

You are not alone.

[@mallory816]

What's the difference between someone with OCD and someone who actually commits the thoughts we are worried about. That maybe a silly question but Lol like how do you know you actually won't murder someone or push someone of a cliff. When people have actually done those things. Do they have OCD? But actually do the crime or clearly something different. I guess maybe they don't have a fear of doing it, or does the fear makes it a reality for some? Where's the line in the sand?

[@Mmm-hs2ko]

Hello katie, I’m a med student. I have OCD. Recently, i started thinking about epilepsy. I fear epilepsy and i keep thinking of it. Every sensation i feel in my head generates in me extreme fear of beginning to do seizures. My OCD has worsen these thoughts; the more i tell myself “stop thinking about epilepsy, you’re making your brain more prone to do seizures”, the more i panick, and the more i get headache, and the more i get to think that I’ll have epilepsy because of these headaches. I tend to deal well with OCD (and this is partly because of your help and videos which i thank you a lot for❤️) but I can’t get to sneak out from this obsessive cycle. What has worsen these thoughts are the headaches i get 😭 (psychosomatic symptoms). Can you make a video about OCD with obsessive thoughts about having a certain disease, and how to deal with it? This will really help me cz I’ll be studying all the diseases in my medical journey and i cannot deal anymore with these obsessive thoughts everytime i feel a little symptom that resembles to what i studied but does not mean exactly that i have the disease.

[@23katied]

I'll add it to the list. In the meantime you might want to check out the book 'Overcoming Health Anxiety' by David Veale and Rob Willson.

[@KJF839]

What do you suggest if an individual (such as myself) has ADHD, OCD, and Misophonia? I feel like the OCD causes the obsessive thinking/intrusive thoughts of my sound triggers, and the Misophonia causes the terrible reaction (anger) to those intrusive thoughts. I heard that ERP can make the symptoms worse if what you experience is anger, but can make it better if what you experience is anxiety. What do you think is the best course of action? Your feedback is very helpful.

[@AgarioSplitrunner]

@5:00 minute: I understand how re-labeling and reframing could be counterproductive. So in what situation should we then use reframing exactly?

[@mikelummis369]

Really good point, Katie. Not making the thought important. I suffer from harm obsessions and this is a helpful tip. Thanks.

[@23katied]

You're welcome Mike

[@upasanasaikia2163]

This is exactly what I am going through and I was labelling these thoughts as intrusive as I feel sometimes very very guilty... so thanks Katie.. I really feel good after watching this video...

[@23katied]

Great, I'm glad it's helped.

[@jamesjohnstone1224]

Hey just wondering how you’re getting on, cheers

[@upasanasaikia2163]

@@jamesjohnstone1224 hello james.. honestly speaking its still there. And I dont think I will ever get rid of my thoughts and on the top of that I am an over thinker😅..but the good thing is I am atleast not blaming myself, not thinking as I am the only one. Even if a thought arise I can make myself understand that it is just a thought.. our thoughts are over rated. It do not define me. And also I have spoken about it to my loved ones too. And that made me feel far better bcoz they atleast tried to understand without being judgemental. Hope you are doing good @james😊

[@bertarissen6568]

There's no such thing as intrusive thoughts, only unwanted thoughts. And the more unwanted these thoughts are specific to you, the harder it becomes to simply put them aside. As Kathie mentioned earlier, there is also no such thing as your OCD. It is not about the thought at all, but the way in which you think about the thought and people with OCD have something in common in that respect. And even in people who have been diagnosed with pure OCD, you can capitalize the C, although not clearly recognizable. It's all in the brain people, and there are billions of brains and therefore billions of differences, but in a scan all OCD-ers show the same (interesting) pattern, namely an overactive cortico-striatal-thalamo-cortical (CSTC) loop.Take it from me you don't think too little, you think too much!

[@mamanikhatun3887]

Hello ma'am! Thank you so much for helping us. I have OCD & pure OCD. I'm improving myself by watching your videos. But a thought is repeatedly asking me.. If I do this ( one of my fearful acts ) what will they ( family or friends ) think of me ?? The rest of the life what will they think about me?.. Because I have my doubts as to whether I did the act or not. I'm unable to move forward because of this thought. Please help me ma'am 🙏

[@23katied]

Yes that sounds like a good way of your mind trying to stop you doing things which you find fearful.... trick is to practice not listening too hard to those things and act as if you don't believe them even if they feel very real.

[@mamanikhatun3887]

@@23katied At first thank you so much ma'am for replying me. It means a lot to me. Ma'am, I can't help but think of this. This is an important issue so I can't take it lightly. It's actually a thing of the past, I doubt I did. So over and over again, I think they might think badly of me. What do I do in this situation?

[@jsharma7912]

I am suffering from Ocd lots of thoughts. I am really tired from these thoughts. I want to talk to you mam. Listen me to clear my past traumas.

[@jennaohlsten]

How can you identify if something is a compulsion or not?

[@lijmoo]

I like this way of looking at OCD. I think I'm in recovery, for the most part, because I've really tried to actively stop giving OCD so much "special treatment" in my head and in my perspective and attitude. I've tried to "radically accept" it too - "I have thoughts about harming others," not, "Those thoughts aren't me/you." I see a lot of well meaning people mean well in help forums say that to others, but I think it's a disservice and "covert reassurance"! You ARE 100% having thoughts about harming others AND you are you. They're not separate things.

[@23katied]

Yes this is a good point. I often hear of people being told their thoughts "aren't true" etc and whilst this may be the case it is unhelpful as, like you say, it provides reassurance which does not last and actually ends up compounding the problem.

[@lijmoo]

@@23katied that's it! They ARE true, because you ARE having them; that doesn't mean you like them or agree with them, that's a different thing. Definitely a lot to be said (for me at least) to own up to this "reality" and accept that the thoughts are coming from me, and there's nothing I can do about it lol - strangely, kinda liberating!

[@23katied]

@@lijmoo I don't engage in any chat about true or not with people as I know it doesn't help - but it's definitely true you are having them as you say!

[@XerxesLangrana]

I have been suffering from anxiety disorder for 17 years. I have had a multitude of phobias which have surfaced during this period. Right now I am experiencing strong anxiety and intrusive thoughts about heights, and spaces which contain glass walls. The intrusive thoughts are about losing control in these environments - urges of jumping off heights or crashing through glass walls or doors. However, I have never been suicidal nor have I had issues with heights before. This problem is severely restricting me from doing normal day to day activities - not able to go into buildings or places with precipices, shops with glass doors and frontages. I understand what you are saying that these thoughts are just like any thoughts, and I am "labeling" them, so they hang around in a powerful way making me believe in them, but for the life of me, I am not being able to find a workaround despite knowing this.

[@23katied]

In my opinion in a case like this behavioural work will be much more powerful for you. List all the things you fear and then all the safety behaviours you have (lots of avoidance by the sound of it!) and then you can start to work on it. For example, I worked with a woman who could not get to work because she could no longer get down the stairs from her flat because of her fear of falling down them. Amongst other things she would go super slowly - faltering at the top and then testing the step gingerly whilst holding onto the banister but leaning away from it to try and stay safer. As you can imagine these things made walking down the stairs harder and actually less safe! So what did we do? Once she was clear that the things she was doing were making everything worse we got her to start doing the opposite. To start with she could not do the exercise from the top of the stairs so she came down on her bottom and then stood and did the exercise from about the fourth step from the bottom. She had to let go of the railing, not look down, stand close to the railing edge rather than try and get away from it and then quickly walk down (because she went slowly - had she been rushing down the stairs to get it over with we would have got her to go slowly). She also swung her handbag as this she feared would put her off balance. We did this over and over for a couple of hours each time her going further up the stairs - I also go her to do things like eat or drink something whilst coming down as she feared that this might break her concentration. This is not an exact template for what you should do beacuse it all depends on working out what you do to try and minimise the problem and then do the opposite. So maybe you need to go and hang out in some glass buildings and waltz around some glass walls....

[@eileenfaulkner5385]

This is really helpful to hear, as this has always been my thoughts about “intrusive thoughts” 👍

[@jamesjohnstone1224]

Hey just wondering how you’re getting on now, cheers

[@berniemcdonagh8150]

Please help me. I can’t live my life. It’s ruining my life. I am not diagnosed but I think I have it. I can’t go on about my normal everyday life for the past 8 months. It’s really bad really bad thoughts making me question everything. It’s pocd I am suffering

[@zain4019]

ERP therapy treatment (exposure response prevention) will aid you greatly. Be gentle with yourself, be gentle. You will look back one day, and with happiness, for you will have overcome this. Bless you my friend.

[@tacticleeskharoufeh5408]

watch joe Dispenza this person really helped me to break my OCD cycle and how not to react to everything that your brain says and you have the ability to choose not to believe what your brain says (sometimes our brain lies to us) also what really helped me is becoming a different person do different (new learn a new ability) things in order to create a new self with new and different brain connections. also, stop asking yourself why is this happening to me instead ask what I can do to improve my condition

[@berniemcdonagh8150]

Thanks so much I’m only seeing this now. I really appreciate this

[@berniemcdonagh8150]

Thank you so much I just see this now

[@shyaaammeneen63]

@@berniemcdonagh8150 For overthinking problem be careful what you feed your mind. Avoid comparing yourself with others, reduce watching negative social media and avoid constipation as it affects the mind. Your breathing is closely related to the brain [mind] and gives relief from stress-anxiety. For a relaxed mind observe the sensations of your natural incoming--outgoing breath at the entrance of the nostrils for 10-15 minutes or more. You can sit or lay down--eyes closed--No deep breathing. Don’t fight your thoughts. Never meditate with expectations. Make it a habit to observe your breath day and night before sleep, at work, when travelling, etc with eyes open or closed. Best wishes--Counsellor.

[@srishtysamal8600]

I get a lot of bad and negative thoughts about my loved ones. At times I feel aware that something like this is gonna come in my head and before I can control or prevent it from coming, it's too late. The thought has entered, the anxiety or the numbness has already kicked in. And there are times when it feels as if I'm thinking these intentionally and that's when I start feeling guilty and very anxious. Is this something that's normal?

[@fcb1149]

I have the same problem 😕 I constantly get horrible thoughts in my head 24/7 . I don't think it's normal the only time I get away from my thoughts is when I'm sleeping . These random thoughts just pop into my head unexpectedly I can't control them . I constantly pray that my thoughts don't harm anyone and for them to never become real but that just gives me more anxiety .

[@suhaibodat7154]

@@fcb1149 same and it’s a nightmare really

[@TianaSledge]

@@fcb1149 keep praying and trusting that The Most High God will guide you. Give thanks that you cannot and will not do them and that’s the TRUTH! I pray we all get the ability to overcome because God has given us that and Jesus came and taught that. We have to give it to him continuously in prayer and allow him to reveal it to us the steps and words to say(his words) He will answer in Jesus name

[@toekneelorenzo2942]

@@fcb1149 ok anyone wT dies anxiety feel like? Is it like a nervous feeling scared. Like why am u thinking this thought.

[@shyaaammeneen63]

@@fcb1149 For overthinking problem be careful what you feed your mind. Avoid comparing yourself with others, reduce watching negative social media and vulgar movies and avoid constipation as it affects the mind. Your breathing is closely related to the brain [mind] and gives relief from stress-anxiety. For a relaxed mind observe the sensations of your natural incoming--outgoing breath at the entrance of the nostrils for 10-15 minutes or more. You can sit or lay down--eyes closed--No deep breathing. Don’t fight your thoughts. Never meditate with expectations. Make it a habit to observe your breath day and night before sleep, at work, when travelling, in the park, etc with eyes open or closed. Best wishes--Counsellor.

[@aprilmargaret6135]

Hello. Do you have any videos on health OCD? I have a problem with constant checking for health problems

[@Fzs6]

Could you make a video of hyperawareness ocd please?

[@giannis6552]

I am getting rid of my OCD, but I am getting addicted to your videos :)

[@michaelperea8300]

@katie d'Ath , thank you so much for your videos. I was diagnosed with OCD in December 2021. This is all new to me, but I can say that your videos have helped me a ton. Could you do one on ROCD? Why does the doubt of not loving a partner feel so real when everything has been so well? Attraction, fantasies and lust on others I know is normal, but it feels so frightening. It has brought shame and guilt and so much doubt. How does one even do ERP with these types of thoughts? Where does one begin? Please and thank you.

[@etal.038]

I would also like to learn about this!

[@23katied]

AH yes, I will put this on the to do list, but for now I have two suggestions - firstly check out www.rocd.net if you haven't already as they have loads of great resources and secondly remember that the content of your OCD is irrelevant (I know this is super hard) so when you are listening to these videos or looking at other resources bear that in mind and see if you can adapt the advice. The biggest thing for you will probably be about stopping trying to get certainty...

[@moonell]

I haven't realised for years that what I have is OCD, even though there were signs my whole life. I didn't like the idea of having OCD, it didn't sound right, I wasn't a neurotic person needing to control every little thing all the time (which is what my idea of OCD used to be). But me not liking it didn't have the slightest impact on me having or not having it. I think similar thing goes with what you say in this video - at first it was a relief to learn there is a name for the thoughts that pop up in my head and they are essentially "just a symptom" of an illness I am dealing with, but the more I think about it, the more I agree that in the long run it can help vilify your own internal processes and give them power through calling them a name. BUT I also think it can help in the beginning to kind of understand what you need to focus on, where the trouble is - in these thoughts. And then later on you can learn how to re-wire your brain to respond to these thoughts differently.

[@23katied]

It's really important to remember though that the trouble is not in the thoughts but in our reaction and response to them....

[@cleverhandle420]

Yea it’s wild to me sometimes bc I will have a harm thought and be like “oh sad” “wild” “crazy” if I react to it at all but like anything sexually suggestive, even hearing the word “hard” causes an immediate spike in anxiety for me. It took a long time and many arguments with my therapist for me to admit that I was interacting with some of my thoughts in very unhealthy unhelpful ways.

[@23katied]

Thanks for sharing this. I think it is sometimes so difficult for people to observe how they are actually responding to the thoughts or feelings - it can feel like you are doing nothing when without realising it you might be doing something unhelpful. Well done for getting there - it's a massive step in the right direction.

Love your video Katie, have a good day! :)

[@cairodensarip934]

Just embrace the thoughts.. watch a picture or video and gaze at it without judgement.. its weird but it worked for me

[@joshfrizzell3936]

Katie D'Ath what can I tell myself when a thought pops up as I'm trying to wash my hands or take a shower? I get in a cycle and it's extremely exhausting. Never fails.

[@duulccee92]

What type of ocd you got?

[@joshfrizzell3936]

@@duulccee92 body fluid contamination ocd along with every other type as well smh. Literally every type

[@davidcookson4043]

So it's NOT the thought that counts? Better return these flowers then. Seriously though these discussions are great thank you!

[@23katied]

Ha ha! I like it. But actually you make a good point. These phrases that are seen as a harmless part of speech are actually quite detrimental as they fuel the idea that thoughts have power...

[@APerchOfPillows]

Thank you so much, Katie

[@ibenbakandersen]

Interesting angle on these thoughts. I can see the point. But does that also apply if you call it pleasant thoughts or the opposite unpleasant thoughts? Is this okay?

[@23katied]

interesting question. I guess it depends what your intention is in labelling the thoughts. Why not just call them all thoughts? Surely you already know if they are pleasant or unpleasant? I'm just cautious that by labelling you are not trying to reassure yourself that you find the thoughts unpleasant...

[@IAMKUTEY]

I need therapy so much but it's so expensive for me and I'm trying to work hard to save money for it but lately my OCD is at its worst and I sometimes have a lot of suicidal thoughts because I can't work or even drink or eat because of my OCD, it's ruining everything, it's ruining me

[@shyaaammeneen63]

Love, For overthinking problem be careful what you feed your mind. Avoid comparing yourself with others, reduce watching negative social media and avoid constipation as it affects the mind. Your breathing is closely related to the brain [mind] and gives relief from stress-anxiety. For a relaxed mind observe the sensations of your natural incoming--outgoing breath at the entrance of the nostrils for 10-15 minutes or more. You can sit or lay down--eyes closed--No deep breathing. Don’t fight your thoughts. Never meditate with expectations. Make it a habit to observe your breath day and night before sleep, at work, when travelling, etc with eyes open or closed. Best wishes--Counsellor.

[@Mysteriouslymagical555]

Can i ask wt actually happens

[@jamesjohnstone1224]

Hey just wondering how you’re getting on, cheers

[@jamesjohnstone1224]

@@shyaaammeneen63 hey there did you have ocd then, I’m at the start and struggling a bit thanks

[@patrickwheeler7540]

Ms. d'Ath, I've watched everyone of your very helpful videos, and while I understand that we all have random thoughts and images that we cannot control, we can only control our reactions to them, yet as much as I can see the practical sense in the advice you graciously provide, and at times my "fog" does lift and I can see clearly enough to quell the "intrusive" thoughts at times and have productive bouts of happiness, nevertheless, what remains even though I believe my reason has prevailed, it's the emotional pain that still sits like a massive mill stone in my chest that weighs me down so much I start to sink again. it's the associated emotional pain that seems unrelenting. How do I get relief from that associated pain? anti-depression/anti-anxiety medication as well? If my OCD didn't hurt so emotionally, even my reason at times asks; Why does the OCD mind cause so much emotional pain, thus negatively affecting the health of the host body; that same host body that the mind actually needs to "survive?" if my OCD didn't hurt so much, I could find such a paradox fascinating.

[@RandomPerson-rf4jf]

Hey, so as of recently I've been doubting everything that I say or think about, this problem started around 2 and a half months ago after I suddenly panicked over my exam. Like anything I say, do, or think about I doubt it. Even like if I'm reading or taking notes in class I doubt if I read it correctly or if I know the meaning of the words or if I took my notes correctly. Like I doubt nearly every single thing that I do. Is this OCD or is it just fear or something, I am only 15... what is going on? If you could help or tell me what it is, it could truly change my life and the situation I am in right now.

[@Dobbyisfree000]

Could be ocd. This is how it started for me. After many traumatic events. I always doubt and re check and then do it all over again. I would still be in doubt abt the issue.

[@RandomPerson-rf4jf]

@@Dobbyisfree000 Yeah man it really sucks. Though recently I've been trying to let the thought stay and not pay too much attention to it, and I can feel the thoughts losing their power, I really hope it's not OCD. The thing is that unlike a lot of other people i've heard and read about, my thoughts started losing power like 2 days after I changed stuff... so idk if it's OCD or not.

[@savannah90]

Oh myy- it shocked me when i read your comment. Because you is what i am experiencing rn and everyday. The worst is when i read the Bible the words of God i started to doubt it, a lot of strange thoughts Popping out in my head and i am just getting sad because God knows my thoughts. Like my mind trying to give everything a meaning what i think.. you don't know how i feel relive the moment i read your comment. I hope you too that you're not the only one experiencing this. May we successfully win our battle through the Lord Jesus Christ who strengthens us. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@RandomPerson-rf4jf]

@@savannah90 I completely agree. One thing that really helps me is that all of this that is happening is a part of God's plan. It's all happening for a reason, before all of this I had been leading a very sinful life, but after all of this, I put my trust in God and now I'm far closer to him. Knowing all of this is happening for a reason brings great comfort. Although nowadays after watching such videos and kinda learning how to deal with these thoughts I've been feeling better, they come back from time to time. Hopefully, it doesn't stay for too much longer as they can sometimes interfere with school 😅. I would say just keep your faith in him, and try to not fight with these thoughts but rather just accept them.

[@savannah90]

@@RandomPerson-rf4jf yes absolutely true. Anyway where you come from? What country you're from? I'm from Philippines

[@somethingbetter4801]

To whoever having an insane hard time dealing with OCD, i know it is not the proper solution, but as an alternative to dealing with it and kinda stop stressing your brain/mind /soul with this issue, start using your smartphone camera to capture everything through the day that you need to check in order to keep functioning through the day and not keep wasting a lot of time from your day because of it, another tip about the smartphone camera is to use, if you need to, the burst mode on your camera, so for example my smartphone camera can take to 100 pictures in like 10 seconds using the burst mode, so it gives me peace of mind now that i know about that feature, it may be helpful to you if you are needing some alternative as i said to dealing with it. I want to be clear that i am not trying to be irresponsible with what i am sharing right now, again i am sharing it as an alternative to dealing with this issue RIGHT NOW in the meantime until you feel its the time or you feel ok to seek professional help while still trying to function through the day.

[@somethingbetter4801]

Remember to also use your wide angle camera, not only your main camera. if you have the wide angle camera mode, this mode is helpful when trying to check an area all at once with a bunch of things that you need to check, not only one thing, object. You maybe could even use the burst camera mode with both camera modes, main camera and wide angle camera, so count with that as well.

[@aniket_6495]

But the thing is one can develop a dangerous habit of this too. I started doing this years ago and later on I started doing it aggressively like my phone right now has insane amount of photos/screenshots that is just ridiculous. Having a hard time to stop it but now I've came across this channel recently, let's see how it works out.

[@infoentertainment2527]

Like someone's habit is like bullying or I am drinking his shared water and I have been effected

[@tacticleeskharoufeh5408]

hello, Katie grateful for your videos keep up the good work I am doing very well in terms of my OCD. when I break the cycle of OCD (last only a couple of days) I usually don't get intrusive thoughts for weeks or months but when they come back what gets to me is not the intrusive thought itself but the sadness or the idea that my OCD might last a lifetime can you do a video on how to overcome this or accept it? Thank you again appreciate your response

[@muneermuneer8605]

Hi Katie, I am having constant intrusive thoughts, my OCD latches onto anything that’s that’s harmful. I can have very disturbing images and sometimes can come as a voice, is this OCD or something else?

[@matthewakagi]

On your video about attention training, can it be done with thoughts or does it have to be sound specifically

[@23katied]

Research is done using sounds and it's definitely the best way to start. As the problem is how you process the thoughts it's hard to start this way but yes in the end the idea is that doing the attention training with sounds makes it easier for you to then choose to do it with thoughts BUT remember that you are always aiming to refocus your attention elsewhere not replace/change/push away a thought.

[@texanbogman2]

Is it possible to get rid of a single thought?

[@23katied]

I replied to this on one of the other videos for you.

[@Jojo-sb1xs]

Thanku so much. This is brilliant. Thanku so so much. This is rly helpful 🙏🏼❤

[@jamesjohnstone1224]

Hey just wondering how you’re getting on, cheers

[@23katied]

My pleasure 😊

[@ao6606]

can you make content about reading ocd maam please

[@richardwilsonavena]

For many of us it feels almost impossible to separate ourselves from our thoughts. I have studied cognitive defusion and on paper, yes defusing from our negative, disturbing, depressing thoughts seems like the pathway to glory. But, what if you are unable to do so with any regularity. I have some theories that perhaps people such as myself have certain cognitive challenges that keep us from defusing successfully. I, personally, have tried many times to defuse on a consistent and regular basis. There seems to be something else that is going on that I have never been able to explain or receive advice from a therapist about. It seems that perhaps our minds, from a biological aspect, may have through years and years grafted and completely fused to whatever psychological mechanisms exist to the point that we would never be able to truly defuse and reap the benefits of defusion. While I appreciate what you and many other therapists and modalities of psychology do to help, as fatalistic as it sounds, I dont believe we may ever heal unless there would one day exist something that helps us at a chemical level. Perhaps our amygdala is at the point where it cannot be tamed. What can be done? How could the person with the least amount of ability to detach from their thoughts ever do so? There are many success stories that I read, but not as many stories shared from those of us who fail and fail and fail again at defusing and are eventually tired of trying.

[@dane6730]

I have very severe OCD and my “intrusive thoughts” would go on for hours, non stop. I’m talking 6 7 8 hrs. Sometimes so much I couldn’t sleep at night and they would continue into the next. I have had all kinds of behavioural therapy such as she is talking about. They did nothing. It was until I was hospitalized for a second and given clomipramine and antipsychotics did they lessen. Saved my life! It waxes and wanes but only on my good days with my symptoms are mild does any form of therapy helps. My point in saying this is sometimes it not as simple as reframing how we think about out thoughts.

[@randominternetuser531]

Hey Katie, Can you do a video about false memory ocd ! love your videos

[@giannis6552]

Hi Katie, I would like to ask if some intrusive thoughts that happen subconsciously during sleep/dreams, can be considered as exposure and apply response prevention for those?

[@akshayrjain1599]

Hi Katie. Can u pls guide me on this problem. I have reading and checking OCD . I basically work as a accountant. My work is filing tax returns, preparing accounts and my OCD has targeted that. For instance, amount - 12,58,675. I will first reread the number to ensure I read it correctly and after that will enter the number in another file and check whether the number is entered correctly. Since I deal with numbers , I end up rereading and checking numbers 50-100 times a day making it so difficult to work . I believe ur idea of anti OCD ( doing the opposite of what the OCD wants ) . But I am not able to find what could be anti OCD in my case. I am afraid that if I don't reread & check the number, I might file a wrong tax return , my employer will scold me etc . I believe my main problem is rereading because that's what promotes checking . I struggle a lot in reading .Would be grateful if u could guide me. This obsession has ruined my life . Thank you ..

[@23katied]

The question is what is worse - definitely maintaining the OCD through checking or learning to live with the discomfort of not rereading and potentially getting something wrong and getting in trouble from your employer?

[@akshayrjain1599]

@@23katied Thank you for your reply. It's certainly maintaining the OCD through rereading & checking is worse . But it's difficult to control the urge to not reread . Any tips on how to challenge reading OCD more rigorously ?

[@shri4867]

It was very insightful... My OCD changes.. Presently I got this someone watching... I am aware that no one is... But it makes me anxious and it repeats 24 7..non stop.. Get that fear from a particular area of home... Just not able to get rid of thought... What to do.????

[@ezgikral8749]

Hey everyone I feel very hopeless and I’d be very glad if you give me your precious opinions. Like 1.5 year ago one night just randomly, an old thought poped in to my mind. When I was a kid I was putting myself in situation like (just with thinking) “What am I? Am I real? Am I from this world? What’s happening?” And with these kind of thoughts I was feeling lost and when I was a kid I quiet enjoy that state of mind. It was kind a funny for the little me. Back to the topic 1.5 year ago that thought poped in to my mind and I felt very anxious. I googled that thoughts and I learned that it was thing that called Depersonalisation. I read some forums that night and the comments were very scary. Like “it sticks to you and ruins your life” kind of comments. So that night my OCD began. I felt super anxious that night and I fear that “what if I feel this anxious all the time? What if these thoughts come to my mind constantly and take my happy moments?” The other morning I woke up and the fear of depersonalisation was gone but “What if I feel this anxious” feel stayed. And for 1.5 years it came to mind everyday, sometimes I didn’t care and enjoyed my life, but sometimes because of this thoughts I couldn’t focus on the things that I love to do, and felt very depressive. Now after 1.5 years when this thoughts comes to my mind I barely feel anxiousness but I feel a very frustrating discomfort and hopeless. I really don’t know what to do? Can someone experienced similar situations and healed help me? Please write your healing experiences because still peoples bad experiences could trigger me. And I wish everyone an unlimited happiness!

[@caitlyndiann285]

Hey! If you’re still dealing with this, look up “depersonalization manual” on youtube! He is a WONDERFUL resource for people experiencing DP/DR. You can absolutely recover from depersonalization and derealization!

[@jamesjohnstone1224]

Hey just wondering how you’re getting on now, cheers

[@akarsh345]

Hi Katie, I would like to know what kind of erp will be useful if I have ocd of driving over someone

[@23katied]

Work out what you do to avoid or minimise the risk and then do the opposite. So for example if you drive extra slowly, speed up. Once you know what you avoid or what you do to try and make sure that thing doesn't happen you have everything you need to do good solid ERP as I've described in other videos.

[@artsyalkalearnandgrowbeaut3731]

How do I deal with abuses in my mind?

[@omshelke4286]

Hi Mam i have been watching all your videos and they are been very effective for me thank you for guiding to people dealing with OCD and i have also overcome very much after watching your videos.

[@jamesjohnstone1224]

Hey just wondering how you’re getting on with this now cheers

[@mamathadasari9664]

Would u please help me with some suggestions as I am worried due to OCD caused due to perfection about teeth whenever i touch my teeth the intrusive thoughts are hitiiing me very badly and I don't know how to come out of this pls can u give your valuable suggestions because mine is serious concern of OCD

[@kingmarcus7215]

What do you do when people can hear your thoughts?

[@toekneelorenzo2942]

What if this happens fir example. Let's say I keep thinking jyst this thought that im just using someone for a ride.cause they take me mostly everywhere. And I have to tell this person that I thought this. Of course tgey get mad. But its just thinking n thinking n I tell them. Is this part of ocd anyone else think this

[@toekneelorenzo2942]

Can anyone answer?

[@katyelliott6306]

Sounds like your OCD is trying to target things that are important to you, in this case your friend. The worry that you might be using your friend or exploiting them in some way shows that they are important to you and you care about them because if you didn’t you wouldn’t worry about using them. You seem more considerate that’s most. Talking to your friend about it might help but sometimes confessing perceived wrongdoings is a compulsion. You don’t have to tell everyone every thought that pops into your head it’s not lying to them or being disingenuous. The same way not telling you just went to the bathroom wouldn’t be. Let them know that you appreciate the rides and enjoy your friendship with them. Sorry for the long answer haha hope this helps :)

[@jamesjohnstone1224]

Hey just wondering how you’re getting on with this now cheers

[@ΠατηρΣυμεώνΣυμεωνίδης]

ΤΗΑΝΚ ΥΟU FOR YOUR HELP. COULD YOU MAKE A VIDEO ABOUT SENSORIMOTOR OCD?

[@23katied]

Yes, it's on the list!

[@jimroth2493]

Whar about KIDS? Kids with ODC ? The ODC methods are quite different I suppose for kids? Thank you in advance! 🙏

[@kevinetemah1120]

How old are you jim

[@robwayne8322]

Is there a term for your mind using something you did that you feel bad about and using it by saying if you did this - then you’ll do that. It’s almost like my mind uses guilt I have for one thing and using that guilt to somehow fuel ocd for something totally unrelated?

[@23katied]

There probably is a term but I am never good at remembering these things as I'm more about practical intervention (that's my excuse anyway!). Sounds like you probably have an underlying belief about being bad in someway and so your OCD looks for evidence in your past and uses it to create worry about how you could behave in the future.

[@hectornieves6507]

My name is Hector i have a friend that has OCD and I am trying to help her to control her obsessive thoughts I might be the cause of some of them what do I do to help her???

[@safaelaasri464]

Y give realistic and very good advices thank y

[@infoentertainment2527]

Dr can sharing water bottle daily can effect habit or body

[@23glo59]

At a mental wreck. Worlds too disturbing rn. Soon as I gather myself, BS right around the corner

[@mushfiqulislam-6196]

Katie, Recently Im feeling like i dont have any thoughts but i still feel anxious,irritated, tension in my brain or more likely a discomfortable feeling. Now how do i do ERP? Btw love your work :)

[@23katied]

Can you think of anything that would make you feel more anxious, irritated or tense? If so, you can use these things to do ERP.

[@mushfiqulislam-6196]

@@23katied Actually my discomfort feelings aren't attached with any specific thoughts,theme. But what i noticed is that doing nothing sometimes causes more discomfort. Is it a bit mixture of just right ocd and pure O type?

[@1400-h3b]

i have this serious problem either it’s OCD or not my mind always finds a way to turn things dark ways, it seems like OCD as it’s obsessive towards anything i react to it will just stay in my head for a day until the next day it’s not as bad anymore once i overcome it another thought comes to ruin the day again just repeats subconsciously and it’s getting gruesome, some tips i have found here have helped somewhat i’m looking irl for instant help whenever so thanks for giving advice for now

[@nourberouaken8860]

Hi I used to have the same thoughts as you but I think now I got used to it and i've learned how to deal with it the key is to try to not give the thought your energy because you are not your thoughts and you can't control them the only thing that you can control is your reaction toward the thought by realising that it's not real and it's notsomething that happened or will happen in reality and instead of trying to fight the thought try to observe it and focus on reality

[@nourberouaken8860]

And say to yourself that it's not something that you chose and you don't deserve to suffer because of something that just came for a second and that you deserve so much better than wasting your time on trying to fight something that doesn't exist don't let it steal your happiness you are strong enough to deal with it and you're the only person who can save you Good luck ♡

[@1400-h3b]

@@nourberouaken8860 your right i definitely am on track with this statement because i’ve been observing and doing some of this it’s still good advice to remember because it’s the only way possible especially not giving them a reaction i’m still working on it and all so through time it’s gotten better and stronger at doing these steps so cheers and good luck 🙏

[@rodolfoubaldejr.5801]

This is what's happening to me now. My thought won't let me at peace. Even simple things and normal things seems to be so hard. I worry about crazy thought's that I'm not supposed to be. And I dont feel like me.

[@1400-h3b]

@@rodolfoubaldejr.5801 practice and train your mind through time like she says try not to forget the thoughts and let them be there sometimes exposure therapy works building tolerance to how you react, just don’t react at all don’t waste your energy on those pointless thoughts maybe through time you can get through it i’ve gotten better after

[@desktopaccount8564]

Hello doctor, I recently read that the autism spectrum disorder has subtypes and it includes OCD. Does that mean that OCD is type of autism or it's just that they share compulsive behaviors. Thank you.

[@23katied]

Just that they can often come together.

[@danielwalker6436]

yep. Judgements be the spark. (however automatic before therapuetic advances.)

[@elenapaints972]

I don't agree with this to be honest. To me what makes something an intrusive thought is it keeps coming back. The fact that it wont leave me alone is the intrusive part. I KNOW everyone has unpleasant or weird thoughts from time to time and most of my thoughts dont bother me. But SOME do and those are the intrusive thoughts. For me understanding what they were helped me realise that everyone gets them, but not everyone has certain thoughts pursuing them constantly and actually helped me let go of them.

[@lijmoo]

I see your point, about it being intrusive because of their persistency. Perhaps trying looking at them as "persistent thoughts" instead of "intrusive thoughts". To Katie's point in the video, and one I share myself, by distancing yourself, by labelling them as intrusive, you create a kind of "me/us vs them" type framework in your head. They can be kind of persistent AND intrusive, but try looking more at it like the former and not the later. Hope this helps.

[@23katied]

The question is why does it keep coming back? Usually because we are appraising it in some way or adding some meaning or resisting it somehow. Which, by the way, I am not criticising as this is exactly what makes OCD OCD. Generally when we have a random thought, even one we don't like, and we just see it as a random thought and let it go it is unlikely to crop up with any regularity. And in cases where it does come a lot the best way to handle it is to try and get it to come more - for example through ERP or imaginal exposures. When you show your brain that you are prepared to have this thought even more your brain will stop resisting and eventually get bored...

[@elenapaints972]

@@23katied Yeah, I totally see what you're saying, maybe just a semantics thing?

[@23katied]

@@elenapaints972 Yes easily could be!

[@dane6730]

@@23katied I’m having trouble with this concept too. In my early days I was inundated with “intrusive thoughts”. So bad I couldn’t hold a conversation nor even watch tv. It would last for hours and sometimes days. At points I couldn’t sleep because of them. It took two hospitalizations and proper medication to get in under control. I still have good days and bad days. Only on my goods days do these types of therapy or reframing work. On my bad days, really bad days, I need to take an antipsychotic or I am bed bound.

[@themightychannel4860]

Can OCD thoughts start with ‘I wish’ or sudden horrible thought/feeling when hearing news? The total opposite from what you want to think, it’s like my brain thinks the opposite from what I want it too. I have sooo many weird thoughts and when I’ve looked them up online they are common but this one I can’t find any proper facts on? I have been doing loads of work on this as I want to beat it I listened to hours of help podcasts at work, Any help appreciated thanks Justine

[@srishtysamal8600]

Heyyy! Same thing happens with me. My mind goes like "I wish (and then comes the bad and negative thoughts). And this happens with the cruelest of thoughts, and these are usually about my loved ones. The problem is I feel such thoughts, so I do repetitive compulsions in my mind to make myself believe that this is not something that I actually want to happen, cause every thought feels so real. Sometimes it feels as if I'm intentionally thinking such things. That's when I get all anxious and guilty. I don't know what to do. This feeling of "did I think this on purpose or maybe I did" hasn't been addressed really, and that's what makes me feel even more terrible that what if I'm the only one who feels such things? I don't even know whether this is normal or not and I don't know what to do. I feel really helpless at times.

[@S1234-b6l]

@@srishtysamal8600 how are you getting along now? I’ve been dealing with the same thing for a few months now. It’s unfortunately about my child and it’s killing me. I cry everyday and am becoming depressed.

[@duulccee92]

Hi Katie, how do you work with OCD that you pretty much have to do everyday ,like drinking water I get this fear thinking about it then I do it and I am okay then I keep the loop going, like I feel stress thinking about it

[@russellwestgoat6109]

Ima literally dealing with this all the time

[@zachfenton608]

Great information

[@23katied]

Thanks I'm glad it's helpful.

[@pinkisaini2689]

Hello Mam ,Mam you changed my life through your videos .I am Aryan a big fan of yours. Mam you studied on OCD for about your whole life so mam may you please tell how to permanently cure from this disease in single video .Please mam

[@bertarissen6568]

Katie is probably right.🤔

[@Ssn5556]

I suffer badly from intrusive thoughts. I tried setroline and used to think it helped. But now my anxiety and thoughts have come back stronger. Nothing is working 😔

[@janette9872]

I’m sorry you’re suffering.

[@hollydueck]

Hey I'm using steraline too. Same outcome. Yay. Ocd sucks haha. Sorry, ur not alone.

[@shyaaammeneen63]

Nick, For overthinking problem be careful what you feed your mind. Avoid comparing yourself with others, reduce watching negative social media and avoid constipation as it affects the mind. Your breathing is closely related to the brain [mind] and gives relief from stress-anxiety. For a relaxed mind observe the sensations of your natural incoming--outgoing breath at the entrance of the nostrils for 10-15 minutes or more. You can sit or lay down--eyes closed--No deep breathing. Don’t fight your thoughts. Never meditate with expectations. Make it a habit to observe your breath day and night before sleep, at work, when travelling, etc with eyes open or closed. Best wishes--Counsellor.

[@Malika-zi2uv]

Try praying? You have nothing to lose.

[@doctor_who5203]

@@Malika-zi2uv Terrible advice for someone with OCD. Praying can very easily turn into a compulsion

[@mb106429]

Have a read about focal epilepsy, auras, TLE

[@faithinhisbloodministry8600]

Ocd is spiritual warfare!!

[@AdolGlow]

I totally agree the closer I got to God the worse it has gotten