Or those who don’t know how to get better, or don’t have access to the necessary healthcare. Hopefully this post can act as a reminder that ANYONE can recover from OCD and life a fulfilling and rich life.

Fortunately there is hope. It’s not easy, in fact it’s probably the hardest thing we’ll ever have to work on, but there is recovery. It’s no given, it doesn’t happen without a superhuman effort, but it is so worth it. I feel sad for those who don’t yet know that life can be SO much better. 3/

Being in a prison which your own brain has confined you too, is a different kind of pain. An otherwise healthy person with so many prospects, becoming crippled by their own thoughts and self-doubt is a very cruel existence. It’s the loss of potential and time wasted that upset me the most. 2/

The second mind, the OCD mind is much louder. Much more primitive. It’s frightened for your life and will do ANYTHING to feel safe again. Being human, it’s much more instinctive to want to listen to the threat and so the OCD mind feels like the “sensible” choice. This mind often wins the battle! 2/2

It’s like I always feel frightened, I just don’t know what of. I think this is quite common in long-term OCD sufferers. But I bet if I really peeled back the layers, there would be some core fears at work. Chipping away at these is vital to recovery. 2/2

If you feed the OCD beast, it will ALWAYS need more food to feel full! It has a never ending appetite and will ask for more and more from you! Be careful thinking “Just this once, OCD.” 3/3

And then the next time you’re wiping OCD will say “Well, you wiped that handle last time, you should probably wipe it this time too!” And then before you know it, a new habit is formed! 2/

The feeling is of utter liberation that is both giddying and grounding. It’s as if you’ve been reborn and can literally do anything. Visualising how good life without OCD will feel is SO important in recovery, and is probably not focused on by enough therapists/coaches.

I’ve performed compulsions in front of school friends, colleagues, family members, partners. And the feeling of embarrassment is still as raw now as it was the first time I did it.

Being seen in that moment of extreme vulnerability, even by our own family members, feels like we’re standing there naked. And there’s the feeling of failure.
“Only a weak person would do these ridiculous things” OCD torments us. “Why can’t I stop myself doing this!?” 2/