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Help with coping with my anxiety + OCD.

Posted By Daydreamer

"Help with coping with my anxiety + OCD."

About: Inclusion Thurrock (Talking Therapies)

(as the patient),

I’ve been struggling with anxiety + OCD for most of my life + have been in 2 minds the past couple of yrs whether to have therapy or not, eventually I went for it + I’m happy I did.

The thought of therapy frightened me as I thought by doing so I’d be handing over all control however I’ve come out of it feeling like I’ve gained control.

I’ve come to accept I’ll always have anxiety + OCD but feel I more calm now I’ve been taught how to reduce these strong emotions + compulsions.

Thank you

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Responses

Response from Adam Laws, Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner, Inclusion Thurrock IAPT, Inclusion Thurrock 3 years ago
Adam Laws
Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner, Inclusion Thurrock IAPT,
Inclusion Thurrock

Submitted on 01/12/2020 at 11:12
Published on Care Opinion at 11:12

Dear Daydreamer,

Thank you for being so honest about your perceptions of therapy before you had decided to go ahead with it. I think it is very helpful for others to see that many of our common fears around the process, like yours of handing over control to another person, don't prove to be true in the long run.

Often when we experience symptoms of OCD, we may believe we are actually in control of the things we fear happening - that our compulsions are preventing them. That can make the idea of seeking help very scary as we may think we are releasing that control and may be inviting those feared consequences into our lives.

However, as you mentioned, therapy actually provides techniques for us to manage these compulsions which, although possibly frightening at first, actually enable us to take more control over the things that are important to us in life.

It's lovely to hear that you have been able to use these techniques to manage both your emotions and compulsions. I hope you are able to continue doing this and wish you all the best for the future!

Kind regards,

Adam

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