ERP Support for OCD: The Uncertainty Curve

Doing Exposure & Response Prevention (ERP) to get over OCD is tough, but having the right tools can make a huge difference. You might only be visiting your therapist once a week, so you need great tools at home to help you when you're doing the intense work of eliminating a compulsion. The Uncertainty Curve helped me tremendously in tracking my way up and over the extreme anxiety of eliminating each compulsion on the path to recovery.

[lindsaypritchard]

You know how you said there is eventually a breakthrough on the uncertainty curve? I'm there. I did it! I am cutting compulsions and it has been hell at some points. I was certain I was going to go crazy or die, that I couldn't accept my thoughts, that nothing was ever going to make me feel better... but guess what happened? I'm still alive. I didn't go insane or die. My thoughts still pop up, but they are JUST THOUGHTS. Just thoughts. No matter what my brain says, I CAN choose to do the healthy actions that I want to. I don't have to avoid them because my thoughts scare me. I don't have to do a compulsion to get through them. I'm sure a thought will come, the temptation to perform a compulsion will come, but I always have my choices. And that's what I'm going to focus on instead of what my thoughts say. It's truly as useless as letting the clouds in the sky control what I'm doing! Thank you so much for your videos, Mark. They have helped me help myself!

[everybodyhasabrain]

I bring my focus to the actions. You don`t need to reassure yourself that you`re getting better, you just need to do healthy things. Sometime it`s useful to just imagine that you`re starting from scratch. So instead of fighting OCD, just eliminate coping, checking, and controlling, and replace them with healthy activities that align with your values and improve your health. It`s not about getting better, it`s about living the way you want to live.

[everybodyhasabrain]

One thing you might find useful is ditching the focus on OCD. Instead of constantly fighting OCD, I found it helpful to switch to focusing on the healthy things I want to do and how to overcome the challenges to getting them done. Then you can accept whatever emotion you have. It's just part of the journey to doing healthy things. If everything is about overcoming OCD, what's the one thing you absolutely need? OCD. Try not to make OCD a requirement of doing healthy things.

[everybodyhasabrain]

Thanks for the question, Anastassia. These paradoxes pop up all of the time in recovery. For example, we use an approach like ERP because the anxiety we`re experiencing is taking over our lives, so we don`t want to live like that anymore, but to get rid of it, we have to stop wanting to get rid of it and instead welcome it into our lives and pursue it more, but by doing that, we experience it less. Recovery is very irrational.

[barryabrook]

For me "being sure that I am doing the right thing in order to heal" is a big OCD "theme" . I try to accept that I might actually not be doing the right thing about my OCD and that there is a possibility that I will never heal. I think you know if you are in OCD mode or not by what you feel. For example you have a split moment in your week when you say to yourself: "hey that felt right, this is how it should always feel". This approach also helps me define and apply my values in though times.

[carolynmcnally]

Hello Mark, I would like to tell you how much I'm so grateful for finding you. I'm pretty old not knowing to much about YouTube or anything else . one day I was crying like I always do I came across you some how .I have to say you have gave me hope .I listen to every word I'm trying so hard I really appreciate you alot. thank you so much you are truly one of a kind .

[Jazzzzer]

Mark, Very Insightful!! Thanks. The Disease has a "Sick and Twisted way" to Always want me to "Think/talk" about IT. But you are So "Right"...when one Mindfully "Refuses" to accept this Torment, and instead "Steps back" and Focuses on "Simply Being in the Moment"...and forgetting that u even have the illness, it doesn't seem to want to "Play, anymore"...and eventually leaves me alone. As long as I talk about it, and give it what it wants: Fear/Panick/Depression, it wants me to Suffer More"...

[MarioGarcia-efqf]

This is well for my HOCD, I gotta accept and push through.

[everybodyhasabrain]

Sure, there's no "should" with anxiety. It does whatever it does. For me, I found that the Uncertainty Curve happens each time I resist a compulsion (it rises and then falls), also over the course of a day, also over the course of many days, and also over the course of many months as I worked through recovery. In other words, the Uncertainty Curve is made up of many tiny Uncertainty Curves, which are also made up of many more Uncertainty Curves. Happy riding!

[ApogeeUK]

Hi Mark, I'd like to add my voice to those thanking you for your brilliant presentations. I'm practising ERP now and have already experienced the terrible anguish of reaching the peak of that uncertainty curve...As horrible as it sounds I really don't wish to put anyone off the process as I'm very happy to vouch for the fact that it's worth it. A 'breakthrough' does indeed occur. My relationship with my obsessive thoughts has definitely been altered for the better, my anxiety has been greatly reduced and I can now see light at the end of the tunnel. I genuinely believe you're helping to save lives with your upbeat, positive and practical approach. Thank you once again!

[ropiez]

Why are you not published or a therapist or something? You're doing incredible work.

[laxmandas]

Now whatever bad happens to me that causes me incredibly high anxiety i know i can habituate to that feeling or thought cause i know habituation is the only way to get over these uncomfortable feelings and thoughts... Like recently i faced cheating of my wife that really given me emotional pain but i can't leave her & she ask me my forgiveness so the way is erp that can make me feel good again for my wife & this is really right thing to do as mark advised in other video that we need not have those values that apart us from our beloved... So in just 8 days I became habitual of those cheating feelings and emotions now i love my wife & she too me... Thanks mark u r such a beautiful angel of god

[everybodyhasabrain]

Everybody is going to encounter set backs and your brain is going to invent all sorts of reasons to make you go backwards. Like I mentioned in my video about being irrational, it's useful to learn that you just need to do healthy things, without any reason or even if you think of reasons why it won't work. It's not about reasoning or arguing with your brain. It can say whatever it wants. Focus on doing healthy things instead of trying to fight OCD.

[SuzanneCheung]

You are very inspiring people and OCD can't control you. You are great friend of mine. I tried AA meeting and they said they just stop drinking and ignore anxiety.

[everybodyhasabrain]

You're welcome! Keep pushing along that journey!

[ludvikjerabek]

How the heck can you last 9 days? I’m like rolling over in my grave within the first 30 minutes of my experience 😂. I’ve never used drugs in my life but cutting out the compulsion must be similar to an addicts urge to use. The longest I’ve made it has been 24 hours. Im so uncomfortable with the thoughts and anxiety I break like a person in interrogation 🤪. I never had this problem till about 5 years ago and it’s seems to be linked to needing to certain about anything that seeds fear into my mind.

[NYRfanever]

Great stuff. I am tracking my progress through recovery process with a detailed notebook. Such a helpful tool

[mfsmyx]

Thanks for this! It's a really refreshing take on erp and the whole process of overcoming OCD

[raghugowda]

Thanks for your posts - very useful. God Bless

[PMelol]

I'm so terrible at not giving into compulsions. It's so hard. But I know it's the way forward. How do I motivave myself?