Looking for similar cases. Help please.

[jhgil26]

Hi.

I'm a spanish boy of 40 years ols. First of all I apologyse for my mistakes writting in english.

I've been trying to find people on the net with the same fear that I have so that to know how they are dealing with it and for not feeling so strange besides for being able to relativize these thoughts.

My fear is to suffer forever in every reincarnation physically torture without end. I must admit this is the worst obsession I've had. Actually it's the worst one my brain could find because before i thought about it for the first time, my tipe of obsession was such as religious/scrupulosity type.

Nowadays I take medication by prescription and I go to a therapist.

I'd need to know if there are people with the same fear.

I'd be so so pleasant to know it and I need so much your help...

Thanks

 

[Daniel E.]

Re: Looking for similar cases. Help please

:welcome:

That was one of my first obsessions with OCD when I was 17 years old as I was born into a very religious family. After a few years, my obsessions didn't have the eternal element but were similar, e.g. fear of being in prison for a long time. Twenty years later at 41, I still have obsessions about going to prison sometimes.

Usually what helps me the most is treating my underlying anxiety like you are already doing with therapy and medication. Also avoiding unnecessary stress, exercising, socializing, mindfulness techniques, etc.

 

[jhgil26]

Was your first obssesion related with eternal suffer and the reincarnation?

 

[Daniel E.]

Three basic themes I had:

- Going to hell forever. (As I was raised Christian, so that was my main fear until I lost my traditioanal religious beliefs.)

- Reincarnating forever though not usually in the personal sense but in the sense that suffering goes on forever. (This started after worrying about the hell thing.)

- Being tortured and/or imprisoned until death. (Another attempt to create a hell in a way.)

- Existential OCD where you can never know for sure how meaningful life is. (So a hell of uncertainty.)

But all obsessive thoughts and other anxieties are similar in a way. They are about a loss (of control, of health, or whatever) in the future. Meanwhile, you are in hell now in a way and don't even realize it. That's why my last therapist was pushing mindfulness so much. She was happy for me when I went to a meditation class, etc. It takes practice to get out of "OCD land" more and more.

As you may experience, OCD, like depression, can go in cycles to some degree.

 

[Daniel E.]

I also like DBT:

Dialectical Behavior Therapy for OCD

How to Apply DBT Skills to OCD

If you're wondering how you may be able to used DBT skills with your OCD, here are examples of how these skills are used:

Distress Tolerance: These skills are used to either distract or self-soothe when faced with disturbing thoughts or emotions.

Emotional Regulation: By learning skills to manage the anxiety related to obsessions and/or fear, you will begin to realize that your anxiety will lessen with time without having to give in to the usual compulsion or reassurance.

Interpersonal Effectiveness: This set of skills helps you manage your feelings related to interactions with others, which might include needing to seek reassurance.

Mindfulness: The skill of mindfulness helps you to be more present in the moment. Being mindful includes not hanging on and attaching to distressing thoughts, practicing being non-judgmental (realizing that your thoughts are neither right nor wrong,) and redirecting your thoughts to the present moment when intrusive, repetitive thoughts occur.

 

[Daniel E.]

Also, personally, much of the time I was in therapy, I was unknowingly trying to get reassurance from my therapist. So if therapy seems like a waste of time or too frustrating or unhelpful, it is important to discuss these concerns with your therapist . "Don't try to outsmart your therapist" was the basic advice I got when I saw an expert psychiatrist on OCD.

More info:

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder :: OCD

Dialectical Behavior Therapy :: DBT

Mindfulness, Relaxation, Meditation

 

[jhgil26]

Thanks a lot for the answer.

I'm trying to see the life other way with my therapist. Hope to find a way out.

It would be interesting to know all the things you're disovering as well.