I just want to re-assure everyone, OCD can be cured, your life can return to normal and you can feel really happy again. I had horrific OCD, in fact, pure OCD about violence, thinking I wanted to murder my family, loved ones, knives in particular, I had these gut rentchening urges, thinking oh my god I am going to do IT, I want to do it, it was horrific!
In the end, it was no one fix that cured me, no silver bullet but a combination of strategies, including taking fish oil, good strong fish oil, which I categorically know made an massive impact in my general health, then hypnotherapy, and CBT. I went in open minded, (I would have tried sawing off my own arm at the time had I thought it would have cured me) and generally healthier eating, all these helped, not least excercise - yep the dreaded excercise, that I am often too lazy to do but its amazing how it can make you feel.
In combination with accepting the thoughts, not fighting them really helped too. I'd see a knife and instead of thinking oh no, what does that mean, I instead thought cool, that's there to test me in a positive way, I'd even say, go on then pick it up, go into my daughters room and see what you do. All these challenges helped.
Don't get me wrong, under really stressful situations they can re-appear but then I just think, oh ok, I get it, they're here again, whilst I am low, just to spoil my fun and just add to my misery, great, but I accept it as that, their back because I'm stressed or whatever but that's all, they'll disappear again. The thing to remember if you do get a sudden return of them is to accept that it all goes in cycles and they have come around again, but they will go again and each time they go, they will get weaker and weaker and disappear for longer and longer periods until they're a distant memory you can look back on and wonder how you ever fell for it in first place.
Its important to remember too that as we age, they deminish and get weaker. Its unfortunate that more people don't write or post more success stories how they got cured because it would really give other people hope that, yes, life can be good again and yes, you can be cured of them.
Finally, I read a fantastic quote that cured someone else that I felt helped me, whilst driving along, the guy said, he had a thought come into his mind, right at that moment, he said to himself, that's it, I am never going to listen to this crap again and on that one decision, he was instantly rid of the thoughts - rid in the sense that they just bounced back as soon as they entered his mind. To be honest, many times, I used that technique to nip any up rising of the thoughts in the butt right there and then. I simply say to myself, imagine how good life would be if I didnt have these thoughts right now, how different I would be feeling, I picture that thought and try to image how good I'd feel. When your brain makes that connection to a feeling of happiness or calmness its amazing how you quickly realise how its imprisioning you.
All I know is that we are not alone, there is a future and a happy future and you can be cured you just got to believe it. Avoid reading negativity about OCD, download self hypnosis tapes, read books, eat healthly as best you can do some form of excercise, but ultimately just think how good you can feel. If you choose to take action. Even if the disappear for an hour, next time they could disappear for 2 hours, and so one.
The bottomline, it can be cured, you just got to believe it and believe in yourself and be calm with yourself.
Good luck and soon you will be writing success stories like me. Life is good!
Hope the above helps, I know I waffled on a bit.
PS. Also, check out EMDR (google it) as much as there is limited research on how it can help people with OCD, I believe (in my own opinion) that OCD can be caused by early childhood experiences and it could simply be a form of post traumatic stress disorder, in another form, but keep searching for a cure that works for you and I am also a firm believer that drugs are not the cure, they only mask the symptoms, they may help you get through tough patches but they won't free you from them for life, so seek alternative cures and trust me you will be cured and free of the tourment. Drugs only make the drug companies rich and hook you in. Avoid negativity, get positive, the future really is bright!
