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Anyone have ocd and emetephobia? Would love to connect!

I came across an article that I thought people might find helpful. https://ocdclinicbrisbane.com.au/blog/not-just-right-experiences-njres-ocd/ It talks about incompleteness/not just right experiences (a desire to get things 'just right' or 'complete' and to reduce a sense of discomfort) and how they are characterized differently from harm avoidance (a desire to prevent harm and reduce anxiety). Here are some snippets from the article I paraphrased that I thought were important: One of the similarities across Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum Disorders is “not just right experiences” (NJRE’s) which refer to the repetition of certain actions or behaviors until someone feels “just right” or gains a sense of “completeness” (Coles, Frost, Heimberg, & Rhéaume, 2003). NJRE’s have provided some challenges for clinicians as the compulsions are driven by sensory discomfort and some studies show NJREs are associated with high symptom severity (Ferrão et al., 2012) and poorer response to treatment (Foa, Abramowitz, Franklin, & Kozak, 1999). Treatment may be more difficult because young people with NJREs can be affected by virtually every part of the day, whereas more typical OCD symptoms are triggered by specific things (Reid, Storch and Lewin, 2009). Treatment outcome data suggests that NJRE dominated OCD may have a poorer response (Summerfeldt, 2004; Tallis, 1996) and may benefit most from behavioral exercises encouraging tolerance to the emotional state of “incompleteness” rather than dysfunctional cognitions (Pietrefesa and Coles, 2009).

7.27.2021 This past week she said out loud That she’s extraordinarily proud Of my resilience, my work, of all done by me Of my willingness to combat OCD Early in the week, I did a hard thing Not realizing how much freedom it’d bring After nearly two years, I remained very scared But get better, I wouldn’t, if I hadn’t dared There I sat, across from her Should I do it? I wondered, I wasn’t sure Except sure I was, I would reveal A part of me I wish wasn’t real It was shame and embarrassment I had to feel In order to make this not such a big deal It was accepting that in order to heal What I would do would be breaking the seal To step up to bat, to take off my hat With fear and worry I anxiously sat But in that moment, I took a big chance Hoping she’d only take one little glance I leaned in, I emerged from a dark lonely place I had come out of hiding in an extra safe space A space in which it is safe to cry A space in which it’s not only just I On the big comfy couch, I felt so small I wished I could’ve just put up a wall To hide myself, push my feelings away But I knew that was not how I’d be okay Being okay means taking that leap And seeing the benefits you could reap Freedom doesn’t come from avoiding hard things Freedom comes from the joy that life brings And when one avoids, this joy does not come And that is a choice made often by some Leaving them feeling anxious and glum It’s those feelings to which I chose not to succumb Life doesn’t bring joy with OCD in command Believe it or not, I can live a life much more grand To do this one must welcome an uncomfortable feeling Despite anxiety being as high as the ceiling It is this way alone we learn a new way of dealing It is this way we begin to feel a sense of healing I knew in that moment what I had to do To start seeing myself from a whole other view So, Tuesday morning it was, on the teal couch I sat And in the last minute of session, I took off my hat A hat you may think is light as a feather But for me it’s become more of a tether Tying me to fear, to embarrassment, and a ton of shame Keeping me from playing the most important game The game of life That with OCD in tow, is full of much strife A life full of worry, a life full of fear A life where I’m not mindfully here Here in the present is where I must be To be that person I can no longer see Lost in time, space and thought In a vicious cycle I’ve been caught But thanks to her, I have skills I’ve been taught So how did I escape this dark scary place? Remind you I will, that it isn’t a race Everyone goes at their own steady pace My pace has been slower, it took over a year For me to overcome my biggest fear I took off my hat, I came out of hiding It was a big anxious wave on which I was riding A flood of emotions rushed to my brain But finally I felt a lesser sense of pain In revealing myself, it was freedom I’d gain Revealed, there I sat, across from Jen It was no longer a question of why not or when? All that I felt was a strange sense of zen In an office that feels like a safe, cozy den Another piece of my puzzle I’d given away Still worried about what she might say But say much she didn’t, and that’s okay, too I could tell she was thinking, “Yay Sam, go you!” I couldn’t believe what I had just done And for a second, I thought, “Maybe this could be fun!” Though not a race, I’ve definitely run From feeling, from healing, from having good fun Having good fun is not easily done While fighting a battle OCD has seemingly won Fun is not had when in OCD’s bubble Yourself you can’t be in such a miserable struggle To overcome this struggle one must work hard and fight A new life it could bring, full of joy and delight So what one must do is reach for the wheel Sit in the driver’s seat, and feel what they feel So one can get to what’s actually real Though it’s uncomfortable feelings this journey brings It’s about the freedom that’s gained from doing hard things