Therapy advice...ocd?

[disbelief]

Hi all,

I'm looking for some advice...kind of reaching the end of my rope with this. So my main problem is the intrusive thoughts...but mine are very specific and relate to a horror movie I was shown repeatedly when I was pretty young...so scenes from the movie, mostly the soundtrack...all jump in either at random or when I see/do/hear something vaguely related...this is followed by a spike of anxiety and general feeling low for a while. it's like I'm being constantly hammered down by these thoughts :-(

the really annoying thing is I had EMDR a few years ago and it seemed to work - the anxiety lifted, thoughts stopped and I had a fantastic few years. then of all the rotten luck one of the songs from the soundtrack came on the radio randomly and the old problems started again.

So it's time to get this sorted for good, but what kind of therapy do you guys reckon would be best to tackle this? EMDR again? CBT? At this point I'm probably even willing to try some exposure therapy :-( Would it be classed as OCD or a phobia?

Also would be good to hear form anyone else who's had anything similar, so far it looks like I'm the only one!

sorry for all the questions...first post nerves!

[vicky23]

hi,
welcome first of all
I'm not entirely sure tbh, I guess you could class it as OCD because you're obsessing but it sounds like it's specific to one trigger which sounds more like a phobia
In terms of treatment.... CBT and exposure therapy are very similar and linked in my experience given that you're trying to change the way you think you often have to expose yourself to the feared thing so that your brain can unlearn that as a trigger to your panic.
So I would definitely go to your GP and get a referral to a specialist.
Hope you can get some relief!

[NoPoet]

Hi, don't worry, there is hope.

Someone once said that therapy should be regarded as something that you can access every so often to "top up" your coping skills and manage any problems which arise later down the line. Don't think of it as something that lasts eight weeks then boom.

You probably haven't had to use your coping skills for years so bring them out, dust them off and get practicing. You have not failed or become "weak", you've had a normal reaction which has triggered bad memories, that's all. Bad habits are hard to break. When you have a strong memory of something, your body often recalls how it felt at that precise moment. It's called mood memory (IIRC). This tricks so many of us by making us think we've relapsed.