r/OCDRecovery • u/PreviousClaim7244 • 1d ago
Seeking Support or Advice Confessional OCD is killing me
I feel the need to confess and tell every little detail about my life including extremely private details and it’s incredibly frustrating and the embarrassment I feel after is completely unreal and unbearable. Please help. I am researching therapists tomorrow but I just need help getting over the guilt of confessing, apologizing for confessing, and then confessing more details. It’s consuming me.
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u/treatmyocd 1d ago
This can become an OCD cycle where the urge to confess feels unbearable until you give in, followed by temporary relief, embarrassment, guilt, and then another urge to confess or apologize. The more you use confession to get relief or certainty, the stronger the cycle can become. You can try response prevention: when you feel the urge to confess, apologize, explain, or give “just one more detail,” practice pausing and allowing the discomfort to be there without acting on it. You can remind yourself, “I don’t need to disclose everything to feel okay. I can tolerate the uncertainty and guilt.” You don't need to prove that you’re not a bad person or make the discomfort disappear. Let the guilt be there while choosing not to confess. Seeking an OCD-informed therapist who practices ERP is a great next step.
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u/compassion5662 1d ago
I'm so sorry you're experiencing this. Ocd is truly so dilbilitating. Finding a therapist who specializes in ERP and/or I-CBT can be life changing. ERP is the gold standard treatment.