OCD?

[DV]

Hope this is the right place to put this. I was curious if anyone else developed severe OCD along with C-PTSD, and if so how they've dealt with it. I think I remember reading about it in Pete Walker's book, and so was wondering if this is a fairly common thing among people with C-PTSD.

I only really started to have obvious OCD symptoms when I went through a really stressful/difficult period of my life a few years ago, and all the C-PTSD stuff got a lot worse. For me, the OCD was the order/symmetry kind, and it's been hard to deal with since practically anything and everything can set it off (e.g. two things that aren't arranged "just right", etc.).

I know there's specific therapy and treatment for both OCD and C-PTSD, but I've heard different things about how that should be tackled. I even heard cases of where the OCD therapy/treatment actually made the C-PTSD symptoms *worse*, so perhaps tackling it the other way would be better? I don't know.

One of the reasons I haven't gone in for full-blown CBT/ERT therapy for OCD is that I feel like the C-PTSD stuff is really underneath all of it and that OCD therapy on its own is either not going to be successful without dealing with the C-PTSD stuff first, or else it'll even make the C-PTSD symptoms worse.

[Billy Pilgrim]

Hi DV,

I found your post just when I was looking to start a thread on Tourette Syndrom (TS). TS and OCD often go hand in hand, as they do in my case. Also, by the way, for James Rhodes. He is a British pianist, who suffered horrible things in his childhood (don't want to trigger anyone, so I'll leave it vague) and developped massive C-PTSD, along with TS and OCD. He later wrote a best-selling book about it, called "Instrumental". Check it our on Amazon - it's harsh, but full of weird British humor, too, and for me it provided a sense of peer group support, when there wasn't any available elsewhere.

Anyways, I feel TS has a worse impact on my life than OCD, but I do know all about things having to be just right. Among other things, I talk to myself whenever I'm alone (or think I am), and I get stuck on stuff I'm saying and have to go over it any number of times, until it is "right". And then I collect CDs - you can probably imagine the amount of pushing back and forth, evening out lines, etc. which that necessitates.

A month ago I Felt my C-PTSD therapy was going fine. I could actually imagine an end to it - maybe not an entirely happy end, but one I would be able to live with. Then I finally got to see a TS-specialist. I had known for a couple of decades I had it. But somehow, having it "certified", and realizing all it means, threw me off balance. I guess, for me, it's the other way round: the TS is beneath the C-PTSD. I never needed help, acceptance and comfort the way I needed them when TS started. Well, the fact that I am on this forum tells you what I got from my parents instead.

I'll say this though: C-PTSD got me to the very (verrrry) brink of killing myself. TS will not do that, not anymore. By now I am willing to pick up that little piece of whatever from the floor, because seeing it lying there causes me anguish. And if anything looks at me cautiously, I let them know I am so sorry, but this is a neurological condition and I just can't help it. So far, this has been a thrilling experience, because people are quite relieved when they finally find someone it is safe to open up to about their own (little) tics.

I am not sure this is of any help to you. Maybe I am just waving your country's flag, telling you you're not alone.

[Mojo50]

Hi.
I'm thankful for your post because I too suffer greatly from OCD bc of my cptsd. And today's not a great day. It often co occurs. I've had come to understand that I have OCD ( intrusive thoughts, questioning reality) bc of my childhood but I'm finding it hard to accept. Like intellectually... I know why I think the things I do, but it still stresses me out. I try to remind that little kid inside she's fine, she's safe and she's allowed to think and question whatever she needs to. I feel like I owe her that after years of shutting her down. This helps me a lot. And I don't know.... I hope this helps. You're normal, normal and normal. What happened to us was abnormal!!!  And I'm still working on accepting that I have ocd bc of my ptsd.