How long should therapy last?

I have been in therapy for weeks, working with my therapist on EMDRP techniques. We’ve tackled my fears and triggers head-on, but despite my best efforts, my OCD is still very much present in my life.
I wonder how long I should keep doing this. I am starting to lose hope that anything will ever change. I am exhausted from the constant battle in my mind and feel like giving up. I will appreciate any ideas.

As a person with OCD, I understand your frustration and exhaustion from constantly battling with intrusive thoughts and compulsive behaviors. While I haven’t done EMDR myself, all types of therapy can be challenging, and it takes time to see changes. A good option, however, is to reassess your treatment goals with your therapist in case you feel too challenged.

Try another therapy, my friend. I haven’t heard about EMDR before, probably this is some innovative one. However, look at ACT or ERP as those are proven to work for most people with OCD.

This is a piece of good advice. Also, experimenting with more relaxation methods might help you find relief.

I found relief for myself. I hope that our suggestions help @Jesper in some way. I can also add that reading more studies and success stories online might give him extra inspiration.

I knew it was not a common one, but my therapist recommended it. I feel more relief doing it these days, so I will probably keep going for a few more days until I decide whether I should change it.

Fair enough. I am interested to know if this therapy helped you cause i don’t have much information about its effects :slight_smile:

Yes, although it took some time, I feel more in tune with myself now. The frequency of my obsessions and compulsions is reduced by 50-60%, and I can do my job well.

Wow, what a result, right? Do you have any projections on whether your obsessions and compulsions can be reduced by over 90% or close?

I sincerely hope so. We haven’t set a concrete number with my therapist, but we are working towards achieving maximum results. Overall. I have reasonable projections and feel I can recover fully.

Usually, when someone has a similar feeling, they likely achieve their targets. I would love to hear if it went well for you. :slight_smile:

Yes and no for now. My objectives are certainly not met, but my therapist said that I set too high goals for the given time frame and case specifics. Anyway, I am not discouraged in any way.

Your experience sounds a little like mine when I was battling my ocd. You will achieve great results if you don’t give up or redirect from your destination.