I’m recognizing that my OCD is a symptom of trauma. It’s how I’ve coped and adapted to toxic environments. It created doubts and fears. I’m realizing I have to get to healthy spaces and process before I do the ERP work. (EMDR does that too anyway.) have a therapist who actually believes I can heal and doesn’t judge; judgmental therapists did NOT help ocd! It’s a trauma response. Negative beliefs, judgements, and fear of dying... it comes from somewhere. “Everyone has a brain, so everyone has mental health!” And sometimes brain get sick. Trauma injuries create responses. I’m learning the roots so I can find healthier responses. This channel and there’s also another one by Daniel Mackler that helped me; I appreciate these healing focused channels; shows self compassion is the only way out! It is true.
You literally saved me from my OCD. Or, to live with the thoughts, since the first time I had the symptoms. Your videos have been the best advice, EVER. No book or website could compare. Just wanna say thank you from the bottom of my heart. Keep up the good work!
Hey Mark, just wanted to let you know that ever since I started struggling so much with my intrusive thoughts, I found your vid here on YT and others' too but it's your vids I always look back to in my mind every time I feel like I'm going the wrong direction again and it gives me hope every time I remember the things you say. It's been almost 4 months since my first episode of anxiety due to intrusive thoughts. I've seen some good improvements with my self but I'm still trying my best to deal with them every day but I'm just thankful I found your vids sooner and it didn't take me years before I was even able to identify my problem and find countermeasures for it. Bless you!
nekif820 that’s so good! I would also suggest seeing a professional psychologist or counsellor to really help kick it. I have been seeing a psychologist and currently I’m seeing a Christian counsellor, which for me and my faith is important, especially with my guilt and confessing ocd, which could be the root of my ocd even. All the best friend!
@@SonicTheHedgeTrimmir Hey man! Thanks! Yeah, I've been seeing a psychiatrist these past few months too. She diagnosed me with anxiety, not OCD. Tbh, I don't wanna self-diagnose but the way I see and understand my case, I say it's very close to OCD. She suggested a few things I can do to help my self and one that helped me a lot so far was meditation. I think Mark also suggested that in his other videos. All the best to you too! We're gonna recover!
I did my first exposure today! It was painful but I didn’t die and I could remind myself this was only temporary. Tried to love myself like a child. It is hard but worth it work.
Super encouraging Mark, and that word brain design that came together is super creative! Thank you you legend! I sometimes lose hope for full recovery but you are helping me not to.
Yo I feel the same way. I just try to remember Mark's vids and all of a sudden it just keeps me right back on track. His testimonies are just music to my ears! haha
nekif820 that’s so good! Yeah testimonies are so powerful. I’m glad you keep finding hope too! You got this dude! Thanks for the reply, it’s nice to feel as if we are all in this together :)
omg this made me tear up, u are strong for making through all that, and everyone who has any kind of mental issues we are fighters, thanks for that I really need this, it's been such a hard months for me 😪
One thing that can be really important to recognize is that it's not different than any other compulsion. Checking for reassurance about whether you're doing recovery "right" or checking if something is or isn't OCD or anything like that is no different than checking on and chasing certainty about any bad thing you want to check and chase certainty about and control. So this is one of the reasons I recommend that people build mental health around things they want to keep and build and create in life. If you're focused on trying to avoid and control some bad thing, of course it'll turn into a compulsion. It'll become the new problem to fix and solve. Instead, you can shift the focus to values and what you want to create. We can build and create with any thought or feeling. Instead of chasing some uncertainty about mental illness symptoms, I can put my time and energy to growing things I do care about.
Hi, what's the difference between doing the things even when it's giving me anxiety, and keeping on exposing myself to harmful stressors..? I hope u understood my question 😅 thanks
Hello sir Sir i want to talk with you sir i don,t know what type of depression or illness I am suffering but my life was seems to be stopped , sir my thought is actually changed, I can't justify good or bad thing, sir my behavior changed(as opposite gender) sir this happen from 2 to 3 months
hey mark, how to deal with ocd and math? I am always making sure I know every step, or every sentence. How to deal with this? And for intrusive thoughts, it feels like I can leave them for now, but that I have to do something with them in the future. Thanks.
Good day Mark. I just want to ask if neglecting your mental and physical health, for example staying up late just indulging yourself in social media and other kinds of distraction, is normal when experiencing a mental disorder especially OCD? I'm at this stage where I feel like I just want to distract my self away from the thoughts that I have so I won't have any of it until I stop looking at my phone. I have troubles following my sleep schedule anymore and I'm also having trouble stopping my self from looking through my phone and also self-doubts and dissociation starts to happen . Can you give any tips about this and how to break free from it?
I would see those as compulsions that are part of our mental health and fitness. It can really help to see that we each only have one brain. And that brain does not have little compartments. There is not an OCD section in the brain. All of our mental health is one big system. So it can really help to start making changes throughout our lives. Any change we make is an opportunity to start improving our mental health. The first exercise in my book is actually to learn how to stop checking your phone. So that could be a great place to start!
For me it seems impossible, how 2 stop those thoughts, i know they are "just" thoughts. But everytime i am going outside, i see "poison/toxic stuff" on the street, worrying i am going to take it in my home under my shoes. No idea how to overcome, yes just do it, but thats the problem🤪
Trying to stop the thoughts would only make things worse, not better. If somebody suggested doing that, it's not going to make things better. That's like trying to improve physical fitness by trying to avoid sweating. If you're not familiar with getting over this stuff, it can help to work with a skilled professional, grab a good workbook, follow an online course, etc.
Amazing video, as always. The piano was a nice touch in the end, very comforting. Regarding one of your compulsions, were you able to quit porn altogether? How long did it take? Have you relapsed after quitting it for a long time? I'm gonna fight this stuff, it's my next mental fitness goals, I'm noticing the cues that get me watching porn and I'm slowly changing them or my reaction to then. What more do you think can help me quit and prevent relapsea?
Thanks! Sure, there were lots of times I relapsed before I got a handle on it (pun intended) but it also wasn't super helpful to be super rigid (also pun intended). I remember keeping track of how many days without porn, and I tracked that for over 300 days, but then I noticed I was putting so much time and energy into not doing a thing and making sure I wasn't doing a thing, but that wasn't magically building relationships or a sex life I did want to live, so I shifted my focus to building that. And I could've done that sooner. It's a useful way to approach any of these challenges and helps so much more with preventing relapse because we're too busy living something we'd much rather have. So that'd be one thing that helped: What do you want to build instead? And something that helped with that was making things choices. I choose to build other things. Across the board, that's really helpful with doing things we value instead of doing compulsions. I can choose to do any compulsion. I can choose to do a million different things tonight. But what do I value doing? It's not that the other things are bad and I must avoid them. Then the brain gets us into relapsing because it becomes this big problem I need to solve. There's no problem to solve. I just want to build the things I care about. So I choose those. In each moment, all I have is a choice about how I spend my time and energy. And if you know there are particular situations where you always end up on porn but you want to choose something else, how can you make it easier to choose the things you value? When I was first cutting out porn, I went and bought some interesting magazines and books by my favourite author and practiced choosing to pick up those books and read. It's ok to make choices easier when you're first learning to make choices.
Hi Mark, I have a question. Been using your videos a lot in my recovery from OCD, mainly HOCD and POCD. It has really helped me to understand my OCD brain, and to understand my OCD and intrusive thoughts to be just stuff in my head, or brain farts as you put it. But I still struggles with actions, like I feel that I have done a physical action that triggers my POCD or HOCD. Its often something unforgivable or unspeakable that confirms that I am either this or that. I really can't stop judging actions, because in my mind they represent me, and my intentions, I can't really just let actions be actions, I always judge them. And then I need to start with compulsions; did I really mean that, did I think that when I did that, did I really do that etc. Until I get a reasonable solution or answer that I can live with. Can you help me how to better understand my OCD brain when it comes to actions, and what to do? Thank you!
Mark I’m sorry for bothering you again but last night I was scrolling through Instagram and I saw a cool lion tattoo , and then in my head I wondered what if the lion roared and I imagined it in my head and got scared because I don’t wanna get Hallucinations, I’m scared Mark , do you think that is apart of harm ocd and derealization
It can really help to cut out compulsions like checking for reassurance like this. What I'd also look at is just the judgments and attaching meaning to imagining something. The brain imagines stuff. That's what it does! If you attach meaning and worry about the stuff the brain throws up, that's always going to create a lot of struggle. It's a compulsion I call: "thinking things are things that aren't things". The brain thinks stuff and imagines stuff and feels stuff. Why waste time chasing after that stuff?
my life has become so much more enjoyable, and ive been able to do the things i love to do, because of your help. Thank you so much
That's awesome to hear, Alex. Enjoy all of the adventures ahead!
It is so inspirational seeing where you were and where you are now mark, I have rocd and you give me hope for my life.
Things can be different!
Thanks Mark for being open about your experiences
I’m recognizing that my OCD is a symptom of trauma. It’s how I’ve coped and adapted to toxic environments. It created doubts and fears. I’m realizing I have to get to healthy spaces and process before I do the ERP work. (EMDR does that too anyway.) have a therapist who actually believes I can heal and doesn’t judge; judgmental therapists did NOT help ocd! It’s a trauma response. Negative beliefs, judgements, and fear of dying... it comes from somewhere. “Everyone has a brain, so everyone has mental health!” And sometimes brain get sick. Trauma injuries create responses. I’m learning the roots so I can find healthier responses. This channel and there’s also another one by Daniel Mackler that helped me; I appreciate these healing focused channels; shows self compassion is the only way out! It is true.
You literally saved me from my OCD. Or, to live with the thoughts, since the first time I had the symptoms. Your videos have been the best advice, EVER. No book or website could compare. Just wanna say thank you from the bottom of my heart. Keep up the good work!
You're welcome! Happy to be part of your adventures :)
I always get so happy when I see a new video posted
I had a really bad morning today. And now I believe I can go on, thanks a millionth, Mark.
😁🙌
Mark. Thank you. Earth needs you.
Hey Mark, just wanted to let you know that ever since I started struggling so much with my intrusive thoughts, I found your vid here on YT and others' too but it's your vids I always look back to in my mind every time I feel like I'm going the wrong direction again and it gives me hope every time I remember the things you say. It's been almost 4 months since my first episode of anxiety due to intrusive thoughts. I've seen some good improvements with my self but I'm still trying my best to deal with them every day but I'm just thankful I found your vids sooner and it didn't take me years before I was even able to identify my problem and find countermeasures for it. Bless you!
nekif820 that’s so good! I would also suggest seeing a professional psychologist or counsellor to really help kick it. I have been seeing a psychologist and currently I’m seeing a Christian counsellor, which for me and my faith is important, especially with my guilt and confessing ocd, which could be the root of my ocd even. All the best friend!
I'm glad you've found these videos helpful on your adventures!
@@SonicTheHedgeTrimmir Hey man! Thanks! Yeah, I've been seeing a psychiatrist these past few months too. She diagnosed me with anxiety, not OCD. Tbh, I don't wanna self-diagnose but the way I see and understand my case, I say it's very close to OCD. She suggested a few things I can do to help my self and one that helped me a lot so far was meditation. I think Mark also suggested that in his other videos. All the best to you too! We're gonna recover!
nekif820 that’s awesome you’re getting help! Yes, we will :)
Thank you Mark
amazing mark. thanks!
Good content
Your book (and videos) has been such a gamechanger for me. Thanks!
Thank you for taking them along on your trek through the wilderness :)
My favorite video from the channel, thanks!
I did my first exposure today! It was painful but I didn’t die and I could remind myself this was only temporary. Tried to love myself like a child. It is hard but worth it work.
Your awesome mark, when I get lost I always get back in track by watching your videos, and slowly but surely making progress.
Enjoy stepping back on that path :)
Yes me too
Sir you are great
Super encouraging Mark, and that word brain design that came together is super creative! Thank you you legend! I sometimes lose hope for full recovery but you are helping me not to.
Yo I feel the same way. I just try to remember Mark's vids and all of a sudden it just keeps me right back on track. His testimonies are just music to my ears! haha
nekif820 that’s so good! Yeah testimonies are so powerful. I’m glad you keep finding hope too! You got this dude! Thanks for the reply, it’s nice to feel as if we are all in this together :)
Thank you
You're welcome.
omg this made me tear up, u are strong for making through all that, and everyone who has any kind of mental issues we are fighters, thanks for that I really need this, it's been such a hard months for me 😪
Wishing you all the best with your next steps!
Thank you for sharing your story Mark 🙏🏻
Thank you for supporting that sharing, David!
Great video Mark!!!
Love this.
You are the best ! More power to you Mark! ,😍😍❣️🙇
Thank you! 😃
Thanks Mark :)
Thank you very much !💙💛💚
You're welcome, Crystal :)
Good video, it's like art
Makes a lot of sense
And it's good to know your own experiences
Thanks!
The outro sounds like it could make a great hiphop beat 🙌😄
It is a great hiphop beat! I just used it for the outro :)
Love it
Another banger of a video Mark 😁 Great job
Thank you, Andreas!
Nice video!
Thanks, Mike!
Mark what to do when you start obsessing about obsessing or OCD goes meta?
One thing that can be really important to recognize is that it's not different than any other compulsion. Checking for reassurance about whether you're doing recovery "right" or checking if something is or isn't OCD or anything like that is no different than checking on and chasing certainty about any bad thing you want to check and chase certainty about and control. So this is one of the reasons I recommend that people build mental health around things they want to keep and build and create in life. If you're focused on trying to avoid and control some bad thing, of course it'll turn into a compulsion. It'll become the new problem to fix and solve. Instead, you can shift the focus to values and what you want to create.
We can build and create with any thought or feeling. Instead of chasing some uncertainty about mental illness symptoms, I can put my time and energy to growing things I do care about.
Hi, what's the difference between doing the things even when it's giving me anxiety, and keeping on exposing myself to harmful stressors..?
I hope u understood my question 😅 thanks
Hello sir
Sir i want to talk with you sir i don,t know what type of depression or illness I am suffering but my life was seems to be stopped , sir my thought is actually changed, I can't justify good or bad thing, sir my behavior changed(as opposite gender) sir this happen from 2 to 3 months
hey mark, how to deal with ocd and math? I am always making sure I know every step, or every sentence. How to deal with this? And for intrusive thoughts, it feels like I can leave them for now, but that I have to do something with them in the future. Thanks.
Good day Mark. I just want to ask if neglecting your mental and physical health, for example staying up late just indulging yourself in social media and other kinds of distraction, is normal when experiencing a mental disorder especially OCD? I'm at this stage where I feel like I just want to distract my self away from the thoughts that I have so I won't have any of it until I stop looking at my phone. I have troubles following my sleep schedule anymore and I'm also having trouble stopping my self from looking through my phone and also self-doubts and dissociation starts to happen . Can you give any tips about this and how to break free from it?
I would see those as compulsions that are part of our mental health and fitness. It can really help to see that we each only have one brain. And that brain does not have little compartments. There is not an OCD section in the brain. All of our mental health is one big system. So it can really help to start making changes throughout our lives. Any change we make is an opportunity to start improving our mental health. The first exercise in my book is actually to learn how to stop checking your phone. So that could be a great place to start!
Wow it is awsome 🤩
For me it seems impossible, how 2 stop those thoughts, i know they are "just" thoughts.
But everytime i am going outside, i see "poison/toxic stuff" on the street, worrying i am going to take it in my home under my shoes. No idea how to overcome, yes just do it, but thats the problem🤪
Trying to stop the thoughts would only make things worse, not better. If somebody suggested doing that, it's not going to make things better. That's like trying to improve physical fitness by trying to avoid sweating. If you're not familiar with getting over this stuff, it can help to work with a skilled professional, grab a good workbook, follow an online course, etc.
Amazing video, as always. The piano was a nice touch in the end, very comforting. Regarding one of your compulsions, were you able to quit porn altogether? How long did it take? Have you relapsed after quitting it for a long time? I'm gonna fight this stuff, it's my next mental fitness goals, I'm noticing the cues that get me watching porn and I'm slowly changing them or my reaction to then. What more do you think can help me quit and prevent relapsea?
Thanks! Sure, there were lots of times I relapsed before I got a handle on it (pun intended) but it also wasn't super helpful to be super rigid (also pun intended). I remember keeping track of how many days without porn, and I tracked that for over 300 days, but then I noticed I was putting so much time and energy into not doing a thing and making sure I wasn't doing a thing, but that wasn't magically building relationships or a sex life I did want to live, so I shifted my focus to building that. And I could've done that sooner. It's a useful way to approach any of these challenges and helps so much more with preventing relapse because we're too busy living something we'd much rather have. So that'd be one thing that helped: What do you want to build instead?
And something that helped with that was making things choices. I choose to build other things. Across the board, that's really helpful with doing things we value instead of doing compulsions. I can choose to do any compulsion. I can choose to do a million different things tonight. But what do I value doing? It's not that the other things are bad and I must avoid them. Then the brain gets us into relapsing because it becomes this big problem I need to solve. There's no problem to solve. I just want to build the things I care about. So I choose those. In each moment, all I have is a choice about how I spend my time and energy.
And if you know there are particular situations where you always end up on porn but you want to choose something else, how can you make it easier to choose the things you value? When I was first cutting out porn, I went and bought some interesting magazines and books by my favourite author and practiced choosing to pick up those books and read. It's ok to make choices easier when you're first learning to make choices.
@@everybodyhasabrain Thank you so much for answering with a such well thought answer. That really helps!
Hi Mark,
I have a question.
Been using your videos a lot in my recovery from OCD, mainly HOCD and POCD. It has really helped me to understand my OCD brain, and to understand my OCD and intrusive thoughts to be just stuff in my head, or brain farts as you put it.
But I still struggles with actions, like I feel that I have done a physical action that triggers my POCD or HOCD. Its often something unforgivable or unspeakable that confirms that I am either this or that. I really can't stop judging actions, because in my mind they represent me, and my intentions, I can't really just let actions be actions, I always judge them. And then I need to start with compulsions; did I really mean that, did I think that when I did that, did I really do that etc. Until I get a reasonable solution or answer that I can live with.
Can you help me how to better understand my OCD brain when it comes to actions, and what to do?
Thank you!
Mark I’m sorry for bothering you again but last night I was scrolling through Instagram and I saw a cool lion tattoo , and then in my head I wondered what if the lion roared and I imagined it in my head and got scared because I don’t wanna get Hallucinations, I’m scared Mark , do you think that is apart of harm ocd and derealization
It can really help to cut out compulsions like checking for reassurance like this. What I'd also look at is just the judgments and attaching meaning to imagining something. The brain imagines stuff. That's what it does! If you attach meaning and worry about the stuff the brain throws up, that's always going to create a lot of struggle. It's a compulsion I call: "thinking things are things that aren't things". The brain thinks stuff and imagines stuff and feels stuff. Why waste time chasing after that stuff?
👌💓
❤️
Can't relate anymore 😖🥴
❤
😁