Guest guest Posted June 24, 2004 Report Share Posted June 24, 2004 : After reading your post today I had another quick thought about something that happened at one of our pdoc appointments that really helped . His doc had a plastic model of the brain, and actually let him hold it and showed him the parts of his brain that were " misfiring " or " overactive " during his OCD moments. This seemed to give a physical reference and really help him believe that the OCD thoughts were coming from an outside source, not his own. When was at his most severe about 3 years ago, he also did the chronic confessing thing. He needed to confess that he wrote on his hand with magic marker, or touched the seat on the school bus in front of him, or that his teacher looked stupid. He had a " worry notebook " where he wanted us to write down all his confessions and he would refuse to go to school or sleep without it. It is painful still for me to remember how distressed he was, and my heart goes out to you and Cody, who seems to be in a similar place. 's thoughts at the time seemed to center on rules - he was chronically scared he'd broken a rule, no matter how small, and compulsively confessed to relieve his fear and guilt over this. He says now he thought he was evil too. was only 6 at the time, not medicated and not diagnosed. But I wondered if somehow showing Cody the brain mechanism might help relieve guilty feelings - that the random thoughts aren't really his. He sounds like maybe he's ashamed of the thoughts or afraid to disappoint you and maybe that has something to do with why he feels worse when he tells you? Or maybe he's hoping that telling you will make the anxiety go away and he feels worse when it doesn't work? Just a thought.... Another thing we did in the course of therapy is make posters to hang in 's room with " boss back " messages - like visual reminders to him. They said things like " Wrinkles Rock " (he was afraid of going to sleep with wrinkles in his bed comforter) or " OCD stinks - not me " . This was a way to help reinforce the concepts without me breathing down his neck about it. I hope your pdoc has some good answers or suggestions for you at the next appt. Keep us updated! - (MI) PS Don't forget the oxygen mask theory (as I often do)! - we need to take care of ourselves or we'll get so run down we will no longer be able to help them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 24, 2004 Report Share Posted June 24, 2004 , I read your post to Cody, and he was in total agreement with everything you said. You definitely seem to be able to relate. Cody and sound a lot alike. Cody said to " tell we said that " . I told him you probably would, because we're all parent-child partner teams in this fight. Cody is writing down " boss back messages " right now. I will keep you posted. We quit allowing him to confess since he thinks it makes it so much worse. I almost have come to the conclusion that it is definitely compulsive confessing. He told me yesterday that when he has a thought and keeps thinking it over and over again, it eventually doesn't bother him anymore, so I am wondering if this is his own ERP he is practicing on his own. Anyway, your posts mean the world to me right now. Thanks again, , in Southern Illinois Re: Digest Number 2367 : After reading your post today I had another quick thought about something that happened at one of our pdoc appointments that really helped . His doc had a plastic model of the brain, and actually let him hold it and showed him the parts of his brain that were " misfiring " or " overactive " during his OCD moments. This seemed to give a physical reference and really help him believe that the OCD thoughts were coming from an outside source, not his own. When was at his most severe about 3 years ago, he also did the chronic confessing thing. He needed to confess that he wrote on his hand with magic marker, or touched the seat on the school bus in front of him, or that his teacher looked stupid. He had a " worry notebook " where he wanted us to write down all his confessions and he would refuse to go to school or sleep without it. It is painful still for me to remember how distressed he was, and my heart goes out to you and Cody, who seems to be in a similar place. 's thoughts at the time seemed to center on rules - he was chronically scared he'd broken a rule, no matter how small, and compulsively confessed to relieve his fear and guilt over this. He says now he thought he was evil too. was only 6 at the time, not medicated and not diagnosed. But I wondered if somehow showing Cody the brain mechanism might help relieve guilty feelings - that the random thoughts aren't really his. He sounds like maybe he's ashamed of the thoughts or afraid to disappoint you and maybe that has something to do with why he feels worse when he tells you? Or maybe he's hoping that telling you will make the anxiety go away and he feels worse when it doesn't work? Just a thought.... Another thing we did in the course of therapy is make posters to hang in 's room with " boss back " messages - like visual reminders to him. They said things like " Wrinkles Rock " (he was afraid of going to sleep with wrinkles in his bed comforter) or " OCD stinks - not me " . This was a way to help reinforce the concepts without me breathing down his neck about it. I hope your pdoc has some good answers or suggestions for you at the next appt. Keep us updated! - (MI) PS Don't forget the oxygen mask theory (as I often do)! - we need to take care of ourselves or we'll get so run down we will no longer be able to help them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 24, 2004 Report Share Posted June 24, 2004 , I read your post to Cody, and he was in total agreement with everything you said. You definitely seem to be able to relate. Cody and sound a lot alike. Cody said to " tell we said that " . I told him you probably would, because we're all parent-child partner teams in this fight. Cody is writing down " boss back messages " right now. I will keep you posted. We quit allowing him to confess since he thinks it makes it so much worse. I almost have come to the conclusion that it is definitely compulsive confessing. He told me yesterday that when he has a thought and keeps thinking it over and over again, it eventually doesn't bother him anymore, so I am wondering if this is his own ERP he is practicing on his own. Anyway, your posts mean the world to me right now. Thanks again, , in Southern Illinois Re: Digest Number 2367 : After reading your post today I had another quick thought about something that happened at one of our pdoc appointments that really helped . His doc had a plastic model of the brain, and actually let him hold it and showed him the parts of his brain that were " misfiring " or " overactive " during his OCD moments. This seemed to give a physical reference and really help him believe that the OCD thoughts were coming from an outside source, not his own. When was at his most severe about 3 years ago, he also did the chronic confessing thing. He needed to confess that he wrote on his hand with magic marker, or touched the seat on the school bus in front of him, or that his teacher looked stupid. He had a " worry notebook " where he wanted us to write down all his confessions and he would refuse to go to school or sleep without it. It is painful still for me to remember how distressed he was, and my heart goes out to you and Cody, who seems to be in a similar place. 's thoughts at the time seemed to center on rules - he was chronically scared he'd broken a rule, no matter how small, and compulsively confessed to relieve his fear and guilt over this. He says now he thought he was evil too. was only 6 at the time, not medicated and not diagnosed. But I wondered if somehow showing Cody the brain mechanism might help relieve guilty feelings - that the random thoughts aren't really his. He sounds like maybe he's ashamed of the thoughts or afraid to disappoint you and maybe that has something to do with why he feels worse when he tells you? Or maybe he's hoping that telling you will make the anxiety go away and he feels worse when it doesn't work? Just a thought.... Another thing we did in the course of therapy is make posters to hang in 's room with " boss back " messages - like visual reminders to him. They said things like " Wrinkles Rock " (he was afraid of going to sleep with wrinkles in his bed comforter) or " OCD stinks - not me " . This was a way to help reinforce the concepts without me breathing down his neck about it. I hope your pdoc has some good answers or suggestions for you at the next appt. Keep us updated! - (MI) PS Don't forget the oxygen mask theory (as I often do)! - we need to take care of ourselves or we'll get so run down we will no longer be able to help them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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