WE WERE YOU

After suffering with OCD for the vast majority of my life, and after countless appointments with psychologists over the years who just didn’t seem to “get it”, I knew from the moment I contacted OCD Recovery UK that I’d come to the right place.

Sam has been nothing short of brilliant. I’ve learned so much about the nature of OCD and the irrational perceptions and compulsive behaviours that had kept me stuck for so long.

Whilst I’m still on my recovery journey, I’m a long way from where I was when I had my first call. Sam is genuinely inspiring. He has not only taught me invaluable tools for approaching OCD, but also for approaching life and its challenges in general.

I’m incredibly thankful for this organisation and for the support I’ve received along the way.

I joined OCD Recovery in August 2024 and instantly felt understood with my OCD symptoms. The approach the team takes is highly individualised, but you also feel part of a large and supportive community. My coach, Sam, is highly relatable to me as our OCD themes are very similar. Working with someone who truly knows the disorder inside and out is invaluable.

Before joining, I thought I was stuck forever. From the moment I woke up to the moment I went to sleep, I experienced chronic feelings of guilt and anxiety. People would be talking to me, but I’d be locked into a completely different experience, ruminating and trying to solve problems that couldn’t be solved. I constantly sought reassurance, almost as if I were hooked on a drug.

My OCD themes have changed over the years, but at the centre of it all is a handful of core fears. I now understand how OCD operates and have identified the beliefs that fuel my disturbances.

One of the best parts of OCD Recovery is that I’ve been able to find my sense of humour again after suffering with chronic OCD for more than five years. Sam has guided me in a professional manner, but he also understands the importance of having a laugh. Even when discussing my most feared scenarios, he has taught me how to find humour in them.

I am slowly but surely changing my beliefs towards my disturbances so that OCD no longer has such a tight grip on my life.

The subscription service has been particularly useful because I’ve been able to connect with Sam regularly and stay accountable to my recovery. The WhatsApp groups provide a wealth of voice notes and other content from all of the coaches, meaning you get to learn from multiple experts in the field.

The connection I have built with Sam, Elliott, and the other coaches has helped enormously. They understand me, and I understand them. I feel it is very difficult to treat OCD effectively if you haven’t experienced it yourself.

That feeling of hopelessness has gradually turned into a feeling of hope.

I am still very much on the journey, but I am moving forward. My message would be this: there is hope. If you’re reading this, don’t waste time making contact with the team. It could be one of the most important decisions you make.

I came into OCD recovery really struggling with existential OCD, which I’d been dealing with for about 5 years. I’ve had OCD since I was young and had tried lots of different therapies, but none seemed to really get under my OCD. I was in a very low place, my thoughts were constant and overwhelming, with DPDR too. I was struggling to socialise and to work.

OCD Recovery has helped me immeasurably. One of the biggest shifts has been learning that recovery isn’t about getting rid of thoughts, but changing how I respond to them. Building frustration tolerance and sitting with uncertainty has been huge, as well as working through my fear of fear and fear of losing connection.

Going deeper into the core beliefs behind my OCD has really changed how I understand it, especially with the existential side. I’ve also learned that I can do hard things, even when it feels uncomfortable.

I now feel like I can actually live my life without avoiding things because of OCD. It’s made me a much more resilient person, and I feel more capable of handling whatever comes up. I’m really grateful for how much Gemma and the other coaches how helped me. It’s life changing stuff.

I’ve been working properly alongside OCD Recovery since my first call with Gemma back in January. I had been lucky enough to have an amazing therapist beforehand, but after seeing their work on their Facebook group and YouTube channel, I felt it would be a good avenue for me to explore – and what a great decision it was.

It’s still early days for me, but the support I have been given from Gemma in our one-to-one sessions, as well as from all the lovely coaches in the WhatsApp group, has been amazing. Alongside that, I now feel part of an incredible community.

Knowing the coaches have been through this journey themselves is so reassuring, and I feel understood on another level. I see so much hope in them, and whenever I achieve a step forward, I feel they truly understand how huge that progress is, however small it may seem to others.

I am so glad I chose to join their community, and even on the tough days, I feel more hopeful knowing they are always there and that they genuinely understand. They also always have faith in what they do, which is exactly what is needed.

They truly are amazing, and I feel so grateful to have their support and understanding.

Out of nowhere, when my baby was 8 weeks old, OCD hit me like a ton of bricks. I was bedbound and scared of everything. I lost 4 stone because my body was in constant fight-or-flight mode – I was skin and bones. After a few weeks passed, no one knew what was happening to me. My partner left me with three kids aged 8, 6, and 3 months old. Doctors kept pumping tablet after tablet into me to try to help, but everything was making it worse.

After 8 months – yes, 8 months – of what I can only describe as hell, I was finally admitted to a mother and baby unit after believing I was going to kill my nan. I still didn’t know I had OCD at this point. Three months on the unit, one tablet worked a little, but it gave me heart issues, so I had to come off it. My baby was turning 1, which meant I had to be discharged even though I was nowhere near ready.

Finally, I was diagnosed with postnatal OCD.

I had psychology sessions from the mental health team, which were useless – “thoughts are thoughts,” “leaves on a stream” – nothing that was actually helping. Then I came across OCD Recovery.

Fast forward to 9 months of weekly calls with Gemma and lots of hard work, and I view life completely differently now. My OCD is minimal. I still have a way to go, but it doesn’t affect me in any way – it’s just background noise now.

I honestly can’t thank this team enough. They saved me when I truly believed there was no hope. Gemma is honestly amazing, and I owe her the world. ❤️

I’m only writing my story to give you all some hope. Recovery is possible if you do everything your coach asks, no matter how terrifying it is – in fact, that’s even more reason to do it.

If I can do it, anyone can. No excuses. Start your recovery journey today. Make it your priority. I promise it’s worth all the hard work and scary exposures. ❤️

Since coming into OCD Recovery over a year and a half ago, I have had the pleasure of working with both Sam and Elliott, who have helped me along my journey. When I first came in, I was really stuck and unable to see a way out. The coaches at OCD Recovery have truly been life-saving.

With my main theme being HOCD, Elliott has really helped me change my perspective through his own experience with this theme.

Elliott has helped me identify themes that I was unable to see myself, which has been incredibly beneficial to both me and my recovery journey. With ROCD and fear of fear rearing their heads, Elliott always has the perspective needed to break down any fear I throw at him. Through his knowledge of exposures to combat OCD, he always manages to find an angle to slowly dismantle it.

It’s not just fears that Elliott has helped me with. He has also supported me through life problems I have faced this year, and once again, he always has an answer to my questions.

Overall, it’s safe to say that coming to OCD Recovery is the best decision I have made in my life. It has also helped me grow as a person.

I will be forever grateful for the opportunity that Rob and the team have created.

After 1 year of one-to-one calls with Elliott, I can see a major difference compared to where I was before. There has been lots of progress, with many ups and downs, but it’s all part of the journey, and overall I am feeling 1000% better.

I can’t say that I am fully recovered yet, but I am definitely doing far better than before and simply living my life the same way I did before OCD. That was something that wasn’t happening at all before I found OCD Recovery.

I tried other OCD therapists before, but even though they were well-intentioned, they didn’t know how to properly deal with OCD, and I felt like I wasn’t making any progress at all. This was very different from what happened with OCD Recovery. Since my first call, I felt like I was hearing a completely different perspective, and right away after that call, I felt less anxious and depressed about this condition.

I am very grateful for Elliott’s guidance throughout this journey and for having found OCD Recovery.

In 2022, I began working with OCD Recovery after struggling from a young age with taboo OCD and ROCD. These themes led to intense anxiety, shame, and guilt. My life was filled with avoidance, confession, reassurance-seeking, and many other compulsive behaviours. While these compulsions brought short-term relief, the triggers would always return even stronger over time.

Working with Rob, Momin, and Gemma, I’ve learned to apply Albert Ellis’ principles alongside ERP, which has made a huge difference in my recovery journey. It has helped me sit with discomfort and lean into uncertainty in different situations. Realising that I have an OCD brain and that it can latch onto anything in my life has been a key breakthrough. The tools I’ve learned have helped me apply this understanding to real-life events that once caused me extreme distress.

I especially want to thank Gemma for supporting me through some of my most difficult moments and helping me apply these tools when I needed them most.

OCD recovery isn’t just about OCD – it teaches life skills. I’m incredibly grateful for the work they do in helping people worldwide with a disorder that can be mentally debilitating.

Thank you, OCD Recovery. 🙏

I came across OCD Recovery in March 2024. I had been searching social media for help while struggling with OCD and was at my absolute lowest. I felt like I had hit rock bottom.

I found videos posted by OCD Recovery, and the content was relatable and refreshing. It wasn’t just the typical “thoughts are thoughts” advice. I reached out, and Phil responded to me that same day. Shortly afterwards, I was assigned an OCD coach.

I have had Sam as my coach since my first session in March 2024, and I couldn’t be more thankful for the opportunity to speak with someone who truly understands what I am going through. For the first time in a long time, I felt understood. I didn’t feel alone anymore.

I am also incredibly grateful to Rob and the entire OCD Recovery team, who have come together to help people struggling with OCD. In addition to coaching sessions and webinars, there are WhatsApp groups available that provide extra support and connection with others on the OCD recovery journey. These services have provided so much insight, encouragement, and practical help throughout my recovery.

I still have a way to go on my journey, but I have come a long way from where I started. If you are struggling and need support, OCD Recovery offers the help and guidance you may be looking for.

Thank you to the entire OCD Recovery team for the continuous support and dedication you provide. I could not be more grateful.

My first session with Nick was in October 2024. At that time, I was consumed by existential dread, mostly related to solipsism and the constant doubt over my own reality. I thought I was losing my mind and was constantly grappling with life. I had tried different therapies, going from psychoanalysis to mindfulness to ERP, but their ineffectiveness ended up leaving me hopeless.

I remember coming across OCD Recovery online at a time when I felt so low I could barely leave my house. I was so scared of my feelings of derealization and solipsist thoughts that I would only go to the same places, the ones that felt very familiar: from my house to work, back to my house. I was losing my sense of self. My relationship with my partner was deeply affected. I retreated into my own bubble while my mind felt completely out of my control.

During our first call with Nick, I remember having the feeling that someone was finally giving me meaningful instructions. Knowing what to work on from the start was so helpful. It gave me much-needed direction in my chaotic race to get better. Nick used different examples and metaphors to help change my rigid beliefs. It was like he planted little seeds that would eventually grow into new perspectives, with time and effort on my side.

He made me understand that the goal was to accept everything that was happening to me, while slowly changing my perspective by being consistent, and not compulsive, with the exercises. Nick helped me get out of this prison I had created for myself. I will always remember when he asked me to drive an hour away from my house, with no music and no distraction in the car. It seemed impossible, yet it became an important step in the long and arduous journey of recovery.

It is not easy, but it is the most worthwhile experience I have ever had. And not only to recover from OCD, as it also taught me philosophical lessons to live a more rational and wiser life overall.

Now, more than a year later, my life has changed. I still have fears to work on and some hidden compulsions related to other themes, but I am confident in my recovery journey and eager to keep putting into practice the lifelong tools given by the OCD Recovery team.

I am no longer afraid to leave my house or to step into the world. In fact, I have just come back from a one-month trip to Cambodia. Travelling and learning about the world is something I absolutely loved before suffering with OCD, and thanks to the coaching with Nick and the amazing support group, I was able to find the path back to that part of me.

I do not have any definite answers to my existential questions. I do not know what is real and what is not. I do not know the exact meaning of life. But it is my relationship to uncertainty that has changed, and I will never thank Nick enough for that.

I will always be grateful to him and the rest of the team, as well as for the support and insights I gained from other people with OCD through the WhatsApp group.

Merci to all of you ❤️🙏

When I found OCD recovery through Instagram, it felt like Nick and Rob (as I later discovered) were speaking directly to what I was feeling and thinking, like they had walked in my shoes. There was honesty conveyed in their message — a key ingredient in recovering from the realities of OCD — far from a walk in the park. I related to their message instantly.

In my first week of recovery, I was hesitant about exploring my fears, but Sam jumped straight into asking me about what I feared — a key part of recovery. OCD is a master at wanting to keep you from challenging your fears. Sam has taught me to confront my fears head-on. Throughout the journey, I have been taught and have discovered that OCD is a belief disorder, and that challenging one’s irrational beliefs in the correct way — which the team and coaches teach — can help decrease one’s OCD and bring clarity back to one’s life.

I am not recovered yet, but I have dramatically reduced the emotional disturbance I was once experiencing on a day-to-day basis and have learned how OCD operates. The biggest challenge for me has been changing my behaviour. Not only do we need to educate ourselves about OCD, but we also need to make the changes necessary to get better. Luckily for me, the coaches and the OCD Recovery WhatsApp group community have been instrumental in supporting me during the ups and downs, pushing me to change the behaviors that got me into this mess in the first place.

If I can learn to live with OCD, you can too. Many people have gone on to recover and even reduce OCD significantly. Give it time, give it patience, give it hard work — done the right way, as taught by the coaches. You can do it. There is hope beyond imagination.

I found OCD Recovery in 2020 on YouTube after nearly 10 years of struggling with OCD, trying various self help books and going from therapist to therapist. Immediately I knew something was different here with a much clearer, direct approach, breaking down fears and getting comfortable with worst case scenario, as opposed to the extended mindfulness approach of ‘allowing thoughts’ I’d only heard before. Rob and the team have created a very special, supportive global community with incredible coaches (thank you Sam and Momin!). The extensive YouTube channel, 1-1 coaches, endless WhatsApp group content, reading list and weekly webinars are all a sufferer could ask for. I’m a work in progress, but my mental health is in a great place – thanks to OCD recovery.

I stumbled across the YouTube channel after struggling with OCD for a long time, and I instantly resonated with all of the coaches because of their personal experiences with OCD.

I found that the nuances and details mentioned by OCD Recovery were instantly relatable, so I knew that the steps they advised were likely the right ones – and that there was no quick fix.

I then started 1-2-1 sessions, which have been very helpful in looking at my fears in depth and understanding the rigid beliefs I hold.

On top of this, I found the webinars to be very helpful as they explored topics in more depth, while also providing an opportunity to ask questions.

One of the best parts of OCD Recovery has been the WhatsApp groups, which offer so much content every day – not just on OCD, but on life as a whole – as well as connection with other people who are on the same journey.

I’m from Luxembourg, and I have been suffering from HOCD since my 17th birthday. Before my coaching with Sam, I felt completely lost. I did not know what to do or how to handle the constant intrusive thoughts and images.

I was always arguing with my thoughts and seeking reassurance by having sex with girls or telling myself that I could never become gay.

During the coaching, they really take their time with you and genuinely try to help. They notice things you cannot see yourself, such as compulsions you are doing every day without even realising it.

What makes this coaching especially valuable is that they truly understand how you feel because they have experienced OCD themselves. It is not like some therapists who talk about OCD as if it were a disease that you can simply get rid of by disconnecting from your thoughts or repeating that “thoughts are just thoughts.”

In the coaching, you learn that OCD is a part of you. You are not broken, but you do have to learn how to live with it and how to change the beliefs surrounding your core fear.

Because what other alternative is there?

In the beginning, I was hoping for a magic pill, but that does not exist. Recovery is a long process, and having the support of a coach makes a huge difference.

That is why the subscription package is so helpful. You have weekly calls and online webinars where you can talk about your triggers and learn how to move forward. You can also join webinars anytime, depending on which topics interest you.

In the WhatsApp group, you receive a lot of exclusive content that you will not find on YouTube. It is not only about OCD, but also about content that helps you improve your life structure in general.

OCD Recovery is the place where you get the support you truly need.

I have spent years getting nowhere with all of the struggles I faced, both physically and mentally. I had hour after hour of therapy, and until working with Sam, I still had no real idea what was going on with me.

Therapists continually wanted to focus on the past and avoid the really dark thoughts and emotions linked to OCD. At times, I felt like they assumed my thoughts were real, which then made them too difficult to discuss and only made the issue worse.

My first breakthrough came from seeing a clip of Sam talking about the compulsions and thoughts that I had experienced too. It made me feel so relieved and gave me so much hope that I was not simply broken.

Even just learning to accept, rather than constantly battle, made me feel okay with feeling this way, and I experienced my first real sense of ease in years.

This enabled me to accept my worst-case scenarios, accept the worst feelings and sensations, and then work with Sam to expose and unpick my old beliefs.

Forever grateful!

Hey guys some of you may have see my posts sometimes throughout my journey and some may not yet. My name in Luke and I’m 28 years old from Sydney Australia and I just wanted to make another post to say thank you to OCD Recovery and the coaching.

I’ve been dealing with OCD for about 4 years and have been in recovery for just under a year now. Before starting coaching, OCD had a massive impact on my life and I felt really stuck and overwhelmed a lot of the time, a few months in I would think of my old self and honestly cry about it I just wanted things to go back to normal.

Being in OCD recovery the time I have and having Sam there helped me understand OCD properly and gave me direction when I didn’t really know what to do anymore. It made a big difference having someone who actually understood OCD and what it’s like to live with it.

Recovery hasn’t been easy and it definitely hasn’t been quick, but the support helped me stay consistent and has kept going even when things felt hard or confusing < this was overwhelming at the start but over time I’ve noticed real changes in how I react to OCD and how much putting in the effort and listening to Sam has impacted my day to day life.

OCD still shows up sometimes, but now I’m a lot better at handling it instead of getting caught in the same loops that kept me stuck for so long. I’m really grateful for the support and just wanted to share my appreciation for the coaching and the help I’ve received, if your struggling or sitting there thinking about starting recovery your honestly making the smartest decision of your life, press the button don’t wait as long as I did you are in the right place. Something that’s has always kept me going is that Sam would often say “Your future self is cheering you on” DONT LET YOUR FUTURE SELF DOWN!! recovering is waiting for all of us we just need to make the effort.

Again thank you to Rob and all the coaches for all the content they provide in the WhatsApp groups the consistency is amazing and I really do appreciate it.
I could make this types of posts all day because imagine losing your life then getting it back that’s what it’s starting to feel like to me my appreciation will never go away for OCD recovery.

PS I’m on a cruise right now and I booked this because existential OCD made me wanna LIVE!!! I also have a helicopter ride tomorrow and I would have never booked something like that without OCD, OCD may feel like it’s taking life away from you at the moment but in time with recovery you will start to appreciate it like I do!!!

I started working with my coach Gemma at OCD Recovery at the end of 2024, after spending months spiralling following the birth of my baby. I was experiencing intense intrusive thoughts and anxiety and didn’t understand what was happening to me.

Since then, I’ve made significant progress and now experience a level of baseline peace I couldn’t have imagined before. I still have a long way to go, but I couldn’t have reached this point without the knowledge and support from Gemma and the rest of the team.

I’m now pregnant with my second baby and have continued my sessions with Gemma to make sure I feel equipped with the tools I need this time around.

The approach and understanding they offer is unlike anything I’ve experienced before, and it has really helped me start to challenge the irrational beliefs that had become so deeply ingrained over the years.

I started working with OCD Recovery in August 2025, and I haven’t looked back. The depth of understanding my coach Gemma has, along with the daily insights from other coaches through WhatsApp groups and webinars, has been truly eye opening.

I’ve had a difficult journey with chronic OCD my entire life, from being in a mental institution to working with therapists who didn’t fully understand OCD. It wasn’t until I took a leap of faith after seeing a TikTok from the OCD Recovery page that things began to change. I’ve been on a subscription, which has been especially helpful in the first year of recovery, as it keeps me accountable with weekly targets for disputing, reading, and exposures.

I still have more work to do, but the baseline level of peace I now experience daily is something I genuinely don’t think I’ve ever had before. If you are struggling with OCD, I wholeheartedly believe this is a place that can truly help.

I’m so grateful to God/the Universe/All That Is that I came across OCD Recovery when I did. I ve been having weekly sessions with Gemma for nearly ten months and although this is still considered to be early in recovery my life has improved greatly. 10 months ago I was suffering from suicidal thoughts, could barely go shopping or leave the house. I was addicted to crack and weed. All I would do was stay home all day watching self help videos on you tube. I nearly dropped out of my open University degree course twice. I wore my mild strength distance glasses everywhere to try and hide my face from people because of my chronic guilt and shame relating to real events and intrusive harm thoughts.

Now, 10 months on, I swim 4 times a week, cycle, belong to two book groups and a writing group and have stayed in University and am getting high grades. The suicidal ideation has gone, and i am drug free. In fact, I am now actually looking forward to doing as many exposures and shame attacks as I possibly can because a friend today has asked me to go to the Rift Valley in Kenya with her for Christmas, so I want to be prepared! I thought I couldn’t be helped because I also suffer from schizo affective disorder but I’ve been helped by enormously by Gemma, and also what the coaches and clients say in the WhatsApp groups and excellent webinars. I pay by subscription and it’s very affordable and I am committed to recovering. Thankyou so much Gemma, the coaches and Phil. You’re all awesome and I’ll be forever indebted to you. I feel you are literally saving my life

OCD Recovery has changed my life for the better. I’m in a completely different place now, with a very different outlook on many areas of life, thanks to the team and the consistent support they provide every single day – a special thank you to Gemma.

Progress didn’t come easy though. It takes your own hard work. The coaches can guide you, but they can’t do the work for you.

The calls have been extremely helpful, and I don’t see any way around them if you want to recover. I’ve also attended a seminar, which I loved. It genuinely felt like a family environment, and the topics were discussed on a much deeper level than I’ve experienced elsewhere.

I’m still on my journey, but I feel confident because I know the support is there whenever I need it.

Just the way you talk about going through it – what you felt and thought – really resonates. The fact that you and the other coaches have actually lived through this and speak from real experience makes it feel like the most grounded mental health support I’ve come across. You don’t get this kind of understanding everywhere.

I explained it to a friend recently who asked why I chose this group to work on my mental health. They come from a family big on professional boxing.

So I said: If you were going to learn how to box properly from scratch, would you rather learn from someone who’s read every book there is on boxing, or someone who’s actually boxed for 10 years? I can guarantee the person who’s only read the books hasn’t been in the ring and felt the punches.

When I found OCD Recovery, it helped me so much more than any other specialised therapist ever did. I struggled to find a therapist who truly understood what I was going through. OCD Recovery, along with Nick and Elliot, have been incredibly helpful in my recovery journey.

I went from being in a psych ward to now living life on my own terms. I’ve followed them for a year now, and the 1 to 1s with Elliot, plus the 24 hour support group, have made me feel so much less alone. It has been life changing.

I would say I’m mostly recovered now. It took a lot of hard work, but I’m still on the journey!

My OCD first appeared after my third daughter was born, when she was just 8 weeks old. I was told it was perinatal OCD. After 6 months of every theme you can think of sticking, I was terrified and had no idea what was happening to me. I was finally admitted to a mother and baby unit with chronic, severe OCD. They gave me endless amounts of medication, but everything made me feel worse.

The psychology team would say things like “thoughts are thoughts” and “imagine it as a leaf floating down a stream,” but none of it helped. I tried everything from breathing techniques to meditation. You name it, I tried it.

After 3 months, I was discharged no better than when I went in. I was petrified of everything. I was scared of myself, scared of my thoughts, scared to be alone. It was hideous. I didn’t understand what was happening to me.

A few months went by, and the chronic OCD was still so loud and so stuck that I had no life. Then I found OCD Recovery. I have been working with Gemma for just a few months now, and honestly, she’s amazing.

I have done everything she asked me to do, no matter how triggering it was or how scared I felt. I can now say I’m doing zero compulsions, and my exposure work is almost complete. I still have thoughts constantly throughout the day (sometimes it goes quiet now), but thanks to Gemma, I understand it all. I am no longer scared of my thoughts. I still have a lot of belief work to do, but I can honestly say I’m happy and love my life again.

I’m writing this post to let you all know that hard work really does pay off. The coaches know their stuff. Do what they say, because they’re here to help us. I can’t recommend Gemma enough. She’s saved me. x

Before I found the OCD recovery social media channels I was going to conventional CBT therapy, using the “thoughts are thoughts” approach. Initially, I had great success with this and thought I was free from OCD forever. However, OCD morphed and using these mantras became a huge reassurance compulsion. My themes changed and became more taboo in nature. The realness factor went up a notch and I felt stuck – I was suffering from chronic shame, guilt and anxiety and a high frequency of intrusive thoughts.

This all changed when I found the OCD recovery YouTube channel back in 2022. I started watching the videos, attending webinars most weeks and joined one of the WhatsApp groups. The content and no-nonsense approach really resonated with me. I put in lots of work disputing my irrational beliefs, doing exposures, changing life structure and cutting compulsions/avoidance. This was very hard, but so worth it. Looking back I don’t know how I found the strength at times when I felt my worst, but I did! The approach taken by Rob and the other coaches gave me a good philosophical understanding of unconditional acceptance and stoicism.

3 and a half years on, things are completely different. I no longer suffer from chronic shame, guilt or anxiety and intrusive thoughts are rare and do not have the same “stickiness”. I’ve had a couple of setbacks in this time but have effectively managed them using the tools I’ve learned. My life is in a completely different place, my habits are better and I’ve taken the tools applied in recovery and used them to improve many aspects of my life. I feel in a better place to take on the challenges of life, including any OCD setbacks. Everyone in these WhatsApp groups, if your current approach isn’t working, I’d encourage you to really commit to the recovery process and changing your beliefs, it could be a real game changer!

Hey Nick,

As you know, I’m turning 24 tomorrow, and it’s prompted a lot of reflection. I started seeing Rob about three years ago, and the version of myself back then hardly seems real. I was depressed, drinking five times a week, had so little self-worth, and carried a lot of anger from my past that I couldn’t shake. I would spend days in bed, wishing the thoughts and the pain would just go away.

Now I look at myself and see a completely different person. I went from depending on anti-anxiety meds and the highest dose of antidepressants to being almost completely off them. I’ve found a zest for life I didn’t think was possible. I’m finally in a long-term relationship with a guy I would’ve run from two years ago. I can go days or even weeks without rumination. I feel so free from the chronic guilt that used to tie me down.

That’s all thanks to you. I cannot thank you enough for the work you do at OCD Recovery and for the support you’ve given me over the years. I know I still have a way to go, but I never thought I’d even see my 24th birthday because I was so depressed. I have so much gratitude for you. Thank you for helping me change my life.

If you’ve been involved with OCD Recovery for a while, then I’m sure you’ve heard the coaches repeatedly state the importance of going toward fear. I’ll press on this more in a longer review with examples from my life and my journey so far.

I’ve been stuck in the fear-and-anxiety cycle for most of my life. I’m 21 and privileged in many ways, but life with chronic OCD has been very hard, as I’m sure you can relate to. At first it was primarily chronic guilt and shame. An endless cycle of confessing and venting. But it kept expanding until it felt like it had engulfed everything.

I was very depressed and terrified of throwing up around people. Avoidance, awful physical anxiety, crippling fear, vomiting, safety behaviours, panic attacks, and isolation were my daily life. I was stuck in that cycle for the better part of a decade. I’d do anything to avoid anxiety and made sure to carry a plastic bag in my pocket in case I had to vomit.

Every day felt like a war. I particularly remember a couple of mornings like this one: I had a test that morning and got up very early to have time for my routine. I went for a run and ate a banana because my therapist said it would lower cortisol and anxiety. I’d also deep-dived into the Wim Hof breathwork and cold showers. Surely this would fix it? After the run I jumped straight into an ice-cold shower. For months I only showered ice-cold, sometimes standing there exhausted for minutes, summoning the courage to jump in. Then I’d snuggle into bed, turn the lights off, and do breathing exercises to try to reach perfect calm. I’d play a certain song on repeat while lying there to strengthen that “calm” state.

So did all of this work? No. All I had been doing was fueling the fear cycle with nuclear fuel, and another panic attack was waiting for me in that lecture hall.

I went to multiple therapists, but it was only when I reached out to OCD Recovery and started putting in the hard work under Nick’s guidance that things began to change. If I hadn’t started going toward fear and making it a habit, there is no way I would have made this much progress. If you’d seen me a year ago and saw me now, it would be hard to imagine it’s the same person. That much can change in a year but there is no way around going toward fear. If you’re not committing to really go toward fear, it’s time to think seriously about that. You’ll be stuck forever if you don’t. I write this with as much compassion as I can muster, but there really is no way around it.

If I hadn’t started taking this seriously a year ago, I’d still be completely stuck in that cycle. Another year would have been lost to OCD’s grip. Time waits for no one. But OCD Recovery exists, and we live in a time where recovery is possible. The coaches are here to help and guide you on your personal journey with this disorder. Life is out there waiting for you. Don’t let fear stop you from living it.

If you’d talked to me a few years ago, I would’ve said that when I thought of life all I felt was fear. I didn’t look forward to anything and there was nothing I wanted to do or experience. I only wanted to disappear, far away from fear and anxiety. That’s not my life anymore, and it doesn’t have to be yours either.

I’m currently living by myself and studying on the other side of the country from my family. I’m doing things and pushing myself in ways I never would have before. Humour is important to me and helps me not take everything so seriously. I’m looking forward to where I’ll be a year from now. “Looking forward to” are words I didn’t know if I’d ever use again, but here I am.

The last two days I’ve been extremely sick with anxiety — needing to run to the bathroom, heart pounding out of my chest, feeling faint, bad acid reflux, wanting to pull over and stop driving, etc. I’ve felt horrible. Truly.

One thing I realised is I’m responding to these feelings differently now. I felt all of those things and still kept living the life I want to live. Had I not read the books on the reading list, I wouldn’t have responded this way. I would have panicked and been in a dark hole right now.

Please take the reading seriously. The books won’t cure you, but they will steer you toward living differently, which will change your life. ❤📚

I wanted to share some really exciting news! Today I had a meeting with a director, investor, and shareholder who was looking for an executive assistant. We had such a great conversation, and he just called me back to say he’s on board. So, starting October 1st, I’ll begin my new job!

This was actually my very first application after deciding I wanted something different, and it turned out to be a bullseye right away. I’m so happy and grateful.

I also want to acknowledge that the coaches gave me a boost from the very beginning, helping me keep going with life as much as possible. Even when I thought I couldn’t do it, I took it step by step. With persistence, I truly believe it has led to this result.

So even if you feel like you can’t do anything, please keep going. Step by step, things do change. And thank you to everyone in the group for your support 💓

I’ve had the best two weeks that I can ever remember 🙌

When I first came into OCD Recovery and started working with Sam, I had quit my job, boarded up the windows in my house, and avoided life like it was the plague.

Now I’ve got my job back, a house, and on Monday my wife had her first embryo implanted from our IVF journey 🙌 There is so much hope!

I know I’m very much in a “false dawn” moment, and that’s ok too. I just need to keep up with the fundamentals and keep moving forward regardless 😊🙌

One thing I find fascinating is how Sam will say something on a call – a rational point of view that I can understand intellectually in the moment, but that doesn’t feel true in my body or beliefs. I can’t see myself actually holding that perspective. But then, weeks or months later, that little nugget of rationality comes to fruition and I find myself truly believing it. This has happened multiple times. Looking back, I can see how rigid I once was, and it’s proof that with consistency this really works.

So here’s to all the nuggets of wisdom that are yet to come, which with hard work and consistency will become part of us too 😊

It’s been a year since my first call with Nick. Back then, I was experiencing triggers every 1–2 days. Intrusive thoughts were present 24/7, and physical anxiety symptoms made me convinced I was dying every day. I had no hope and didn’t really believe the coaches’ videos.

Fast forward to now: after reading all the books twice, I barely have intrusive thoughts anymore (can’t believe I’m saying that). Triggers happen a lot less often, and I’m much better at dealing with them. I almost have zero physical anxiety symptoms compared to last summer. This doesn’t mean I never struggle, triggers still come up, but I now have the tools to handle them. For the most part, I can go days without intrusive thoughts.

I still consider myself early in recovery; there’s plenty of work to do and progress to make. But now I see that the coaches don’t lie! OCD Recovery isn’t just another internet scam. It’s the only place where you get real, correct information 💪

Hard to believe that just about five months ago, I was planning on checking out for good. Sounds morbid, but I didn’t see a way out. I started doing the things I had to, like my life depended on it because it did. I’m really glad I didn’t give up and gave recovery a proper go.

I’m by no means fully recovered, but I’m leaps and bounds in a better place than five months ago. I now have meaningful conversations about positive business ventures instead of constant venting to family and expressing the mental agony I was in. I wake up excited about work and going to the gym, compared to just trying to sleep all the time and eating junk food.

Stay strong and stick to the process. Do the things you don’t want to do to keep pushing back against OCD. I couldn’t have made this progress without the accountability from Nick and Rob. I greatly appreciate it!

Two years ago today, I made the decision, recommended by Nick given my own circumstances, to give up alcohol and weed. I was drinking to try and numb myself. I was also getting high 4–5 nights a week because I “wanted to fucking enjoy some part of my life without anxiety jackhammering my brain.” I was always the “craft beer guy,” the one everyone hit up to try a new beer or explore a new brewery.

I had to relearn how to hang out with friends, learn how to say, “taking a break for awhile,” and not give a fuck when people said, “Wait, YOU don’t want a beer?” Sobriety does not equal recovery from OCD, I still have work to do. But there’s no way I would have made it this far in the journey without putting the bottle and the “hippie whistle” on the shelf. Recovery from OCD isn’t at the bottom of a bottle. It’s not what you get with a 10-punch frequent buyer card at the weed shop.

We change when we make the decision to change. Nobody decides for us, Nick didn’t decide this for me. And the coaches won’t do the work for us, that’s on us. That’s what we signed up for. If you’re scared to ask your coach if you should stop because “it will be awkward and hard” or “oh my god, what will my release be???” I was you. If I can do it, you can do it. Talk to your coach, and for fuck’s sake, actually listen to them as step #2.

My first call with Nick was on April 24, 2024. Seventeen months later, I have my life back.

I had been dealing with nerve pain down my arms and around my torso for about three years. It was especially bad when I sat down. I had many tests, saw many doctors, and spent a lot of money. At first, they thought it was Lyme disease, and I got an expensive treatment from an alternative doctor. Later, a neurologist diagnosed idiopathic neuropathy (meaning they didn’t know the cause). I always suspected it was my stress bucket overflowing. The neurologist put me on various pain medications, but they never really relieved the pain.

By the time I met Nick, the only times I wasn’t in pain were 30 minutes in the morning, during showers that cooled the nerve burn, or when I applied ice. I stayed at home most of the time, walking around because laying down wasn’t much better. I had a lot of compulsions and avoidances. I felt like my power had been taken from me, fear and doubt invaded my world, and my emotions ruled me. I had to fight back.

So I did the homework: dealing with irrational beliefs, listening to Nick’s guidance, and really pushing myself to live life. I got angry and determined. My motto became: I am going to do it, live the best life I can, no matter how I feel. If someone asked me to go somewhere, I said yes, even if I had to stand up in art class at first. I worked very hard to act like I was healed and live as normally as possible, one day at a time.

Now, I’m off all medications. I sit when I want and fully engage with life. I recently returned from vacation and am planning another one. I have my life back, enjoying friends, family, and everything life has to offer.

Hey guys 👋 Just wanted to give a little update after reflecting on my journey so far with @Sam Williams on my call this morning.

I’m back to work on Monday after a six-week holiday, and I’ve honestly had such a great summer, really just enjoying living my life! Reflecting, I can see I’ve made massive changes in my thinking over the past couple of years since starting my recovery journey with Sam. When I first came in, I wanted a quick fix and refused to believe it wasn’t an option at first! (What a fool 😂) But after slowing down and not rushing things, I can now see the benefits of the reading and disputing have really sunk in, and my beliefs have shifted massively over time.

Autumn is usually a big trigger time for me, as I’ve made a ridiculous link between dark days and my OCD getting worse. If it happens this time, I truly believe I now have the tools to deal with it differently. Let’s see what happens! If a setback does emerge (which it might), I’ll allow myself to spiral with a smile and accept it as another part of this life-changing journey.

Working with OCD recovery has been an incredibly positive experience for me. While I’m not fully recovered yet, the changes I’ve seen so far are extremely encouraging. The tools and strategies I’ve learned have helped me manage my anxiety way better, and I no longer feel consumed by intrusive thoughts. I’ve gained more confidence in my everyday life, which has made a big difference in how I approach each day. I feel more in control and hopeful for continued progress on this journey. A massive thank you to Coach Elliot for the support, guidance, and encouragement. I truly appreciate all the help. I’d definitely recommend this approach to anyone looking for relief from OCD. Thank you OCD Recovery.

After over two decades of suffering with OCD, I was fortunate enough to come across some of Rob’s videos, which immediately resonated with the intensity and specificity of the OCD themes I was battling – especially real event OCD. For the first time, I felt that someone out there had endured the same issues and the same miserable existence I had been living: feeling like the most horrible human being, undeserving of happiness, and certain to be rejected by everyone I cared about.

Over the years, I tried numerous treatments: reading books on OCD, seeing psychiatrists and psychologists, taking various medications, practicing meditation, undergoing transcranial magnetic stimulation, working out, adjusting my diet, doing extensive blood tests, trying countless supplements, and endlessly researching for other solutions. These efforts brought minimal or no results.

In early 2024, I had my first session with Sam, and he has been invaluable in guiding me on my OCD recovery journey. Most conventional methods of OCD treatment focus on recognizing thoughts (obsessions and compulsions) as meaningless noise and attempting to move forward. While this standard approach can offer some benefit, it often provides only minimal improvement for those suffering from severe OCD.

The OCD Recovery approach, however, emphasizes directly confronting and reducing the catastrophic and irrational thinking that fuels our worst fears – the very fuel that sustains OCD. Sam, having personally experienced extreme suffering from Real Event OCD, deeply understood my struggles and proved to be a masterful teacher in helping me challenge and change the irrational thinking patterns that kept my OCD alive.

Today, I would say my OCD has been reduced by at least 80%. I finally feel good about myself again and can now begin to fully live my life.

I am forever grateful to Sam, Rob, Nick, Momin, and the entire OCD Recovery team for all their help!

Hey guys! I don’t talk much on here, but I wanted to share an update about my recovery progress. I’ve been with this group for a year and five months now, and I couldn’t be more thankful for all of you.

Back in 2022, when my OCD really latched on, I felt completely lost and hopeless. I was stuck with 24/7 intrusive thoughts, dealing with severe depersonalization and derealization — nothing felt real anymore. I couldn’t feel anything except the pain of what I was going through, and I was thinking about suicide every single day.

I tried talk therapy for a year, but as we all know, OCD wouldn’t budge. Then I found this group in January 2024, and for the first time, I had a glimpse of hope — hope in finding people who were going through the same thing as me.

But it wasn’t easy. The suffering persisted — but so did I. I kept pushing toward recovery no matter what, and I’m so glad I did. OCD recovery is extremely rocky, full of ups and downs. Just 10 months ago, my parents had to take me to the hospital because they feared I would take my own life. I saw a psychiatrist who just upped my meds and said, “That should do it.”

That moment hurt so much — especially having to put my parents through that. But I used the pain as motivation to keep going, to reach recovery no matter what.

Today, the thoughts are far less frequent. I feel so much more free. Mornings are easier, and I’m starting to look forward to life again. I’m doing things I love and sticking to my life structure no matter what. My DP/DR is still there, but it’s less intense, and I don’t mind it as much anymore.

My life feels like it’s worth living again. My beliefs have changed for the better. I feel this overwhelming gratitude — for life, and for this group. We are so lucky to live in a time when recovery is possible. I’m even starting to feel thankful for OCD itself. It’s the worst — and the best — thing that’s ever happened to me.

I still have a long way to go to reach full recovery, but I’m embracing the challenge. I’m ready to keep doing the work, no matter what. And trust me, the work is so worth it. I thought recovery was completely hopeless just months ago, and yet — here I am today.

This group has turned me from a worrier to a warrior. 💪

Hey everyone, just wanted to drop a quick message about my OCD recovery. I’ve been working with Sam for over a year, and at the start, I was so stuck in the cycle of compulsions and that fear of never getting better.

I struggled mainly with themes of Contamination, POCD, ROCD, and harm, alongside others. For the first time in 15 years, I can say I have days where OCD is pretty much just background noise, and I’m enjoying life again.

I’m working in healthcare, where harm OCD used to latch on, which was a huge struggle for me – to the point where I even took time off. I’ve also started a cake business (something that initially triggered fears of poisoning), and it’s going really well.

Cutting out compulsions and reassurance seeking seemed so scary at first, but now, seeing the difference it’s made, the progress has been incredible. I’ve tried therapy with numerous people since I was 13, and Sam is probably the first person with whom I’ve actually seen real improvement.

Just wanted to let everyone know — there is hope! 😊

Hi everyone! I hope you are all doing well on your recovery journey.

As of last March, I started my 1:1 coaching sessions with Sam. I came in at my lowest point, not sure what to do to get my self out of my suffering. I struggled significantly with magical thinking, fear of rejection and much more.

Since reading the books and disputing consistently over the past year I have seen huge changes. Magical thinking compulsions have come down, huge perspective changes have been made and the list goes on.

Being part of a group with others who know what it’s like having OCD and getting incredible help and insight from all the coach’s in the groups has had a huge impact on my OCD recovery journey. Having the privilege to be part of this group in its self is incredible.

One day at a time. Take care everyone! 🙂

Hi guys,

Last week I passed my driving exam after failing it six times before. I had been taking lessons for years, and OCD latched onto so many things: fear of causing an accident, fear of crashing, fear of never passing the exam, fear of being a loser for not being able to drive.

I honestly felt awful, miserable, and wanted to quit so many times. I thought I would never pass.

But with help from Sam in breaking down my fears, and with persistence and patience, I managed to pass the exam last week. It feels like a huge victory over OCD and for myself.

You can do so much more than you think, and persistence is key!

Now I’ll expose myself to the fear of driving alone and conquer that fear too!

My first session with Sam was in June last year, 9 months ago. I just wanted to encourage those who are just beginning their recovery journey that there is hope.

Nine months ago, I was a bit of a mess. OCD was controlling my thoughts and behaviours and making me miserable. Yesterday, I was sharing with Sam how much progress I’ve made.

When I started, I was terrified of bed bugs. We went to Centre Parcs in July, and I was a mess – compulsively checking the bedding while pretending to my family that I was okay – panicking the whole time.

This month, my husband and I went away for two nights to an Airbnb. I stood in the bedroom and wanted to check, but I chose not to. The path of checking does not lead to recovery, and now I’m living on my terms. So I climbed into bed and slept really well!

Read the books, dispute your irrational beliefs, and move closer to recovery. There is so much more I could share about how my life is better now that I’m no longer caught up in constant compulsions – but that’s just one example!

I started working with Elliott four months ago when I was really struggling. He has been incredibly supportive and insightful, completely focused on reducing my compulsions, holding me accountable for my exposures, and ensuring consistency in my disputing. This gave me real hope that I could change.

A couple of times, when I was struggling with a particular piece of crooked thinking, he sent me a voice note and detailed typed notes to help me see things from a different perspective. This was during the workweek and not something he had to do, which made his support feel even more invaluable.

I often feel very alone with OCD, but I have always known that Elliott is truly on my side. He gets it because he has been through such a difficult journey with OCD himself. In just four months, I have made real progress, and I genuinely believe that a significant reason for that is Elliott’s relentless positivity and his unwavering belief in my ability to recover—even when I didn’t believe it myself.

Thank you so much, Elliott!

Hey everybody,

I just figured I’d drop in a post about my own journey to add another story of hope.

I’ve had signs of OCD since a young age, with magical thinking and quirky behaviors (which, as it turns out, were actually compulsions🫠). These included things like needing to turn the lights on and off, blinking or swallowing three times in a row, etc. But at the time, I didn’t think much of it.

Things really got worse around the age of 18, when Real Event/False Memory OCD and POCD slowly began simmering and progressed over several years. Long story short, in 2022, I ended up in a mental hospital for several days before finally being diagnosed. During that time, I was overwhelmed with guilt and shame 24/7, feeling like the worst person in the world.

Like most of us, I tried many different options, but nothing really worked or changed until I found this group and started working with Sam midway through 2024. It’s only been about 10 months, but putting in the work—reading, belief work, doing exposures, and changing my life structure—has helped me get to a place I never thought I’d reach again.

I’m by no means fully recovered, but I’m in a much better place, ready to handle whatever life throws my way as I continue on this journey. As Rob says: practice, persistence, and time.

I’m incredibly grateful to the whole OCD Recovery team for everything you do. Most of all, I’m grateful that I took the leap—and I hope you do too.

Just wanted to share a little gratitude and hope. I’m still light years away from full recovery, but when I look back at where I was five months ago—crying and panicking all day, struggling with thoughts of suicide, not eating, etc.—that is no longer my reality, all thanks to this team (specifically my coach, @Sam Williams).

Like I said, I have a long way to go until I’m fully recovered, and I don’t always necessarily feel better, but I am doing so much better. This team is truly changing lives, and I couldn’t be more grateful to have found them.

It has been seven months since my first coaching call with Momin, and it has been completely transformative. For most of my life I have suffered from severe OCD, which went undiagnosed for years. I lived in a constant state of extreme fear and was consumed by 24/7 mental compulsions and rumination; I had no life structure, neglected myself, isolated myself and was totally disconnected from life.

But after working with Momin through monthly coaching sessions and applying the tools he has given to me, cutting out compulsions, disputing irrational beliefs, stopping avoidance behaviors and coming to terms with my worst case scenarios, everything changed! I now have a balanced daily routine, motivation to take care of my health and nurture my social connections, and most importantly, I no longer experience suicidal thoughts. I feel relaxed and happy a lot of the time, and I know how to react when intrusive thoughts arise. It’s awesome!

My loved ones are very relieved to see my progress. While the biggest theme that has tortured me for years is gone, I continue to work through the remaining challenges to build a life free from OCD’s grip. The best part is that I am no longer afraid of the future, because I have the tools to navigate through the obstacles that arise, and can work with OCD Recovery any time. Thank you so much for giving me back my life!

I came to OCDRecovery.com through finding myself repeating the same patterns of “having” to break up with potential partners because of fixation on things which I believed I couldn’t live with, and then later coming to regret my decisions. Working with OCD Recovery helped me to understand and deal with the underlying fears and beliefs driving my ROCD, and move to a point where I largely see them passing through me rather than having the perspective that they are true. As a result of this I’ve been able to stay in the healthiest and most loving relationship I’ve ever had, for the last almost 2 years. I’m very thankful for the help that they’ve given me.

Just want to say a huge thank you to all at OCD Recovery, in particular Sam, who I have been having 1:1 calls with for the past 8 months. When I first signed up to calls I didn’t know what to expect and felt lost.

I’m by no means at the end of my recovery journey, but now far more accepting, far less rigid and have been able to half my dose of medication as a result of significantly less symptoms of anxiety.

If you’re reading this at a place of feeling hopeless, I urge you to keep going as there is light at the end of the tunnel. Get booked in for some 1:1’s and really unpick some of the beliefs that are fuelling your OCD! There is HOPE.

Thanks Sam & all at OCD Recovery

I have had Somatic OCD for 18 years, since I was 18 years old. Up until 7 months ago when I started working with Sam I didn’t even know I had OCD, never mind how to treat it. In that time I wasted lots of time and money on counselling, therapy and hypnotherapy which did absolutely nothing and in some cases made it worse.
In the 7 months since I’ve been working with these guys I have not only learnt about my condition but seen more progress that anything else and I have just spent my first Christmas actually being able to enjoy precious moments with my family instead of focusing on my breathing. You have a choice whether or not to put your trust in them but from personal experience this is the only way to help you actually recover!

Thank you for this. Since I joined the group earlier this year, along with the work support and principles of the service, I’ve honestly not looked back. My discovering you when I did enabled genuine recovery from where I was, when I discovered my sensory OCD. I remember vividly the day I reached out to you, I was in the darkest moment of my life. The 1-1s, reading and applying all that you stand by has changed my life and outlook in life. We can’t all be ready for change, nor that shift of philosophy, but I happened to be, and more than that I stand by what you do. My background is psychology, after my PhD I came to Kent to work in an early interventions service for psychosis. I’ve helped colleagues and referred others to your group in some outside mental health work. My knowledge of psychology didn’t recover me, it was Rob and you guys that did that. REBT is changing my life beyond recovery. Though I’m not vocal in the group, I’m still very much not wanting to go anywhere, these voice notes pick me up in time of need. Thank you for all you are doing 🙏 I believe this is what is missing in our mental health services.

I am currently 24 years old, and I have been suffering from chronic OCD for my entire life. I have had almost all of the different themes, including Contamination, False Memory, Harm, and Sensorimotor. For many years I didn’t work towards recovery at all, I had given up and accepted I would probably always be anxious and perform compulsions. I dealt with intrusive thoughts, fears, and sensations basically 24/7 and performed physical and mental compulsions all day. In August 2024 I had my worst OCD relapse yet, with full on Sensorimotor coming back and I reacted with panic. I immediately went into all of the compulsions again, reinforcing that fear. I ended up in the hospital after not having slept or eaten in days. On my first 1 on 1 call that same week, I had no hope and honestly didn’t know how much longer I could get through life like this. I was losing weight, not sleeping, and losing any enjoyment from life.

But with a lot of support from the amazing coaches and the group chat, I started slowly working on my beliefs and putting in the work. I was reluctant to reading the books at first, but they have really helped me change my mindset and accept any fear or sensation.

I am only a few months into my recovery journey but I am already seeing such a difference in my quality of life. The coaches are very supportive but also set the boundaries that we need when we are deep in the OCD cycle. They won’t give reassurance, and the groups are the same! That’s what made this so different than other groups I’ve tried, where everyone tends to feed into each other’s fears. I’m very thankful for my time working with this team!

I started my OCD recovery journey in the summer of 2022. After a few years of talk therapy, I still felt too stuck for my liking. I had really bad ROCD, fear of fear, and other themes that seemed to come and go. After a few OCD Recovery webinars, I knew this was the next step in my journey toward anxiety recovery and living the life I desired. I started 1-2-1s with Rob and then Momin (who has been my coach for almost two years now). My first session with Rob was quite different than previous therapies I’d been in, and like the webinars, I knew this was the path forward. I made so much progress in the first seven months that I started to date again for the first time in years. Momin has been such a helpful guide, giving me the necessary exposures, belief work, and tough love to break through mental barriers. Rob and Momin also check up on me from time-to-time and I feel cared for by them. I’ve learned so much about acceptance and self-compassion. I’ve broken down some long-held irrational beliefs that kept me stuck and feeling awful (especially with chronic guilt and shame). I’m learning the importance of perspective. Overall, I’m much more present and active in my life. I’m forever grateful to Momin, Rob, Nick, and the others who have helped me cross significant milestones and take charge in my life. I’m still chipping away at recovery, but also don’t feel such a dire need to “be recovered” like I once did. Thank you team 🙂

I’ve never been someone that has or thought I would ever suffer from a mental health issue. In fact I was quite ignorant to it for a lot of my life. However looking back now, it is quite clear that I have always been someone that acted in somewhat of a compulsive and perfectionistic manner.

My OCD journey can in many ways be traced back to a night in an Ibiza where I had my first panic attack. I had gone on a night out and ended up taking drugs. My mind slipped into a place where I was sure I could see the future, I know this sounds like some kind of super power but it terrified me. I felt so detached from reality, like I really had broken my brain. In a state of panic the only way I could see to stop this was to die. This became utterly terrifying. I’d gone from a night out with my friends to shear terror. It took me a number of days to really get past that and I certainly felt like it was just an episode of my life that had happened but I was now past it.

However, the loss of control that I had in those few days had left some impact on me. Over the next couple of years whenever I noticed this feeling, I started to avoid it. It started with cutting out any drugs (I know – not the worst thing I could do), then high volumes of alcohol, then coffee, then environments I wasn’t comfortable.

I hadn’t realised it, but I was consciously making the decision to avoid situations that I felt I would lose control. This slightly restricted life was not of too much concern to me, however on a trip to Bristol with a group of friends OCD really latched. We had gone out for a meal and I noticed I started to feel dizzy, my appetite had vanished and I started feeling nauseous. Allied to this was a feeling of extreme panic. My brain started ticking at 100 miles an hour. I just couldn’t stop the thoughts, why am I feeling like this? I’m not drunk, I’m not taking drugs, I’ve had no caffeine? Surely I can’t have these feelings. How do I stop them now? The terror of not being able to stop these thoughts took me right back to that night in Ibiza. If I can’t stop these thoughts, how does it stop? What if I did something to myself? I got back to house we were staying at and broke down, to the huge surprise of my friends who perceived me to be quite a strong minded and relaxed person. On returning from the trip I confided in my mum, I told her that I couldn’t breathe and felt dizzy. She took me to A&E where they were pretty sure after some tests that I had suffered from an anxiety attack.

Over the next couple of days the thought of suicide really really latched. It was not long before I was getting thoughts about harming myself almost every single second of the day and this is no exaggeration. I started to avoid any situation that reminded me of this, anything remotely close was off the table. When I had to take a couple of days off work because I really could not concentrate on anything else, I knew I had to speak to my parents. This was quite an embarrassing experience but after it I did feel some relief.

They helped me in trying to find a therapist and so began my recovery journey. I had initially and pretty naively set myself a target of a couple of months therapy then I’d be back to my old self and ready to carry on with my life. However the feelings of terror seemed to be ramping up the more I searched for this elusive answer to my problems. The one thought that really and truly terrified me was, what if I could find the answer and was this the rest of my life if I couldn’t get rid of it?

After a couple of therapy sessions and even a specialist OCD recovery company that had really only offered me some very short lived and light relief I stumbled across a YouTube video from OCD Recovery. I got in touch and had a couple of calls. It became very clear very quickly that my objective of getting rid of OCD was the primary reason that I was incredibly stuck. My perspective was all wrong and I had a lot of work to do to enable myself to get some real freedom.

At first I thought the coaches would be my saving grace, they had been there and done it. They knew the recovery journey and what it took to get there. Surely they could just tell me and then I’d be able to shake the constant thoughts that had now even become prevalent in my dreams! After a while it became clear that I had to be very patient and that the coaches were there to guide me, but the work I had to put in would take a long time.

Through perseverance, a constant and I mean constant set of up and downs, I started to see minutes, hours and days in patches of slightly better moments. From these moments I felt encouraged to keep going. Countless times I went straight back to square one, plenty of times I thought I was worse than ever before. But as the months progressed and after a couple of years I realised I had bit by bit transformed myself into someone that was no longer terrified by some of the thoughts that crossed my mind. In the process of recovery I had become a more confident and robust individual.

I met my partner towards to latter stages of recovery and now have a beautiful little girl.

Recovery is not to say that I don’t have a bad day or a that I something feel that twinge of anxiety. What it does mean it that I feel at ease with these thoughts, sensations and urges.

I have a peace of mind I couldn’t have imagined three years ago and I am truly thankful of the journey that I had to go through.

If anyone is just discovering OCD Recovery, I hope that this is the beginning of a truly rewarding process for you. It’s not easy, but you can do it.

About 1.5 years ago I reached out to OCD Recovery for help. Prior to this, OCD had always been a big part of my life, starting at the age of 17. In all those years, different themes would be the source of my anxiety, shame and guilt. In the end it was mostly a combination of Harm and False Memory OCD . There would always be 2 or 3 very bad ‘episodes’ of severe suffering each year, each episode lasting around 2 weeks. Between those worst periods OCD was always present, but more on the background. (Mental) compulsions that would always be there, but I could live a pretty normal life. I went to several healthcare professionals in those years. Of course they always tried their best to help me, and eventually one of them set a very accurate diagnose and helped me to get insights in what OCD was, which was very helpful! But in the end, none of them could give the profound help I needed to recover. I first found out about OCD Recovery on YouTube. Rob talking about harm related False Memory OCD sounded so incredibly familiar to me, it reflected exactly how I felt. It took me some more time (and bad episodes) to take the step to reach out for help, and did not regret it for one second. I ended up having 1 on 1 sessions with Momin who – just like all the other coaches – experienced OCD first hand and holds so many knowledge. It has been extremely helpful to work with him. Besides this, attending webinars about several topics and being in the WhatsApp group, where a lot of wisdom for recovery is shared, helps a lot. For everyone with severe OCD: I really wish you find this group and convince yourself to sign up. I won’t say I’m recovered yet, but after 15 years of suffering, i’m finally making some serious progress

If you’re anything like me, and have tried with maximum effort to cure yourself of OCD, without any luck. Then you like me, are lucky to live in a time where OCDRecovery exists. I was the person that was stuck in thought of how could this happen to me, nonstop shame, constantly trying to rationalize my way out of disturbing thoughts, seeing multiple therapists even one at a very well known OCD therapy organization, only to still feel stuck. It wasn’t until I joined the community, started participating in the webinars, reading the books and doing the 1:1’s and accepting, that my life began to turn around. It wasn’t quick either and I couldn’t just rid myself of my symptoms by applying maximum effort, I had to be patient and educate myself via the books. Lastly, having a support system of people that you can relate to, and being coached by people like Momin and Rob that have had similar experiences to you, and found their way out is invaluable. You are on path to recovery with someone who has recovered themselves and can authentically relate to you, and help you precisely pinpoint what is holding you back. I would not be on this path to recovery without them.

For years I avoided the subject of having children due to OCD, and thought I would never be a parent. One of the many great things about the OCD recovery journey was discovering that it was in fact something of profound importance to me. While many nights have been rather sleepless and life has taken on a new dimension of responsibility, I am always so grateful to have discovered OCD Recovery a year ago. Rob has managed to synthesize behavioral and philosophical approaches to recovery that are truly effective by virtue of being tools of wider existential applicability, not just for OCD. It is not some fallacious “quick-fix” or breathing exercise that has you perpetually chasing the next one. Rob, the moderators and contributors are invaluable in changing our understanding of OCD and in shaping a higher standard for recovery. With persistence and the patient collaboration of time, we can recover.

Before I started my journey with OCD Recovery, I was at rock bottom. Chronic anxiety and panic around the clock, 24/7. I lost my will to keep going as I couldn’t see how things could ever get better. That was until I found one of Rob’s videos on YouTube. I laughed for the first time in weeks in awe as he described my symptoms word for word. My road to OCD Recovery has been bumpy to say the least. Many setbacks, many weeks of giving up, in addition to life throwing me curveball after curveball. If you pick yourself up and keep going you will find that there is another side to the torment of OCD, and it’s freedom. I’m in a place now where I go about my day and forget I ever suffered from the condition. Through working with the coaches at OCD Recovery I have been given tools to accept fear, accept uncertainty, and live life to the fullest. If I can do it, you can do it too!

Hi Robert, Momin and Nick. I just want to say thanks guys for all the immense help & support you’ve given me. As you know, I struggle for years with False Memory, Somatic OCD, insomnia, rumination for days sometimes and my OCD used to morph to a lot of different areas of my life, but with the 1-1 sessions & the tools you’ve given me I can tell I’m living now the best time of my life, what I doubted I could reach one day. I even moved to another country, what I never thought would be possible. So I just want to say thank you, I’m grateful I found you because you helped me like no one could in the past. You guys are the best!

For months, I didn’t want to be here, due to the suffering in my head that was non-stop 24/7. Life felt like it wasn’t worth living if it was now “the norm.” Thankfully, after finding OCD recovery, I recovered thanks to Rob, Nick and many others in the group. Words can’t describe how thankful I am for them. If you’re suffering from OCD, there is no better place to learn how to recover than OCD Recovery. Their coaching isn’t just how to recover from OCD, but also how to live an extraordinary life with it.

When I first came to OCD Recovery I was suffering from Sensorimotor OCD. I didn’t think I would be able to be helped since everything I tried before that hadn’t worked. After a few coaching calls with Nick I uncovered several behaviors I was doing that hindered my recovery process. Dialing those back, applying the tools, and participating in normal everyday life again, I started to feel better day by day. Thanks to the amazing group at OCD Recovery I was able to do so many amazing things I would have missed out on, such as visiting Mexico! My journey is still on going but I feel more confident. Thank you to Nick & Rob for providing coaching calls, YouTube videos, and so much content online. This group helped me land back on my feet and keep moving forward!

While it’s clear now that I’ve always lived with OCD, it became almost unbearable during the pandemic. The thoughts were so intrusive, and so obsessive, that most days I was afraid to do anything. I was completely unaware of the disorder, but began to fear being around loved ones, terrified of what thought would get stuck in their presence. I no longer enjoyed watching TV, or even reading books. Everything felt unsafe. I would constantly monitor my body for feelings which only made it worse, and out of desperation try to get reassurance whenever I could. After a year working with a talk therapist, she suggested I look into getting diagnosed with OCD. I worked with a specialist after that, who taught me ERP and gave me a better understanding of the disorder. Learning and practicing ERP was scary, but over time it helped. After about 8 months, I knew I needed more to recover the way I dreamt of recovering, although it still felt impossible. I’d followed Rob’s page for awhile and was always awestruck by how spot on every single post was, and how much I related. I finally reached out, and I am forever grateful that I did. ROCD was the theme that scared me most and had stuck. My husband and I had wanted to start trying to have a child but I was terrified of doing so when my mental health was still so rocky. After every session with Rob, I left feeling optimistic. He taught me how to get back to a place of rationality and get underneath the fears that were keeping me stuck. Between our sessions and the tools he provides, I finally started to get my life back. I am now 35 weeks pregnant and so excited to meet our first baby. I’ve had an extremely symptomatic pregnancy, throwing up everyday, so much nausea, threw my back out, have crazy heartburn, while still working full time, and yet I can honestly say my recovery journey has never felt more strong, and most days I’m in total gratitude. Because of the work I’ve done with Rob and Nick, I’m able to experience and face my fears differently. I still have my difficult moments, but they no longer consume me, or take over my days. I’ve never felt closer to my husband, and the ROCD thoughts have all but vanished. I truly did not think recovery like this was possible, but it is. I know that no matter what the future holds, I have the tools and support I need.

I have really enjoyed working with Momin. He has helped me grow as a person, by guiding and challenging me.

The shifts in my perspectives and overall understanding of OCD has remarkably improved.

I’m starting to travel, which seemed impossible. I feel mentally more robust with the way he’s taught me to see life. I’m enjoying life so much more and very excited about the future.

Thank you so much Momin.

My journey with OCD began in March of 2020 right after the pandemic hit. I was visiting my parents at the time and decided to take this time off to self reflect since I was stuck at home and had been going through a rough time with my mental health generally for some years.

That’s when I really ended up getting stuck and resulted in me having panic attacks, adrenaline pumping away, jacked up responsibility, etc. I had faced similar things in the past with rumination and anxiety but never like this and got away with them by doing certain avoidance behaviours or reassurance compulsions. But this felt different. Mentally I’d never been stuck like this before.

For several months, I read books on intrusive thoughts, depression, watched videos from neuroscientists, did different meditations, etc and got a lot of books relating to mental health and self help in hope to find answers in them. I was desperate. I wanted to rid myself of these thoughts, feelings, sensations, etc asap.

After struggling for several months like that after being hit with OCD in a chronic format I found Rob’s content on YouTube and Instagram and attended my first webinar in December 2020. When I saw Rob’s videos it was as if he was talking directly to me. They really hit home with me and gave me immense hope. The depth of his knowledge about OCD is unlike anyone I’ve ever seen. The nuances of OCD, how it operates and why it’s so misunderstood.

Three years after being first hit with chronic OCD I can say that I’ve come a long way. I’m still working but definitely feel a massive difference. I can remember towards the beginning of my OCD journey where it felt like a mammoth task and even being where I am right now in my journey seemed impossible. Rob has helped me regain control of my life back.

OCD recovery is not just limited to recovering from the disorder itself but it gives you key life skills. It’s liberating. I urge everyone to push themselves to put in the work, it’ll be worth it. Really apply things you hear from Rob, Nick, Momin, Jade and all the other lovely people part of OCD recovery, to your life. Not only will you recover from anxiety and OCD but also life situations where most of society might be irrational or draw themselves into a corner, you’d be able to handle much better and generally handle life better and with a sense of calm. Deeper acceptance. Go for it! Only one life. We got this!

I first started fixating on intrusive thoughts when I was in vet school. Veterinarians are a profession with a high suicide rate and it was brought to our attention during our studies and we were educated on ways to help limit stress and how to better manage our well being. It was during this time that I developed intrusive thoughts about suicide. They did tend to occur during more stressful times of vet school but I didn’t pay much attention to them due to their fleeting nature. The intrusive thoughts began to increase in frequency once the pandemic started. I remember listening to songs at work and having the thought about certain artists ending their life or thinking the same thoughts about Robin Williams and his death along with how I felt like I was so similar to him because he wanted to make people happy and that was my goal in life as well. Then the wrist sensations started and would happen right before bed. They would cause me distress but eventually I was able to fall asleep. The event that threw me into a full blown crisis was when I walked into a church and was immediately met with the thought “this would be a good place to die”. I ran into the church, left what I was leaving for a friend, ran back to my car and left that parking lot faster than a bat out of hell. From that moment on things began to spiral. I started with a therapist who diagnosed me with generalized anxiety disorder and she helped a little but I still felt like I was hitting a wall in my recovery. I was bombarded with thoughts throughout my work day and became depersonalized quite quickly. The career that I had wanted to do my whole life became almost impossible to do because instead of focusing on the client and patient in front of me, my mind was taking me down a path of Suicidal OCD. My mind was so creative that it could turn almost anything into a way to end things and I was so scared to be left alone. I almost cancelled multiple pet sitting gigs due to the fear of being alone. I asked my mom to stay home with me multiple times as well because I was so scared I would succumb to my thoughts. I didn’t know it was suicidal OCD until February 2022. I then started getting help in March 2022 and joined OCD Recovery in April 2022. To say that OCD Recovery has helped me in my recovery is an understatement. I have made so much progress thanks to the help of Rob, Nick, Momin and Gemma. The books on the reading list are so relatable and have helped me not only in accepting my worst case scenario surrounding OCD, but also have helped me so much in life overall. I still have some work to do but I enjoy life again more than I was before.

When I came to Rob just over a year ago I had very little understanding of what OCD was. I was adamant that I didn’t actually have OCD, and that I was just being misunderstood. I’d seen a plethora of therapists and counsellors in the past and had come to the conclusion that there was only so much that could be done, and that I’d have to just accept that I would live the rest of my life feeling anxious, depressed, and alone. After just one session with Rob my entire outlook shifted, and I started to realise that he completely understood everything I was going through, and that there was hope for recovery. Previously I’d been encouraged to talk about how I was feeling, but was never taught any skills to process and live with those emotions. It felt like I was just going round in circles, and becoming more cocooned in a bundle of problems. Since seeing Rob and Nick over the past year, I have gained a toolkit of skills to help me manage my OCD in a way I never thought was possible. Understanding the fundamentals of unconditional acceptance, doing exposures, and breaking down beliefs has allowed me to start living, despite having OCD. I never thought that possible before. I put off so many things over the past 5+ years, with the mindset of ‘I’ll do that when I’m better’. Nick and Rob have taught me that life doesn’t wait, and OCD doesn’t have to control your life, so long as you’re willing to work at it. Don’t get me wrong, it’s been a long road to get here and I still have a fair way to go, but thanks to OCD Recovery I have finally started to be able to live again, rather than just exist, and for that I will be forever grateful.

It’s important to remember that setbacks are all part of the journey. It wasn’t until late last year that I experienced a bad setback after years of feeling minimal fear and anxiety. I can always identify a setback immediately because I feel a colossal sense of doom come over me. My life begins to feel incredibly boxed in, I feel isolated, I feel fear completely controlled and compulsions begin to feel like my ‘saviours’. I felt as though I was back to square one again and I began to panic that my life was ‘over’ and I’d be stuck forever.

Rob & Momin were incredible with their support during this time. They were there for me straight away. My theme felt so real – I was starting to become paralysed with complete fear. They worked through this step by step with me to get me back on track. I attended a few of the groups too which really helped me. I always find it important that us OCD sufferers stick together & support each other! After a few horrific weeks, the fear lifted. Rob & Momin regularly checked in with me, and I was able to tell him the anxiety had subsided. I still have thoughts now but they seem ridiculous and I’m able to laugh them off and get on with my day.

One important thing Rob reminded me during my relapse is to keep working on recovery, even when you begin feeling ok. I’m still working on unconditional acceptance but I view this as something I’m practicing – I’m no longer pressuring myself to have everything perfectly worked out. OCD can still rear it’s ugly head, especially at stressful/important times in our lives. It’s important to be ready for these setbacks and not to panic when they arise. It may feel like square one again, but we have to push through the OCD fog like we did before. We all hold the power to do so, and it’s important to remember that.

I am extremely grateful for the guidance and support given by Robert and his team! They were fundamental in helping me manage my OCD symptoms and addressing my core fears. Their assistance in changing my perspective has been invaluable. I spent 2 months in the hospital, but since breaking down my irrational beliefs I left the hospital behind me & back to normal life.

In 2018 OCD hit me at full force, HOCD in particular. I didn’t know what was going on with my brain spending hours a day seeking reassurance, jumping from job to job compulsively, laying in bed locking myself away, talking to myself. I literally thought I was going crazy. In 2021 I found OCD Recovery and started with group sessions, then 1-1 with Momin as I really wanted to go for recovery. I have made so much progress in the past 5 months fully living my life the way I want to, no longer feeling a prisoner to my own mind. Momin has helped me fully change my perspectives on life and breaking down those core fears and irrational beliefs. I’m not fully recovered but I am on the path to recovery thanks to Momin and OCD Recovery. OCD in many ways has had benefits, I live more of a rational, balanced and fear free life now.

I began suffering with severe HOCD in 2015, along with chronic fear of fear, Real Event and ROCD. After years of being stuck and wondering how I’d ever get better, I came across OCD Recovery in 2021. Rob and the team immediately helped me to tackle my irrational beliefs, suggested how to specifically target my fears, and helped me to identify compulsions which fuel the OCD cycle across several different themes. Bit by bit, I have got better and I’m now at a point where I am rarely triggered, and living my life in a way that’s similar to what it was before OCD.

For 16 years I lived with chronic guilt, anxiety and shame always present in the background. ROCD hit hard as a child and I started to develop new themes such as Harm OCD, HOCD/Health OCD in between. I felt I was living in constant fear, confessing and seeking reassurance from my parents when triggered. All themes to me felt extremely intense when suffering.

Last year I found out that I had been suffering from OCD and started working with OCD Recovery. Having 1:1 sessions with Rob & Momin have helped me look at my irrational beliefs that were fueling the OCD cycle due to fears towards relationships and fears of being a bad person. Breaking down these irrational beliefs and adopting unconditional self/life/other acceptance has been the key part for me on my recovery journey. I have started to have perspective shifts of why things aren’t awful like we think, and how I have awfulised things for many years, emotionally disturbing myself. Although I have made massive progress cutting out compulsions, reassurance seeking and confessing, I still am on my journey to recovery and will continue to put the work in despite setbacks along the way!

I can’t say enough amazing things about Nick and OCD Recovery!! Nick is one of the coaches and he truly knows what it is like to both suffer with OCD and how to reach recovery. When I came to OCD recovery I was stuck but didn’t know how to move forward. After just a few sessions, Nick helped me break down my fears and what was holding me back and helped me on the path towards living life without fear holding the reigns and learning how to embrace acceptance. If you want to get unstuck from OCD, embrace uncertainty, change your perspective, live life without fear and achieve recovery, OCD Recovery is the place for you. Nick and everyone at OCD Recovery are life changing! For the first time in 20+ years of dealing with this disorder, I not only think, but truly KNOW with the tools OCD Recovery has provided me with I will achieve OCD recovery and more importantly life-long acceptance of whatever life throws at me.

OCD Recovery has helped me make tremendous progress. In fact, my life has changed pretty radically. I used to be home all day, avoiding any social interactions and preventing all discomfort. I was not living my life and was putting aside my wishes, goals and projects. Today, I am back at work, going to school to learn a new language and having a social life.

Nick has also helped work on my anger, which was definitely a big issue for me. He made me realise how black and white my thinking was towards things and people. Thanks to him and the books on the reading list, I have worked on my acceptance towards others and life in general. There is still work to do but Nick and the channel content are a huge help when setbacks arise.

I just had a moment this morning after lots of intrusive dreams, that my reaction towards everything has changed loads compared to before, I’m better able to leave things and move forward, knowing it doesn’t define my day, as I know that my days are usually ok, but whatever is left is coming out in my dreams at the moment. I have had so many moments with friends and family, doing things I enjoy with an empty head!! Who knew that was ever possible. I have more and more moments in the day without thinking about the OCD thoughts. And whilst I have a little more disputing to do to get under the fear, its a huge difference from just over 4 months ago when I first found the group! And whilst I haven’t had many 1:1’s, everything has been super helpful and I have put the work in and feel like I’ve seen results. My anxiety is basically 0 most days the only thing that’s left is the intrusive thoughts which probably means there’s some residual fear but I can continue working towards that. I just can’t thank you enough for providing the tools.

No one understands OCD quite like OCD Recovery. OCD is one of the most complex, confusing and scary experiences so it’s so important that whoever helps you is someone who knows what they’re talking about and has been there. My experience with the program has been so educational and life changing. Having a support network of people I can relate to is great – the fact that they’ve been where I am and came out the other side shows me that I can recover.

Just wanted to send you a quick thank you for all you do. I have suffered from really quite debilitating OCD since the age of 7, seen numerous psychologists and never really improved. My life has been completely miserable for the past 23 years! However, this is the first time I have felt that life could be better and worth living. I cannot believe the difference in myself since I first signed up for a group call and started reading the books. I’m more positive, I’m less terrified. I’m going on courses to change to a career that I know I will love. I am by no means recovered and still have a lot of work to do but considering 7 months ago I couldn’t leave the house and was drinking soap I feel like a new person. I’m excited
about the future.

After experiencing derealization and OCD for a few years, I came across OCDrecovery.com. This group was unlike any other therapist or group I’ve ever gone to when it came to OCD Recovery. After working with Rob and Nick, I learned not only how to recover from OCD but how to think rationally and apply it to my everyday life. I can’t thank them enough for all the hard work they’ve done in creating such an amazing platform for OCD sufferers. If you’re looking to recover from OCD, you’re going have to be disciplined and work extremely hard in changing your beliefs. Rob, Nick, and the rest of the team won’t give you reassurance and help keep you in the cycle, but they will help push you outside your comfort zone which will in turn create the building blocks for recovery.

Wanted to share a little success story before joining this group and working with both @Robert and @Nicholas Panella OCD would be constantly doubting all of my actions and ideas and I would never attempt any of my ideas. Tonight I started this flower wall for my mom’s birthday and I couldn’t be prouder of it and am so proud of myself and how far I’ve come. In the past I would have put this off and then just wouldn’t have attempted it at all, but not anymore!

I can not highlight enough how helpful are these videos. It is so motivating. Yesterday I had two interviews for TV. Was at job since 7 a.m. Jumped home to get make up, did one interview, spend an hour of quality time with a friend, back to work to another interview, then to the gym. Today I went to the meeting that I knew will be triggering, shake there uncontrollably, after that still went to gym, and then to night shift.
It would never be possible without these people here, helping us tremendously to see through illusion of sensations.

I just want to start out by saying Nick saved my life, OCD Recovery saved my life. A few months ago I was in & out the hospital over 40 times convinced I was dying & I was living in constant fear. I stopped working, I stopped being a mom, I stopped doing anything but obsessing over ANY sensation. Today, I go to work, I spend time alone with my daughter, I drive alone, I work out, I stopped crying, confessing, asking for reassurance & I’m actually enjoying my life again. I didn’t think I’d ever be where I am today. I was completely hopeless in 2022. But 2023 is different, I am grateful & I have hope & I have a new outlook on life that I never had before. I’ll never be the same & I’m better for it. Thank you for guiding me through my OCD Recovery & my life.

I had a realisation today that OCD is just fear, nothing more, nothing less – an imaginary line, an illusion! Nothing more. OCD recovery is very much a possible thing! Yesss, I got this. Thanks to you!

This group and the things people say are the first things I’ve heard where I actually relate to stuff. As Rob said, with Real Event OCD, “thoughts are thoughts” just feels meaningless because it’s a real event. That’s been so important to hear.

I’m happy with the fact that I can look at past situations that I never thought I’d get over and not be phased by it anymore. It’s an incredible feeling.

Without looking at our underlying fears/core fears, OCD will always have the upper hand. We all know that thinking thoughts are just thoughts, isn’t enough for us to be able to breath freely again. We can’t ignore OCD. Maybe for a very very short time, but then it will attack us 10 times harder. So for me exploring my core fears, looking at them and disputing them is key to untangle myself from OCD’s grip.

Hey Rob, just wanted to say that POCD webinar last week was super good! A few times this week False Memory/Real Event OCD scenarios tried to latch but they couldn’t and it’s an amazing feeling. Thank you!!!

With every post of yours I feel like I unravel and understand just a little bit more of myself. I’ve known I’ve had OCD for my whole life but I’ve never realized just how much it shows up in every aspect of my life, relationships included. Thank you so much for the work and support you offer here.

I honestly can’t thank you all enough, and Rob and Nick for their work. I thought the idea of unconditional self acceptance sounded insane at first. The more I’ve tried it out, the more it seems to make sense. Been reading the first book on the reading list. I’m more comfortable imagining the worst case scenario and saying “it wouldn’t be more than bad.” It’s starting to make sense. OCD won’t latch on to the things I don’t fear.

This channel is a life saver for me. These guys know a lot about OCD than any of my past psychologists. Perhaps they themselves never been through this condition. People who actually deal with OCD need the right perspective from right people. This is one of the reasons my recovery has been delayed far too long. But this channel always have answers for my questions.

Just wanted to say a huge THANK YOU for your work. Seeing it grow over the years warms my heart. I just want you to know your page + yoga philosophy has transformed my life and now I’m actually a yoga teacher for mental health. Because so much of my journey was with OCD, I’m finding that my work is naturally leading me to others with OCD.

I never would have imagined being able to tell someone that I do some maintenance, but I’ve walked to the other side. I didn’t know this was possible. I got my life back. Thank you.

I am beyond proud of myself. I did the biggest exposure (for me) that I can possibly do with POCD. I babysitted. I changed diapers, gave her a bath, cuddled. And I was all alone. And all with zero anxiety. Of course OCD is searching for things I did wrong. But I will let it scan, while I’m continuing with my day.

I’m so lucky to have found the OCD Recovery group and I really appreciate you taking the time to work with me and I think I’ve made a pretty insane turn around for only being in recovery for 6 months after suffering for over 2 years.

Nick dude I’ve been doing great. I haven’t been reading or anything for a while which I probably should still do but like dude I feel fucking fantastic. I think about breathing still but it literally doesn’t affect me at all.

Since having 1:1 sessions with Rob from mid June and doing the homework, my groinal responses have decreased significantly. These sensations have gone from approx. 80% to 20% in the space of a few months. The homework is so important to overall recovery. Changing your mindset and facing your fears.

It’s challenging & pushes you outside your comfort zone but it’s so necessary. Thanks for pushing me Rob and showing me I can do it.

Guys. So I just wanted to mention this. I have been at university for 3 years and have never known that a friend is in this group. We are currently sat chatting about OCD and it blows my mind just how close you can be with someone where you have absolute no idea of their situation. I think this is a clear reminder that you are NEVER on your own and you may have someone sat right next to you that is in your same situation. How mad is it that we are both in the same group chat, at the same university, the same friendship group and this happens on the last day of me being at university? Please have faith that YOU ARE NEVER ALONE

Thank you for all you and your team do, I’m a teenager from the Caribbean islands and I wouldn’t be able to reach the place I am without the advice of you all. Y’all talk about strategies and symptoms no one else mentions. Have EXTREME gratification for yourselves and be SO proud of the achievement of helping people all around the world tremendously (including myself).
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU.
I wish all of y’all the best in life thank you for all you guys do!!

My 17-year-old daughter had been dealing with Sensorimotor OCD for about two years when we found OCD Recovery. It had been so bad for her that she had to withdraw from school and she almost never left the house. She worked with Nick one-on-one and read through all the recommended books, and her life was drastically changed. She was really motivated to stick with the reading and to follow Nick’s suggestions because she knew he had done the same things to conquer his own Sensorimotor OCD. The transformation has been incredible to watch. She still has things to work on, but the sensorimotor issue is almost completely resolved. She will bring it up and discuss it without any problems now. She even told us recently that she used the “problem” issue as a relaxation technique when she was feeling bad physically. It is hard to overstate how amazing it was to hear her say that. I cannot recommend Nick highly enough! He finally got our daughter on the road to real recovery!

The other day I sat and thought about the last 10 months since the OCD latched on and all the growth I’ve made since, and for the first time I just organically responded “it was worth the time”. I couldn’t believe it. 6 months of hell compared to my whole life. It’s nothing. I know it sucked while I was in it, but I honestly don’t remember how truly bad it was anymore, and I’m not even fully recovered yet. I can’t wait to see how I’m able to use this to help other people, but beyond that, how much more fulfilling and enlightened my life will be.

Here we are, finding out the gender of our second baby. I never thought this would be possible due to my OCD. POCD, Harm OCD & Suicide OCD were amongst my biggest struggle after the birth of my first son. Suicide OCD lingered for a long time. I couldn’t watch a movie, read a book, or anything that had suicide in it. It felt like that was my fate just because I struggled with a mental disorder. Now, it doesn’t phase me. OCD is still there but I am able to enjoy my life with it & am grateful for my journey!

I tried mindfulness, I tried ERP, but for me, the biggest change that has enabled me to move forward and do things I wasn’t able to do before has been changing my perspective on my fears. Seeing them rationally, that they aren’t as awful as I thought they were, and that with acceptance you can still be happy and grateful for lots of things even if the feared situation wouldn’t be ideal. I can apply this new way of thinking to my whole life and move forward where previously I had been stuck and not progressing at all. It’s not always easy but acceptance is the key.

Rob, I just wanted to tell you how grateful I am for the work you are doing and how much your work has helped me! It has transformed my life. A few years ago I was constantly stuck having reoccurring panic attacks, couldn’t sleep and mainly had no idea what was happening or where to start with getting better. I kept being told it was all my trauma and felt hopeless about changing that. I’m so grateful I didn’t give up the search to get better and to have found you and the entire OCD Recovery group. I finally understand the root of so much of our suffering is our musts and lack of acceptance. It’s improved every part of my life not just my anxiety. I’m no where near perfectly recovered but I’m so much better than I ever have been. I have my quality of life back. I’m so thankful!

Hi Robert, I just want to say that I’ve struggled with OCD for over 10 years. I have tried therapy 3 times, all of which just indulged my obsessions by talking them through (it always acted as great reassurance, then came back worse). I came across your account only a month ago and I’ve learnt more about my OCD and how to cope from you and your page, than I ever have in the past. Thank you for what you’re doing, I finally don’t feel so scared/alone.