Discussion Is anyone else struggling with existential OCD (or something like it) causing heightened death anxiety?

[Eudaimonic]

I feel extremely suicidal but obsess over life after death 24/7. Every time I settle on a philosophical position, I change my mind 24 hours later, and I obsessively read papers about these subjects and think and write about them constantly. I feel like I'm drowning in the uncertainty.

Open individualism/generic subjective continuity/existential passage hypothesis
Reincarnation (i.e. Stevenson/Tucker cases of reincarnation type)
Quantum immortality/big world immortality
Disturbing panpsychist theory that says time will freeze and we experience an eternal now of agony (process of dying may feel subjectively infinite if phenomenal time is disrupted)
Modal realism
Simulation hypothesis
Eternal recurrence (e.g. conformal cyclic cosmology)
Boltzmann brains
Distressing NDEs or dreams prior to death, that may seem to last forever (compatible with any of the above)

I just want eternal oblivion, but it seems too good to be true. How do I put an end to this thought loop?

 

[dweams]

Just to be sure, have you been diagnosed with OCD by a professional?

 

[Eudaimonic]

Just to be sure, have you been diagnosed with OCD by a professional?

My therapist said that (in his professional opinion) I have it.

 

[dweams]

My therapist said that (in his professional opinion) I have it.

Thanks for answering. I just needed to know because you know how people are when it comes to self-diagnosing with OCD.

To answer your question about ending this thought loop, do these things:

• Realize that these thoughts are just your OCD acting up again.
• Open your mind up and accept all that existential dread.
• Avoid doing any compulsions.

I won't lie, it will feel very uncomfortable at first. But after a few hours you will get used to it, but you will still feel very uncomfortable. Give it another couple of hours or a day and you will feel a little better. With more time, you will continue to feel improvement.

The human body is literally incapable of being in a constant state of anxiety and stress for long periods of time. Eventually you will calm down.

This is also known as exposure and response prevention (ERP) therapy btw.

 

[Tac0Johnz]

Yes, it keeps me up at night that and my real event ocd, both make me afraid of what happens after death (real event making me afraid of my past regrets and consequences and if im going to hell because of it , and existential dread making me fear if there is an afterlife at all)

 

[NoPoint2Life]

Thanks for answering. I just needed to know because you know how people are when it comes to self-diagnosing with OCD.

To answer your question about ending this thought loop, do these things:

• Realize that these thoughts are just your OCD acting up again.
• Open your mind up and accept all that existential dread.
• Avoid doing any compulsions.

I won't lie, it will feel very uncomfortable at first. But after a few hours you will get used to it, but you will still feel very uncomfortable. Give it another couple of hours or a day and you will feel a little better. With more time, you will continue to feel improvement.

The human body is literally incapable of being in a constant state of anxiety and stress for long periods of time. Eventually you will calm down.

This is also known as exposure and response prevention (ERP) therapy btw.

I go for that exact kind of therapy for my severe contamination ocd. some people respond better to it and much quicker. I have been going for nearly a year and that's after doing a few months last year which had no effect whatsoever. I wish the OP much luck. It sucks.