Hello everyone, I just got back and read the thread till the end. I must say, it was very informative and interesting to read about all the experiences and individual takes on OCD. I just wanted to share with everyone that there is this common notion, this misunderstanding in our community that we need to expereince in order to understand. I do not have OCD but I understand all of what you shared. I feel your struggle, the anxiety, the fear, the acceptance, and the pain involved in the process. I strongly believe that in order to understand, one does not have to be experienced or learned (although these tools help in the journey), but most of all, one needs to me truly empathic and curious. As long as you are open to understaning the other person's story, no lack of experience can stop you from grasping the essence of the situaton. When we see people not being able to understand what we are going through, or have gone through (I have my own struggles too, just not with OCD), its not because they have not experienced it (as we mostly end up mislabeling it), its because the person does not hold enough empathy or patience to want to know, or they do not hold enough courage to stand up against the stigma of the illness, because when you have that empathy or interest, you shall go out of your way to make the effort to know, understand and accept.
I hope this helps 🙂
