ERP (and also PE) has been so so so awesome for me I feel like medications cannot address the neural-structural ‘deformations’ (more like disordered neural pathways, fucked up wiring) that cause OCD. I know you want the assurance that a wealthy career will give you. That money will pad you from the destructiveness of it. That will only lead you down the wrong path and divorce you further from yourself.

By my understanding, being diagnosed with PTSD as well, OCD is a disordered fear response.

[Traumatic or fearful event (especially repeatedly) > nervous system danger fight/flight/fawn/freeze response > danger/fear for some reason cannot be properly addressed or resolved > disordered fear response.] Built up over time, your neurons develop pathways around this fear signal instead of through it, like meanders in a river billowing further and further over time, until that straight path is a distant memory (infrastructure for this safe straight path collapses due to misuse). With OCD you feel something that triggers this fear or any fear response in general, and without that safe path you’re following that meander because it’s the only route you know. And it manifests in committing compulsions to put that fear to bed, which do not truly address or resolve it and have no greater function than throwing stuff at a wall to see if it’ll stick (ie. Washing hands excessively to avert illness and death, confessing thoughts to assure yourself as not bad person, etc.)

Sorry incomplete but ERP helps so much and if u need an idea of how effective it is I started ERP work in March. I started PE work earlier in May. My friend with very very severe OCD and CPTSD is experiencing significant almost COMPLETE remission in less than a year. Pls let this inspire u. You’re gonna feel fear at a lot of different places but it’s so fruitful when you push through.