u/overlysillydisorder

Hi there! As the title says, my therapist suggested us possibly trying IFS and I'm curious what the beginning is like/what other's experiences have been starting out?

I'm being treated for paranoid anxiety, PTSD symptoms, and OCD. We're going to be mixing in ERP with it as well, so it's not the only OCD treatment I'll be getting!

I do already kind of think of myself in "parts," in a way. I'm very prone to intellectualizing, and that often results in me getting very frustrated in session and feeling like my emotions and my logical brain are at odds with each other. So part of why I'm open to trying this with her is that I'm hoping it might lead to a way to bridge that gap. Do you guys think IFS might be effective for this?

So. This is a difficult post to make, but I want to. Actually, not deleting it is what will be difficult.

I have a cyberstalker, and have for several years now. It has made me incredibly anxious, and I want to make this post to show myself that they will not find every single thing I say and do online- and even if they do, they can't hurt me.

The biggest compulsion I have about this is deleting things I post online, or even entire accounts. It feels terrible. I've lost accounts I ran for years, memories and sometimes even my creative works gone because I'm too afraid to think clearly. This also feels bad because I get anxious that it looks suspicious or like I have something to hide.

Another is spending so much time reading other people's stories to try and get a new perspective on what is happening, even when I'd rather be doing literally anything else.

(The fear is what is keeping me from going in detail about what's going on, I'm sure you can guess. Two important things to include though, just for clarity, are that I do not think there is anything law enforcement could do, and also, I am physically safe. I am not in any bodily danger.)