The truth about OCD
As an OCD specialist, I work with a variety of obsessions, compulsions, and intrusive thoughts. From obsessions related to health, to sex, to parenting, OCD can manifest many ways. Often people mistake their worry as anxiety, not realizing it maybe OCD and need a different type of care. If you’re unsure if what you’re experiencing is anxiety or OCD, reach out to a therapist first.
One of the biggest questions I get in my office is “how is therapy for OCD different than anxiety or anything else?” My answer is two pronged. For one, sometimes it’s not different. I believe in a human and holistic approach to therapy, which means that sometimes, you just need to process your relationship or the day you had, or your childhood trauma, outside the context of OCD. The other part of my answer is that OCD work is often ambiguous and structured.
You’re probably thinking “What? Those don’t make sense together…” What I mean is that OCD loves to doubt and try and find the specific answer, so often our work is utilizing ERP, or exposure response prevention. This is an evidence-based method for navigating the need for an answer, certainty, or concrete thinking. This sometimes means that I answer a lot with “I don’t know” or “Maybe” when clients are looking for “Am I a bad person?” or “What if I died?” or even “What if I don’t have OCD and I’m wasting your time?” Additionally, ERP can look a lot like traditional exposure therapy by asking the client to not engage in the compulsion or “delaying” engaging in the compulsion to learn to sit with the discomfort of “not knowing".
The biggest truth about OCD is that it is different for everyone but that it does need to be treated by someone who works with it so that talk therapy isn’t just reassuring (a compulsion!). It’s also important to address how OCD may be affecting your romantic relationships (introducing ROCD) or even your work. If you think you have OCD, or have already received a diagnosis, and want to seek treatment, reach out!
Clinicians that are competent with OCD are Hailey (me), Kathryn, Reece, and Brynn. All our clinicians are OCD aware and able to navigate some aspects of OCD, but may not be able to provide extensive OCD treatment.
