Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) can feel like your mind never shuts off. You constantly have racing thoughts.
Thoughts like these may include:
-
Did I do that just right?
-
Am I an imposter?
-
Do I actually love my partner?
-
What if the worst possible scenario happens because I didn't do "x"?
-
Why doesn't this feel like enough?
-
Am I dying?
-
Am I crazy?
​
These thoughts are often followed by compulsions—either mental compulsions or compulsions carried out in real time. They can be incredibly time-consuming and exhausting. Each time you do them, it may feel good for a little while, but the relief is temporary, and the OCD often comes back even stronger.
You've tried to control OCD on your own and may have even been successful at times, but it still seems to return. As a therapist, I use evidence-based approaches such as ERP (Exposure and Response Prevention) and CBT to help you feel better faster.
An Evidence-Based Approach
As someone who has OCD herself, I understand how crucial it is to receive appropriate treatment. Traditional talk therapy can only do so much when it comes to OCD.
I use ERP (the gold standard for OCD treatment) with my OCD clients. ERP is a powerful approach where you gradually confront your biggest fears—whether they involve thoughts, images, sensations, situations, or objects—and learn not to engage in the compulsions OCD wants you to do.
Along with ERP, I incorporate ACT principles that emphasize mindfulness and help you create distance between yourself and your thoughts.
ERP is challenging therapy, but the benefits often outweigh the difficulty. It teaches you how to become your own therapist and gives you the tools not just to cope, but to thrive.
Does this sound like your experience?
All OCD themes can present differently. Some may involve primarily compulsions that happen in your head ("Pure O"), while others involve more noticeable physical compulsions. Here are just a few examples:
-
Washing your hands until they finally feel clean enough.
-
Repeatedly wondering whether you really love your partner or whether they are truly "the one."
-
Checking locks, appliances, or messages over and over.
-
Fearing that you may have accidentally harmed someone.
-
Constantly worrying that you've done something morally wrong.
-
Googling health-related symptoms after noticing a minor pain or sensation in your body.
-
Needing things to feel "just right."
-
Getting stuck in doubts that never seem fully resolved.
-
Replaying conversations in your mind to make sure you didn't say something offensive or inappropriate.
-
Repeatedly seeking reassurance from others that everything is okay.
What kinds of OCD themes are there?
-
Health OCD
-
Contamination OCD
-
Harm OCD
-
Relationship OCD
-
Taboo OCD
-
Symmetry OCD
-
Counting OCD
-
Somatic OCD
-
Moral or Religious (Scrupulosity) OCD
-
Checking OCD
-
Existential OCD
-
Existential OCD
-
False Memory OCD
-
Perfectionism OCD
-
Magical Thinking OCD
-
Perinatal / Postpartum OCD
-
"Pure O"
-
Real Event OCD
-
Responsibility OCD
-
Sexual Orientation OCD
-
Suicidal OCD