For those with OCD, obsessions and compulsions get in the way of daily activities and cause a lot of distress. Help is available but not through talk therapy—which does nothing to decrease your symptoms—but rather through the Gold Standard of treatment: ERP.
An evidence-based psychological treatment for OCD, ERP involves gradually exposing yourself to the things you fear. At the same time, you’ll learn to refrain from the compulsions you use to reduce anxiety. ERP has been proven to be 70-80 percent effective in reducing OCD behaviors.
The first step of your treatment plan is to gain an understanding of the true causes and symptoms of OCD.
From there, we’ll develop your unique plan based on ERP. We’ll also include cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which challenges the thoughts that lead to your obsessive and compulsive thoughts.
For the next 12 weeks you’ll participate in half-hour sessions, either in person or through telehealth, to monitor your progress and fine-tune your approach, ensuring your success! You’ll be amazed at how quickly you can finally get your OCD under control.
If you have been trying talk therapy for OCD:
For someone who has OCD, reassurance-seeking often became a compulsion. Only a therapist who deeply understands OCD would know that while providing reassurance might make someone feel better temporarily, it will only reinforce fears in the long run.
As with all compulsive behaviors, verbal rumination may provide temporary relief. However, to achieve long-term success with OCD, you need to sit with your distress, not talking about it. Talk therapy can become an opportunity to ruminate verbally, which can turn into a compulsion.
Without behavioral intervention, there can’t be change. To implement change, you need to challenge your OCD fears, accept uncertainty, sit with the resulting discomfort, and reduce or resist compulsive behaviors. This can include avoidance and other mental or physical rituals.
