Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Friends are the people we keep in our lives by choice and not because of familial bonds, work contracts, or other circumstances. However, for those with the disorder, finding and nurturing friendships while in the thick of symptoms can be just as difficult. 

The pandemic set a new era into motion. When the world went into lockdown in 2020, people learned to fear the outside and any social interaction, becoming extremely fearful of contracting the deadly virus.

With the emergence of I-CBT (which is not new, just new to many of us), we have additional options (for treating OCD). This does not mean we are throwing away other effective treatments like ERP and ACT. In fact, we are doing the opposite!  We have more tools  to provide clients to make sure they have the highest chance for success.

A thought is not a message about what is going to happen. Thoughts have nothing to do with character, which is a reflection of how you lead your life and what you choose to do. Believing even some of these myths can be responsible for ordinary intrusive thoughts becoming stuck. 

It is natural to seek some reassurance when confronted with uncertainty. Reassurance can help to calm a doubt, allay a worry, solidify a plan of action, or guide a decision. 

The recommendation most difficult to absorb by most clinicians is the suggestion that interventions that lower expectations of catastrophic or negative outcomes of exposure should be minimized in order to take advantage of the therapeutic effect of violating expectations. The question then arises as to how to motivate patients to do the exposure work while in the grip of serious anticipatory anxiety and suffering from the effects of their own anxiety sensitivity.