OCD Treatment
Recently diagnosed or concerned you may have OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder)? The psychotherapy of choice for the treatment of OCD has been exposure and response prevention (ERP) based on its researched effectiveness. Additionally, we are seeing new advancements in ICBT as a treatment modality for OCD. Learn more about them below to see which one aligns with you. We have providers that offer both options.
Exposure
The first part of ERP is Exposure, which includes practicing confronting the thoughts, images, objects, and situations that make you anxious and/or provoke your obsessions
Response Prevention
Response Prevention is the practice of making a choice not to do a compulsive behavior once the anxiety or obsessions have been triggered on purpose.
Bonus: Thought Disengagement
We like to add in to treatment a foundational practice of changing your relationship with your thoughts. Just because you think it does not mean it will happen. You can tolerate uncertainty.
ERP is hard work. It is not like traditional talk therapy.
But when you do it correctly with the right therapist, these things can happen:
Yes you will experience an increase in anxiety, uncertainty, and obsessional thoughts when you start.
You will discover that feelings and thoughts are distressing, but also that you are safe and can manage.
Soon you will learn to stop fighting the obsessions and anxiety and that maybe even the distress will eventually begin to subside.
We call the natural drop in anxiety that happens when you stay “exposed” and “prevent” the compulsive “response” habituation.
You might learn your fears are less likely to come true than you thought or that you can tolerate the uncertainty.
You will get better at managing levels of risk and uncertainty in your daily life.
ICBT
Inference-based cognitive behavioral therapy (I-CBT) is a type of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) that's used to treat obsessive compulsive disorder. I-CBT is based on the idea that obsessions are abnormal doubts that arise from faulty reasoning processes, or obsessional reasoning. The goal of I-CBT is to help people identify and change these faulty reasoning patterns, which can lead to lasting relief from OCD.
ICBT differs from ERP in that there is not a focus on response prevention and/or exposure. ICBT focuses more on reasoning and logic as an area to target OCD symptoms in turn stopping compulsions from ever happening.
Gain insight into your thought patterns
I-CBT can help people understand how their OCD develops and why it feels so real.
Shift your perspective
I-CBT can help people change how they think about situations and experiences.
Trust your senses
I-CBT helps people trust their ability to process information and use common sense.
Develop new ways of thinking
I-CBT can help people develop new ways of thinking that are less anxious.
