Introducing OCD and Anxiety Treatment

OCD is the bully that tells you that you are both incapable and your worst case scenario is right around the corner. That your only defense is to stay alert and track your every thought, feeling, action or even past. It is the feeling that relief or safety is one action, thought, answer, google search, body scan, conversation or expert away. Yet you also know that the cycle of repetitive mental reviewing, cleaning/fixing, checking, reassurance seeking and avoidance is only causing you to feel more stuck and helpless. That relief lasts mere seconds before the next “what if” or “how do I know for sure” slams back into your mind.

Have you noticed that it’s in the places you are supposed to be most relaxed (yoga, meditation, vacation, weekends, off time, TV, sleep) that your mind feels louder than ever? It might feel like the idea of letting your thoughts come and go are meant for “normal” people and that does not include you. Maybe you feel you must stand guard to keep yourself from the worst case scenario, and that it’s your attention to your thoughts that keeps you from descending into unimaginable fear. 

Have you experienced leaving a therapy session only to find that despite all the reassurance, your doubts and fears continue to grow and your attempt to find a solution leads to more confusion? All the advice you get from your closest friends, family, or even professionals, feels so out of touch with the agony of daily doubts around the things that matter most to you in this world (health, relationships, your identity, morality, presence of mind, truth, feeling of comfort/safety, etc). It is the isolation of feeling like everyone is walking around seemingly unaware or unaffected by the daily barrage of fear, shame, and terror that is inextricably linked to the fact that you can’t be sure that your fear is not or won’t come true. 

The truth is, you are not alone and it is not that you are broken, but that the tools your mind uses again and again to solve this unsolvable puzzle are just simply not sufficient. Everyday I help others to break free from the grip of OCD and rengage in the things that matter most to them in their lives. 

I specialize in treating OCD and other anxiety spectrum disorders such as Social Anxiety Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Health Anxiety, Panic Disorder and Specific Phobias. It is through a combination of ERP (Exposure and Response Prevention, the gold standard for OCD treatment) and ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) that OCD and anxiety loses it’s stronghold and clients learn to out smart this inner bully.