ERP
You can Defy OCD!
The statement by Van Gogh can be true for anyone that learns how to defy OCD. It can be done! It’s not easy but it’s possible! Anxiety, guilt, and doubt are the prevalent feelings experienced by OCD sufferers. They have difficulty tolerating these emotions. When individuals are triggered and begin to obsess, they become overwhelmed by their feelings and will do whatever it takes to avoid feeling that way. For instance, James had fears of emotional contamination. He’d rather avoid certain friends than take the chance of experiencing a panic attack. Linda had fears of losing her faith and would stay away from triggers that produced anxiety, guilt, and uncertainty. Roy was worried about being near anyone that may carry an infectious dise
CBT Trumps Antipsychotic for Augmentation, Amending Current Guidelines
An Update from the NIMH (National Institute of Mental Health): Exposure / Ritual Prevention Therapy Boosts Antidepressant Treatment of OCD This is another study that confirms Exposure and Ritual Prevention (a specific form of cognitive behavior therapy) makes a significant difference in treating OCD. Read the article here.
“What you resist, persists”
This past Christmas I received a 27oz. bag of Ghirardelli chocolates. I don’t think I’m a chocoholic but I do enjoy chocolates. The night I received the bag, I ate and shared a few with my husband. They were delicious. I saved the rest for “rainy” days. And this winter, there have been just too many rainy, snowy, and foggy days! The craving and my hippocampus It happens late at night. The need for something sweet. Tangerines usually suffice. It may take as many as four, but my chocolate stash remains intact. But then there are those days — you know which ones — when you just need something stronger to get the job done. It’s then that the thought of my hidden stash pops up in my mind. I say to myself: “You had a great eatin
ERP: One Step At a Time
When I first talk to my clients about ERP (exposure and response prevention), they have a puzzling and incredulous look on their faces. They seem to be thinking: “You are telling me, I am paying you so you can make me more anxious? I am here for you to take away my anxiety, not to give me more of it!” Because I can “read” their mind I explain in detail what ERP means and I will briefly summarize it here: We clarify the bad reputation ERP has thanks to reality TV shows in which OCD clients are crying, screaming, and on the verge of a full-blown panic attack because they’re being “exposed” to that which they fear the most. ERP is about helping you “habituate” or get used to that which you fear. However, it is by NO means like you’
