OCD doesn’t always look like what you’d expect.

You might think that OCD is checking that the door is locked or being obsessed with washing your hands. Sure, it can look like that, but…

Sometimes it looks like constant worrying, avoiding places and situations that cause anxiety, or doing things that you believe will prevent bad things from happening. You might be constantly trying to “figure it out”, believing that if you just think long enough and hard enough, you’ll find the answer.

If this sounds like you, you could be dealing with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) or another anxiety disorder.

I work with these thought patterns using Exposure & Response Prevention (ERP).

What is Exposure & Response Prevention (ERP)?

Exposure & Response Prevention (ERP) is an empirically supported treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) that helps clients to confront their obsessive thoughts and fears and learn how to effectively manage the distress without rituals and compulsions. Often these core fears are linked to our beliefs about ourselves and the world, and by confronting them with ERP, we can develop a healthier and more adaptive approach to life that is consistent with our personal values and goals.

Obsessions are always about what scares you, and the compulsions try to manage that fear, sometimes through behaviors (that may appear odd or unrelated to somebody else) or by avoiding that fear altogether. Compulsions are what you do to “stop the bad thing from happening” or reassure yourself that “the bad thing didn’t happen” or the “bad thing won’t happen”.