Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is a condition that involves both unwanted thoughts, as well as behaviors that people feel compelled to engage in to reduce anxiety. If you or someone you know suffers from OCD, it is important to find a professional who is experienced in treating this condition.
I have extensive experience helping people with OCD and the approach I take can help to alleviate your symptoms, as well as to help you better understand sources of your anxiety so you can more effectively manage anxiety and function better in your life. The successful and comprehensive treatment of OCD involves several components.
First, cognitive and behavioral strategies can assist people in challenging the validity of their unwanted thoughts, as well as to decrease their undesirable and compulsive behaviors. People who suffer from OCD often describe intensely disturbing thoughts that race through their mind, as well as feeling urges to engage in or avoid engaging in certain behaviors.
Next, it is important to understand how stress and anxiety can give rise to obsessions and compulsions. When I work with someone who suffers from OCD, we spend time figuring out what the major sources of stress are in their life. Major sources of stress typically include work, family problems, relationship difficulties with significant others, as well as major life events that involve significant change.
Very often, such stressors trigger feelings that ignite a rise in obsessive/racing thoughts that are very disturbing. Moreover, high levels of stress often make people feel like they don't have much control over events, and compulsive behaviors can serve as a substitute action though which an individual gains some sense of control.
I am committed to focusing treatment on relieving feelings of distress as soon as possible, while exploring and identifying the roots of the problem (e.g., stressors) that tend to trigger and intensify obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviors so that symptom relief can continue long after treatment ends.
For more detailed information about OCD, visit the OCD Foundation's website, https://iocdf.org/about-ocd/.
