OCD Therapy San Diego

OCD Therapy

Is your mind overtaken by anxiety? Do intrusive thoughts, obsessions, and compulsions impact your quality of life and hold you back from enjoying friends, family, and work? Have you tried Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) treatment before but were disappointed to find it didn’t help?

When you suffer from OCD, it’s like you’re in an ongoing tug-of-war with unwanted thoughts and behaviors that interfere with every aspect of your life. As much as you try to get the upper hand over them, you’re unable to control the anxious thoughts that contribute to a regular sense of dread. 

Your OCD may include time-consuming rituals that you’re embarrassed to talk about. Perhaps you get stuck in the house checking to make sure you’ve turned off all the appliances or locked every door. Or maybe you have to repeat routine activities—such as hand-washing, counting, or reading—over and over until it feels “just right”. 

Because you’re often overwhelmed and paralyzed by fear, you’re unable to accomplish the goals you’ve set for yourself. Sadly, your OCD may be preventing you from forming close relationships which only exacerbates your sense of isolation. 

The good news is that there is now an evidence-based treatment that’s been proven effective with the management of OCD. With the right help, you can finally be free of the oppressive symptoms of OCD¹.

OCD Is More Common Than Most Of Us Think

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, 2.3 percent of adults will experience OCD in their lives² Although that sounds like a just small fraction of the population, it equates to approximately 5.6 million Americans. 

Although it’s a relatively common disorder, we still have a lot to learn about OCD. It has been shown to run in families, but it’s unclear whether this is due to genetics or if it’s a learned behavior.

Not All forms of Therapy For OCD Work

Because only certain treatments are effective, when we suffer from OCD we commonly assume that therapy won’t work for us. Having tried various therapies to no avail, we end up feeling helpless and frustrated by our condition. Even though “treatment-resistant OCD” doesn’t exist, we’ve concluded that we must have it because nothing we’ve tried has quieted our symptoms. 

The Shame Associated With OCD Makes It Difficult To Talk About

Unfortunately, there is a lot of shame surrounding OCD. For those of us who suffer from it, we are tortured by intrusive and graphic thoughts that are embarrassing to talk about. We keep them to ourselves rather than risk being judged or ridiculed. Even though we may actually know someone else with OCD, we’re unaware of it because neither of us is comfortable talking about it to each other. Shame and embarrassment are the same reason we avoid seeking treatment—instead, we suffer in silence without getting the help we need.

Fortunately, the options for OCD treatment have improved in the last few decades. Now there are therapies available that have been proven effective in reducing the symptoms of OCD³ Even if you’ve tried therapy before without success, it’s worth trying again with a specialized OCD therapist. 

It takes a lot of courage to talk to someone about your OCD. Many of the thoughts you’re having can be difficult to express and you may also be embarrassed by the behaviors you’ve adopted to cope. And if you’ve tried therapy before and it wasn’t helpful, you might be jaded by the idea of therapy and lose hope that treatment will work. 

But talking with a therapist who understands OCD and what you are going through without judgment is an important step in your journey to wellness. Just being open to trying a therapy that’s been proven effective in treating OCD can make such a huge difference in your quality of life. I aim to help you develop the skills that will free you from the hooks of intrusive thoughts and allow you to connect to what is important in life. 

What To Expect in OCD therapy

As an OCD therapists, in our first few sessions together, we will get comfortable with each other as we learn more about your experience with OCD. After conducting an assessment to get an accurate diagnosis, we can formulate an appropriate treatment plan for you. The goals you want to accomplish in therapy will be decided together.  

In ongoing sessions, you will learn coping skills to resist and work through triggering situations. We will start with the easier scenarios first so that you will gain confidence as we move on to face what’s more challenging for you. As your self-acceptance expands, we will also support you in facing the fears that underlie your OCD. Facing fears allows your brain to learn that what it is expecting to happen usually never does and, even when it does happen, you can handle it.  

The Gold Standard Treatment For OCD Is Exposure And Response Therapy (ERP) 

We will use Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and mindfulness skills to help treat your OCD and phobias. ERP will help you learn to accept your obsessions and then work to reduce the compulsions that follow. Considered to be the gold standard of treatment, ERP is a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) type of treatment proven effective in treating OCD⁴.  In addition, ACT will help you learn to accept anxiety rather than try to avoid it at all costs and learning mind/body practices will keep you grounded. 

We are so excited to share this therapy with you because we have helped clients overcome a wide variety of types of OCD and we are confident that we have tools that can help you, too. Even If you have tried therapy before with no success, ERP offers renewed hope that this will be the time that you conquer your OCD once and for all. With a commitment to the process, you can finally move beyond the anxious thoughts keeping you stuck and discover a new way of living. 

But You May Wonder Whether OCD Therapy Is Right For You…

I’ve tried therapy for my OCD before and it didn’t work.

In our years as an OCD therapists, we have worked with many clients in your shoes who have felt discouraged after trying different treatments and seeing no improvement with their OCD. For example, if you tried regular talk therapy or anxiety reduction techniques, you likely didn’t see results or, worse yet, these approaches may have exacerbated your OCD. However, ERP therapy is an effective treatment for OCD. Our clients have experienced a decrease in symptoms after trying ERP—studies show that up to 83 percent of people with obsessive- compulsive disorder who tried ERP therapy have shown improvement⁵.

I don’t think I can afford OCD treatment.  

It’s important to prioritize your mental well-being, especially if OCD is negatively impacting your life. When your obsessive-compulsive disorder has spiraled and made life intolerable, counseling is an investment worth making. If OCD is holding you back from the goals you want to reach and close relationships you want to form, you deserve a solution. And when you think about all the different ways you can spend the time currently being consumed by the anxiety and rituals OCD demands of you, seeking treatment is money well spent. 

I’m afraid I’ll be judged for my OCD.

OCD can be scary because it causes such intrusive, often unpleasant, thoughts. Even though you can’t control these thoughts, you may be embarrassed or feel ashamed for having them. Our sessions together will be a safe and non-judgmental space where you will be encouraged to share challenging thoughts or behaviors. Regardless of their nature, we have heard everything—nothing will shock us. After starting treatment, our clients often tell us they would never be able to share with others what they have confided in us and feel a heavy burden lifted from their shoulders.

 Working with an OCD therapist can help you take back
control of your life!

Just because you’ve tried treatment before and it hasn’t worked, don’t give up hope. If you are ready to take the first step in getting help with your OCD, please contact us so we can set up a free, 15-minute consultation today.