I am an OCD practitioner with lived experience. I developed perinatal OCD after giving birth to my first child. Back then, I had a very narrow view of what having OCD meant and looked like. I know what it feels like to have OCD cripple your quality of life. I overcame my fear, which revealed the insecurities that I held as a mother, but also my strengths. Below you will find options that we can utilize to help you recover from your fear as well.
OCD Treatment Options
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Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)
ERP is a behavioral intervention.
It focuses on DOING to change what we KNOW. It utilizes exposures to change how we think about our obsessions
ERP focuses on exposing oneself to the situations that cause fear/disgust in order to desensitize those triggers while also preventing oneself from engaging in rituals that have become paired with the feared situations.
Most people respond well to ERP, but some do not.
For those who are not open to engaging in exposures or who would just like an alternative, Inference Based CBT is an option.
For more information about OCD or ERP, please visit HERE.
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Inference-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Inference-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is an evidence-based treatment that has been through several randomized-controlled trials, used in multiple countries, and shown to be as effective in the treatment of OCD as ERP.
I-CBT is the treatment model I use most for OCD. However, I strongly believe that clients should be in charge of their treatment and I ultimately leave the choice of modality up to the client and the client's needs/wishes for treatment.
I-CBT helps clients learn to trust themselves and their senses instead of going into the OCD narrative. This can be done without the use of exposure.
For more information about I-CBT, please visit HERE