Exposure Therapy For OCD When somebody is facing their fear, they repeat this process over and over again their body tends used to it. We’ve seen this in many different ways such as jumping into a really cool swimming pool. At the very beginning it is very cold but their body adapts and get used to it. We didn’t have to spend time convincing ourselves it was going to get better, it just happens. This can be seen when we are using exposure and response prevention. When you are exposing yourself to the upsetting fear it’s going to feel very difficult at the beginning. Overtime, you may face the same fear but notice that the anxiety level is a lot less. This is seen as the habituation model. That we essxentially are doing exposures to reduce your anxiety by half or more. You’re getting used to it, you’ve taken the value away from it. When it comes to the habituation model, it’s all about this anxiety reduction in your body adapting just like the swimming pool. We will often use us as a measure of success if you were doing exposures correctly. If you’re anxiety is reducing this is a good thing. There are definitely some drawbacks from using the habituation model. Anxiety is something that we want to take value away from as well. If we are focusing solely on anxiety and having us go up and down individuals can get stuck in paying attention to the anxiety and wondering if they are doing the exposure correctly or not. Let me start obsessing about the actual anxiety versus the actual fear. Many will start to question and wonder why they’re in anxiety is not reducing. Well evidence shows that the habituation model does work, individuals can you get stuck with these pitfalls often. This is why there is another approach to exposure and response prevention called inhibitory learning. While this is still being researched there is evidence that shows that this helps reduce OCD symptoms as well. The difference is not the actual exposure you were doing but rather the way you were approaching it. With the inhibitory learning model you are teaching your brain more than reducing anxiety. Exposures are all about what can your brain learned from this experience. It doesn’t matter if your anxiety reduces or not. It might not even matter if you have anxiety while you’re doing the exposure. The whole mindset is all about your brain learning something new. So if I was facing a fear that really caused some anxiety, the way I approach is designed is to face the fear, expose yourself to it and RESPOND differently to the fear. You sole focus is what am I teaching my brain by every movement, words I’m saying, what I’m thinking, how I’m behaving. If I avoid touching something because it’s contaminated, my brain learned that that thing is dangerous. If I touched it and acted like it wasn’t a big deal and didn’t do any compulsions, then my brain learns it’s not a big deal. You may learn time and time again that you faced your fear and NOTHING happened. That is what the brain is learning. If you’re confused by the two, here is an easy way to remember: The habitual model means your body is getting used to it and your anxiety is reducing. Inhibitory learning model means your mindset is all about what your brain is learning from the exposure regardless of the anxiety felt. Realistically, there isn’t the right choice comes to do an exposures. You do what you feel like is best for you. I have used both models together where I focus majority of my time making sure that the person knows that the brain is learning something. We use anxiety as a measure but ultimately it doesn’t matter if the anxiety reduces or not. If your brain can learn that the fear that you have is not happening and it is it because you’re trying to control the situation what is the compulsions and to me that’s one of the best ways to do an exposure. Let things be. Stop controlling. It feels like an experiment, but the experiment is worth taking for your brain to learn something major. That you’ve never been a danger. Inhibitory Learning For OCDHabituation For OCD
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How To Stop Ruminatingmination is essentially trying to problem solve the perceived threat or fear. It’s not as easy to just say, “stop ruminating”, so here are some tips for you when you feel like you’re stuck in the OCD rumination.
Schizophrenia OCDSchizophrenia OCD, Psychosis OCD, or plain ol’ “Am I going crazy” OCD. Whatever you call it, it can be very distressing to those to experience it. OCD can make someone believe anything. Even make you believe that you may be going crazy. You may even wonder if you’re hearing voices or seeing things that aren’t there. Let’s go through what it looks like and how to do the treatment. Check Out The Online Course For OCD Psychosis OCDGoing Crazy OCDHow to remove guilt from OCDIt’s pretty natural for individuals with OCD to feel guilt. This guilt can make them believe that the intrusive thoughts and feelings must mean something great. This feeling of guilt can be such a roadblock for many individuals going through treatment. Let’s go through what to do when guilt hits you during your OCD. Guilty feelings with OCDRemove guilt from OCDHow To Stop A Panic AttackDo you know what to do during a panic attack? Did you know there is treatment? It might look different than you’ve expected. Panic attacks can happen at any time and can often be mingled with stress, anxiety, or OCD. Let’s go through Panic Attacks, why you have them, and what to do with them. What to do during a panic attackTreatment for panic attacksGroinal Response With OCDThe groinal response can seem tricky to navigate through. I mean, people want to put meaning and power on what's happening "DOWN THERE". In response to sexual intrusive thoughts, it is natural to want to know what is happening. With movements, tingling, blood flow, and all of that, how can this be ignored? Let's go through what the groinal response looks like and how to do treatment for it. 🖐🖐Check out my ONLINE self-directed program for OCD🖐🖐 👉👉 https://www.OCDandAnxietyOnline.com 👈👈 Arousal with OCDFear of being arousedOCD Is A BabyI often think of OCD being a spoiled child. It's relentless; it doesn't seem to want to give up. I want to teach you some tricks to get your OCD to calm down and be less intrusive. It's a simple concept but tough to implement time after time. Topics discussed: 👉How your OCD is a winey baby 👉Why OCD is relentless 👉How “No Thanks” can be effective. 👉The power of using ‘maybe, maybe not” with your OCD. 👉How to teach your OCD that you’re not giving in. 👉How to take power away from your OCD. 👉Respond to your OCD the same way. DISCLOSURE: Although I am a licensed therapist. This video is not intended to replace medical advice. This is for information purposes only and should not be used to replace the guidance of a local mental health professional.⠀ OCD is a spoiled childHow to respond to your OCDStop Competing With Your OCD
OCD is LOUD! It tries to rattle you and the more you "fight" or try to make sense of it the more it becomes louder. Both competing to see who wins or who can be the loudest. Instead of competing what if you tried being quieter?⠀
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Remember, when it comes to your OCD; it is your job to "Face The Unknown".⠀ ⠀⠀ DISCLOSURE: Although I am a licensed therapist. This video is not intended to replace medical advice. This is for information purposes only and should not be used to replace the guidance of a local mental health professional.⠀⠀ Harry Potter and OCD
There are many scenes in Harry Potter that can show how OCD works without knowing it. ⠀ A scene with the devil's snare shows OCD, compulsions, and the struggle.⠀ ⠀
Devil's Snare is an extremely dangerous plant that will, as suggested by its name, ensnare wizards when disturbed. It strangles those who approach it by wrapping them in its tendrils.⠀ ⠀ Topics discussed:⠀⠀ Comparing OCD to the Devil's snare from Harry Potter.⠀
Remember, when it comes to your OCD; it is your job to "Face The Unknown".⠀ ⠀⠀ DISCLOSURE: Although I am a licensed therapist. This video is not intended to replace medical advice. This is for information purposes only and should not be used to replace the guidance of a local mental health professional.⠀⠀
Scrupulosity is a beast but did you know there is REAL treatment. Scrupulosity can make people believe that they are bad people, that they are sinning, that are never good enough. Let's go through the only evidence-based treatment for the subset of OCD; Scrupulosity. ⠀
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As always, bloopers/mess ups at the end to show that none of us are perfect and never will be.⠀ ⠀ DISCLOSURE: Although I am a licensed therapist. This video is not intended to replace medical advice. This is for information purposes only and should not be used to replace the guidance of a local mental health professional.⠀ How To Do Treatment For ScrupulosityScrupulosity TreatmentTreatment For Moral Scrupulosity |
AuthorNathan Peterson specializes in working with OCD and Anxiety related disorders and has done so for the past 7+ years. Archives
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