When OCD treatment feels overwhelming

Receiving an OCD diagnosis can feel scary. You're already struggling with a deep seeded fear of the unknown and then you're walloped with the news that you have to do exposure therapy to get better. What?!

You may find yourself recoiling at the idea of starting a treatment that requires you to face the things you work so hard to avoid. That's understandable, but it will only keep you inside the cage OCD has created around you. However appealing avoiding Exposure and Response Prevention may feel, ERP is the most effective way build your tolerance for uncertainty and break out of the habit of seeking reassurance through compulsions.

That being said, starting OCD treatment doesn't mean you will immediately be forced into the most terrifying situation you could imagine. An important part of the process is building your motivation for treatment.

Therapy sessions can be a space to imagine what your life could be like, if OCD loops didn't rule your life. You don't have to be late for work because you need to make sure that an appliance is unplugged "just one more time." You don't have to miss out on a family gathering because the host has wall to wall carpeting. OCD treatment can lead you to place where intrusive thoughts don't automatically send your heart racing.

When psychiatrists and therapists talk about ERP as the "gold-standard" of care, we are not doing so with the aim of flooding you with jarring experiences, rather we do so with the aim of helping you build a life that is full and enjoyable. A life that is free. That life is only possible if we take the brave step of reckoning with our relationship with control and the unknown.

Find an OCD therapist today using the International OCD Foundation's directory: https://iocdf.org/find-help/

Best,

Po