What Some Intrusive Thoughts Sound Like:

What Some Compulsive Behaviors Look Like:

What is OCD?

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental health disorder that can impact the lives of people of all ages and gender. OCD is characterized by unwanted intrusive thoughts, images, and or urges, called obsessions, and cause significant distress which typically leads the person to engage in a behavior to neutralize the discomfort, called compulsive behaviors.
OCD can vary from person to person. Symptoms usually begin gradually and ebb and flow throughout life. OCD frequently impacts the lives of not only the sufferer, but their friends and family as well. It is critical to receive help as soon as possible to reduce the severity of symptoms and over all dysfunction. 

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Natural treatment for ocd:
Exposure and Response Prevention (E/RP).

Exposure and Response Prevention (E/RP) is a cognitive behavioral technique that is used to effectively treat a number of Anxiety disorders, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Panic Disorder, Phobias and others.

The EXPOSURE involves exposure to feared stimuli such as, thoughts, images, or real life objects. The RESPONSE PREVENTION involves modifying the old response to the feared stimuli such as to prevent escape or avoidant behaviors.

The purpose of E/RP is to foster inhibitory learning and habituation. The inhibitory learning model offers the patient an opportunity to generate new cognitive learning that forms new relationships, which override the fear-based associations. This is known as “excitatory meaning.” The goal of the inhibitory learning model is to successfully contradict the old associations to the feared stimuli and achieve a decrease level of anxiety and avoidant behavior. Habituation occurs when you no longer respond to the stimuli in the same way. 

IMAGINAL EXPOSURE: ​A patient will imagine the feared image or situation in detail. This will help the patient confront the distressing feeling or situation they anticipate will occur if they do not avoid or ritualize. ​

IN VIVO EXPOSURE: In vivo is latin for "within the living" or in real life. This form of exposure helps the patient face the actual fear(s) that trigger the compulsive behavior. ​

RESPONSE PREVENTION: Response prevention occurs throughout the exposure. When a patient is faced with their feared stimuli they are taught how to modify their response to achieve a new learning experience.