"OCD is like having a bully stuck inside your head
and nobody else can see it."
- Krissy McDermott
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder can be characterized by primarily obsessions, primarily compulsions, or a combination of both.
Obsessions are defined as recurrent and persistent thoughts, impulses, or images that are experienced as intrusive and cause anxiety or distress. The thoughts, impulses, or images are not simply excessive worries about real life problems. The person attempts to ignore or suppress such thoughts, impulses, or images, or to neutralize them with some other thought or action (DSM-5).
Compulsions are defined as repetitive behaviors or mental acts that the person feels driven to perform in response to an obsession or according to rules that must be applied rigidly. The behaviors or mental acts are aimed at preventing or reducing distress or preventing some dreaded event or situation (DSM-5).
I developed severe OCD as a young adult. My life was a nightmare, and a way out seemed impossible. After trying counseling with two different anxiety counselors, I found a counselor who specialized in OCD. He himself had OCD and recovered from OCD. Through trusting the process that he taught me, I found my way out of OCD. I now have peace of mind that seemed completely out of reach for me. I decided that if I made it out of that nightmare, I would help others.
Besides my personal experience with OCD and going through exposure therapy firsthand as a client, I also have completed specialized training in the treatment of OCD and exposure therapy. I completed trainings on Cognitive Behavorial Therapy for OCD through the Massachusetts General Hospital and on Exposure and Response Prevention for OCD and Anxiety led by Becky Beaton-York, Ph. D. I completed a training on "Treating Contamination OCD" through the OCD Training School.
It is my passion to understand OCD and its treatment, so I have read many research articles and books on OCD (see book list below). I have participated in OCD support groups in-person and on-line as a participant and as a group facilitator.
OCD has many variations, and each person's experience with it is somewhat unique to them, but I believe that there is a path to recovery for each person! I work with OCD clients to understand their experience of OCD and help them on their path to recovery.
Some OCD themes include but are not limited to:
Just Right OCD
Harm OCD
Sexual Orientation OCD (HOCD)
POCD (pedophilia OCD)
Relationship OCD
Contamination OCD
Disgust OCD- avoiding feelings of disgust
OCD related to numbers
Perfectionism OCD
Responsibility OCD
Checking OCD
Scrupulosity OCD
Hyperawareness OCD (also called sensorimotor OCD or somatoform OCD)
Some of the books I have read:
ACT Made Simple by Russ Harris
The Mindfulness Workbook for OCD by Jon Hershfield, MFT and Tom Corboy, MFT
Coping with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder by Jan van Niekerk
The Self-Compassion Workbook for OCD by Kimberley Quinlan, LMFT
The Imp of the Mind by Lee Baer, Ph. D.,
Out of the Rabbit Hole by Bloom and Mouton-Odum
Brain Lock by Jeffrey Schwartz, MD, and
Just Checking by Emily Colas