OCD therapy | rocd, just-right ocd, “pure o,” and others
For intrusive thoughts, doubts, and mental loops
It can feel like an invisible, but constant presence is dictating your life.
does this sound like you?
The moment you open your eyes in the morning, “it” is there. Maybe it’s a thought or doubt that won’t leave you alone. Or an image or feeling that something’s not right. It nags at you with importance, demanding to be addressed right now. It quickly leads to:
Mentally checking for what’s wrong
Repeated, unsuccessful attempts to push it away
Analyzing your thoughts and feelings endlessly
Seeking reassurance, or confessing your thoughts
Checking, washing, or arranging things to feel right
And it’s robbing you of precious time, moments with loved ones, and experiences you want to have. Your life has slowly gotten smaller because you’ve had to avoid things, even things you love. You are tired of living in service of “it.”
relatable?
Dreading persistent, unwanted thoughts
Tired of chasing only temporary relief
Wishing this loop didn’t rule your life
Hoping to get back to the things you love
I’ve got you.
You can take back your life from OCD.
You don’t have to keep filling your days with distractions to keep unwanted thoughts at bay, or spending hours deliberating over unanswerable questions. It’s possible to step out of the loop and actually be in your life again. You can return to lost interests, strengthen relationships, and finally trust your own judgment.
How we get there
OCD therapy is facing discomfort, and resisting temporary relief.
I assume you’ve had a bug bite that itched like hell before, and I assume you scratched it even though you’ve probably learned that it actually makes things worse. But the anticipation of that sweet, sweet moment of relief convinced you to scratch it anyway. So you did, and you felt victorious…until you didn’t, because the itchiness and swelling returned tenfold. That’s basically how OCD works. Every time you do a physical or mental compulsion, and get temporary relief, it reinforces the cycle. Unwanted thoughts and urges return, often stronger.
The way out of this cycle is to change your response, and resist the urge to scratch the bite. That’s what we do in ERP therapy for OCD. We plan and practice exposures (things you do that are meant to trigger an “itch”), and you resist scratching the bite. Yes, it’s challenging, but it’s not designed to be overwhelming. We’ll go at a pace that feels doable. I want you to be successful because the wins keep you doing the work. And the work teaches your brain that you can handle the itch without doing compulsions. So you can get back to your interests and your people.
At the end of the day:
OCD goes after the things you care about, and I want to help you get back to those things.
the skills you build
Beyond talk therapy.
01 defusion
Therapy for OCD teaches you how to notice unwanted thoughts, images, and memories as they’re happening, and choose whether or not to engage with them.
02 Acceptance
A big part of OCD therapy is learning how to experience uncertainty and doubt when they come up, rather than trying to resolve them.
03 Valued living
We’ll clarify how you want to live because OCD therapy isn’t just about what you want to stop doing, it’s also what you want to do more of, or start doing.
it’s your time and energy
OCD doesn’t get to decide your life. It’s up to you.
still curious?
FAQs
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I guess we’ll see. (Get used to that annoying, uncertainty-affirming response because there’s more where that came from!). The thing is, I can’t predict if or when your unwanted thoughts will leave. But I do know that when you try to stop a thought, it pretty much always returns. Kinda like ping pong. I know this isn’t the answer you were hoping for, but it’s the truth. And it’s not bad news, because the part you actually get to choose (how you respond) is the part that breaks the whole cycle.
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Let’s think about what compulsions are doing for you in the moment. With ROCD, when you replay moments in your relationship for proof that you love your partner and “should” stay with them, you’re outsourcing your judgment. You’re basically saying “I don’t trust my feelings or decision-making, so I need to check.” Here’s the thing: you’re not going to get certainty about your feelings. Do you want to be uncertain and stay or be uncertain and leave? You get to decide. This is why resisting compulsions builds self-trust. You stop needing to look outside yourself for answers.
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Ugh, me too. And yes, I really think so. I’m not a fan of over-the-top, shocking exposures, which is where I think most of the horror stories come from. There’s actually a point where it’s not considered exposure anymore, it’s flooding, and that’s not what I do because it’s harder to tolerate and not necessary for good outcomes. OCD therapy is all about handing you back your choices. Not just when OCD is involved, but in the room when we’re practicing ERP too. I’d never force you to do something you don’t understand or don’t feel ready to try. You set the pace.