Living with obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviors is exhausting, and often impacts many areas of life. OCD is very often misrepresented in the media, and is not always observable to the eye. Many compulsions happen internally – ruminating/mentally reviewing situations, reassurance-seeking, researching, etc.
We are passionate about providing education about the obsessive-compulsive cycle (The “O-C” Cycle) in order to help clients understand that compulsions – whether observable behaviors or mental rituals – function as safety behaviors designed to reduce anxiety.
We support clients in reducing compulsions using tenets of Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Through ERP, we guide clients to gradually face their fears without the use of compulsions, building tolerance to uncertainty along the way. Our work also emphasizes the acceptance of uncertainty as a natural part of life, empowering clients to break free from the cycle of obsession and compulsion. Our goal is to compassionately empower clients to ultimately align with the mantra “Feel the fear … and do it anyway.”