The Balanced Life Blog
Flee or Fight : The OCD question
- Jessica D. Cleveland, M.S., LPC, NCC
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in Individuals
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
With Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, compulsions are seen as a way to reduce fear and doubt; they are most often identified by the client as being reasonable ways to help them cope. Continued compulsions actually exacerbate the fear and allow it to continually cycle through the mind of the individual, thus any relief gained from compulsions is only temporary. Exposure response prevention serves to lead an individual to a greater purpose for living by having them face and “fight” the fears for which they seek to “Flee” through repeated rituals and other obsessive/compulsive types of behavior.
In spite of the evidence that Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is an effective treatment, the prospect of experiencing it can be frightening to an individual with OCD even when it is explained by a supportive and trained professional counselor. At times the very idea of saying a word, writing, looking at pictures etc. of the things they fear most creates anxiety that causes the client (s) to question how tasks such as these will help them and sometimes discourages them from complying with treatment and appointments. Has this every happened to you?
Here are some common pitfalls to avoid when considering treatment.
Resist avoiding coming to treatment or doing homework assignments for fear of doing them wrong.
Resist avoiding therapy because you fear that anxiety will be too high. Exposure and Response Prevention is done at the client’s pace, not all at once.
Resist the mistaken belief that you will never get better when anxiety doesn’t go down immediately after trying a treatment exercise (i.e. I will always be anxious). You can get better.
Treatment is most effective for individuals with OCD when they can meet with the therapist 1 to 5 times or more per week in the early parts of treatment. This increases the comfort and trust levels the individual has with the therapist, makes the exposure practice more consistent and effective, thus making the person more productive. Medication alone is not enough. Following through with therapy is necessary and helpful in achieving effective results.
To learn more about OCD treatment you can visit ” https://iocdf.org/ or give me a call at 256-258-7777 ext. 103.
Jessica D. Cleveland, M.S., LPC, NCC
