What therapists need to know about OCD

I wish all therapists know how to diagnose OCD. I was misdiagnosed with GAD, wasting years on talk therapy.

Reassurance only feeds the disorder. Rationalization helps nothing. The cure is to accept and embrace uncertainty.

OCD looks different for everyone and can look VERY different from what you see in the media. Mine was missed for years and especially the spike in the last year which almost cost me my life. Thank goodness for an educated social worker in the ER…

Traditional talk therapy actually makes OCD worse. I had a therapist prior to my NOCD therapist who told me to wear a rubber band around my wrist and snap it every time I had an intrusive thought. 😣

Also, please know your limits and don't keep me in therapy if you can't treat me properly

I will compulsively ruminate in session. It is not helping me. To act in my best interest, we need to work together on my window of distress tolerance and my ability to accept what is happening inside me without judgment.

That there is not one way that works for every person who suffers from OCD. Some might have great results, if they jump in head first doing ERP exercises that cause high anxiety levels (8/10 or higher), for others it's too much and they only are able to stick with ERP, when they start at a low anxiety level (1-2/10). Also therapists should respect boundaries of their patients and not push them to do exposures, they are absolutely unwilling to do. One of my therapist told me, that we will only work within my boundaries and in case I am not willing to do one exposure, we'd find another exposure to tackle that issue. Her saying that and her emphasizing, that she respects me and my boundaries meant a lot to me and made me trust her 100%.

I wish that traditional therapists would not just treat OCD patients like we're weirdos. Some therapists when you try to explain your intrusive thoughts and compulsions just don't understand and don't know how to treat it. Thankfully my NOCD therapist was able to explain what I was dealing with and helped get started on ERP. ERP definitely saved my life.

Please don’t say you treat OCD without ERP.

trying to logic your way out of an irrational ocd-based “what if” fear doesn’t help. you’ll be debating with yourself back and forth forever- it never leads you to a proper end. the goal should be helping you in accepting the uncertainty- that’s the only way to move on

Antiquated practices based out of ill-education are more hurtful than they are helpful. I’m so thankful for NOCD and My Therapist! I feel safe, heard and understood she’s the BEST! 💕

The physiological effects of OCD. How performing compulsions literally communicates to the brain that we’re in danger which is why compulsions fuel OCD. And how to properly respond to intrusive thoughts with radical acceptance

Rationalizing with my thoughts does not help, it keeps the cycle going

Don't push ERP onto people straight away

I wish they knew how to identify talking in circles as ruminating/compulsions. My therapist would just let me talk for so long until I'd have a panic attack and would be so confused that I was still distressed after receiving validation

That you can't convince or reason with intrusive thoughts.

Know’s how to quickly come up with good ERP’s to address the lie OCD is feeding you.

How to do ERP

That reassurance does not work for us. ( I have to remind mine occasionally)

To REALLY listen and respond honestly. But I know they’re not taught to respond that way. Sometimes being told something that may hurt brings you to reality?????

Don't ask your client "why are you thinking this way?" I have worked with the therapist for months and she continued to ask me this same question! Everytime I answered "because I have OCD..." Another therapist surprised me with terrible exposures outside our plan. Don't!

I’ve found of late that there are peaks and valleys with ERP. It can be so easy at times to sit with the uncertainty and other times extremely difficult

That it can take real events and issues that’s what make it feel so real and threatening at times

Reassurance doesn’t work

That being told to reach out to someone is not the best advice because no one tells you what to do when nobody reaches back.