Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is characterized by a cycle of distressing, intrusive thoughts and repetitive behaviors or rituals. People with OCD often spend time each day engaging in rituals or feel caught in rumination cycles of unwanted and intrusive thoughts. The OCD cycle can interfere with everyday life or cause clients to avoid situations.
At Union Square Cognitive Therapy, our therapists utilize the gold standard treatment for OCD, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP). With CBT/ERP, we help clients break the OCD cycle and get back to the things they value most. This treatment helps clients learn to experience discomfort without responding to the OCD and to be more present in their lives.
How Treatment Works
In CBT/ERP, clients learn to identify their obsessions and compulsions. Obsessions are intrusive, repetitive, and often unwanted thoughts, images, or sensations. OCD can involve many different themes and concerns. Some common obsessions are related to contamination, harm or aggression, sexuality, sexual or taboo thoughts, symmetry and exactness, or relationships.
Compulsions are ritualized behaviors that people with OCD perform in response to their obsession. Compulsions are done in an effort to reduce anxiety and to neutralize obsessive thoughts. Some common compulsions are checking, counting, hand washing, tapping, arranging, or reassurance seeking. Compulsions can also happen internally and may go unnoticed by other people, such as mental reviewing, mental checking, ruminating, rehearsing alternate thoughts, or repeating. While meant to reduce anxiety, the relief is short-lived and the compulsions actually maintain the OCD cycle. Compulsions can also be time-consuming and significantly interfere with daily life.
In CBT/ERP, clients learn how to identify the behaviors and/or mental rituals that are maintaining their OCD symptoms and contributing to distress. Clients work with their therapist to build coping tools to better manage anxiety and to disengage from intrusive thoughts.
CBT/ERP involves gradually and collaboratively confronting obsessive thoughts, images, and sensations (Exposure) while resisting the urge to engage in compulsions (Response Prevention). Response prevention helps clients learn to sit with discomfort, to tolerate uncertainty, and to change their relationship with their intrusive thoughts. Over time, the intensity of OCD symptoms decreases.
Is CBT/ERP Right For You?
Schedule a free consultation with Union Square Cognitive Therapy to discuss whether our approach is a good fit.
Union Square Cognitive Therapy offers specialized OCD treatment in Manhattan and throughout New York State, with telehealth options where appropriate.
Credit: Rebecca Zeitlin, LCSW
