Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

OCD is often a condition of silent suffering. Living with OCD can feel like being trapped in an exhausting cycle of intrusive thoughts, checking rituals, and overwhelming anxiety, often leaving you feeling isolated and embarrassed by thoughts that you may be scared to say out loud. Unwanted images or ideas that crash into your mind without warning, perhaps about disturbing images and impulses of harming another person, running someone over with your car without realizing it, or distressing moral and religious doubts that feel impossible to shake. These thoughts can feel so real and so contrary to your true values that they create intense shame and fear, and it may feel scary to even acknowledge. The person struggling with OCD may engage in "neutralizing behavior," from mentally reviewing situations until they feel "just right," to checking doors multiple times in an attempt to "undo" or "prevent" something "bad" from happening. If you find yourself caught in these distressing patterns, and feeling controlled by fears that you know might not make sense but feel impossible to ignore, please know that many people struggle with OCD and effective treatment is available. Through approaches like Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), we can work together to gradually face feared situations while learning to resist compulsions, helping you regain control and freedom in your daily life. Our work may also incorporate mindfulness techniques to help you relate to thoughts in a different way, as well as insight-oriented exploration to understand the underlying mechanisms and origin of the symptoms. Whether you're struggling with contamination fears, harm-related thoughts/impulses, or the need for symmetry and order, my practice is a safe, non-judgmental space where we use evidence-based treatment approaches to help you reclaim the joy and freedom that OCD is taking from you.