Top 5 Myths About OCD Therapy in Austin (and the Truth Behind Them)
OCD is really poorly understood, even among mental health professionals. It doesn’t help that “I’m so OCD” is common parlance for being particular or having a strong preference. I wrote a comprehensive guide to finding the right OCD therapist in Austin. This blog delves into common misunderstandings about OCD therapy, specifically Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP).
What if you could simply shrug and say “so what” to your OCD thoughts? It’s possible if you work with an OCD therapist in Austin.
Myth #1: The goal of OCD therapy is to stop intrusive thoughts.
The truth: All humans have intrusive thoughts. Our brains make thoughts like our kidneys make urine. You are never going to rid your brain of its ability to produce intrusive thoughts. Have you ever tried like hell not to think about something? We all know how that goes.
The goal: OCD therapy fosters a different response to your intrusive thoughts. In OCD, the thoughts are incredibly distressing and make you feel like you have to do something to neutralize the thought or prevent a bad outcome. By the end of ERP, you’re able to shrug and say “so what?” to the thoughts and then go about your day.
Myth #2: You have to get to the root cause to treat the OCD.
The truth: It isn’t necessary to know why you have OCD to treat it. Whatever caused it and what’s keeping it going are two different things. The causes of OCD aren’t fully known. It’s probably some combination of genetics and environment. In ERP, we focus on what’s currently keeping it in place. The cycle goes as follows. An intrusive thought pops into your head and distresses you. You do something to feel a little better in the moment. Then the next thought comes along, and the cycle continues. Regardless of cause, it’s become a self-perpetuating cycle. We’ve long since left the cause behind. Some therapies are about delving into the past and getting to the deeper meaning of the problem. In the case of OCD, however, this is not helpful at best and harmful at worst.
The goal: An OCD sufferer’s worst fear is that their thoughts are an accurate reflection of their values and desires. ERP teaches you that they are just mental events that don’t mean anything. ERP also focuses on the here-and-now of the OCD cycle, as that is how to successfully interrupt that cycle and get relief from the OCD.
Myth #3: OCD Therapy is just “white-knuckling” through fear.
The truth: ERP entails systematic exposure to things that distress you. You and I will build what’s called an exposure hierarchy, ranked by how upsetting each trigger is. We start easy and work our way up to difficult. You will feel discomfort in the short term, but you will also notice the discomfort decreases on its own without you having to do anything.
The goal: You eventually get to where you don’t feel the need to do the compulsion, and the obsession is less distressing. It’s less about powering through and more about building a tolerance for uncertainty.
OCD doesn’t go away on its own. Work with an OCD therapist in Austin who knows the way out!
Myth #4: You can fix it on your own with enough willpower.
The truth: If this were true, nobody would have OCD! How much willpower does it take to follow these rigid rules even though you don’t want to? How hard have you tried not to do the compulsions? OCD is a chronic condition. Symptoms might wax and wane, but they don’t usually go away on their own.
The goal: Following a course of ERP, the symptoms recede to the point where they are no longer life-interfering. As mentioned above, if you have a human brain, you have intrusive thoughts. In letting go of the effort to make the thoughts step, you are divesting from the cycle of OCD.
Myth #5: OCD therapy means agreeing with your obsession.
The truth: Giving up the fight does not equal agreement with the thought. Let’s say your kid wants ice cream for dinner. You say no. Your kids responds saying you are mean. You say, “Sure, fine, now eat your broccoli.” Do you actually think you are mean? Of course not! You’re just not going to debate the merits of your parenting decisions with a 5-year-old.
The goal: To devote as little time and energy as possible to the OCD thought. To say “maybe, maybe not” and go back to whatever you were doing.
Still have questions? Interested in doing some ERP? Contact me here to set up a free 15-minute phone consultation.
I help anxious rule followers release the death grip on life. I use structured and data-driven approaches with clear beginnings, middles, and ends.
Jessica works with insomnia, OCD, and Radically Open DBT. Learn more on the About page.