AZ Hope Wellness Center LLC: Your Partner in Mental Health

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) can feel like being trapped in a never-ending cycle of unwanted thoughts and behaviors. If you’ve ever felt like your mind is stuck on a loop, with thoughts you can’t shake and actions you feel compelled to do, you might be dealing with OCD. Here’s what it might look like—and how you might relate to it.

Imagine trying to go about your day, but your mind keeps getting hijacked by intrusive thoughts. These aren’t just everyday worries—they’re persistent, unwanted thoughts that you can’t seem to ignore, no matter how hard you try. Maybe it’s the fear that you left the stove on, even though you’ve checked it multiple times. Or perhaps you’re haunted by the idea that you’ll accidentally harm someone, even though you’d never actually do anything to hurt anyone.

These thoughts can be about anything, but they all share one thing in common: they create intense anxiety. No matter how irrational these thoughts seem, they feel very real in the moment, making it hard to focus on anything else.

To cope with these obsessive thoughts, you might develop rituals or routines—compulsive behaviors that you feel you have to do in order to relieve the anxiety. Maybe you find yourself washing your hands over and over again, even when they’re already clean, because you can’t shake the fear of germs. Or you might check the locks on your doors repeatedly before bed, convinced that if you don’t, something bad will happen.

These behaviors can feel comforting in the moment, but the relief is usually temporary. Soon, the anxiety creeps back in, and you find yourself repeating the same actions over and over again. It’s a cycle that’s exhausting and can take up a lot of your time and energy, leaving you feeling stuck and frustrated.

OCD can be incredibly isolating. You might feel embarrassed or ashamed of your thoughts and behaviors, worried that others won’t understand. You might go out of your way to hide your compulsions, fearing judgment or rejection. This secrecy can make you feel alone, even when you’re surrounded by people who care about you.

You might also feel a constant sense of guilt or responsibility, believing that your actions—or lack of actions—could cause harm to yourself or others. This burden can be overwhelming, making it hard to enjoy life or feel at ease.

I offer two options for treatment for OCD. I am trained in the traditional method of ERP, which will be a series of exposures designed to gradually help you become comfortable with the discomfort of not being able to soothe the discomfort from the anxiety. I also have the option to explore a new treatment called I-CBT. I-CBT focused on the beginning part of the sequences of OCD and targets the doubts behind the obsessions and does not have any component of exposure attached to it.  After the initial session, we could decide together which treatment option to pursue.