20. OCD Treatment: "Whatever, OCD" - exercises to help you learn to care less about your worries.
TLDRThe video discusses the principles of Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) therapy for OCD. The key point is that ERP aims to help individuals care less about intrusive thoughts and sensations rather than eliminating them. It emphasizes the importance of intention and understanding what one is exposing themselves to. Various practical methods are suggested, such as making recordings of feared thoughts, using images as screensavers, and creating thought-related games to desensitize and reduce the anxiety associated with these thoughts. The overall goal is to habituate and diminish the impact of OCD symptoms.
Takeaways
- 🎯 The primary goal of exposure and response prevention (ERP) in treating ROCD (Relationship Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder) is to learn to care less about intrusive thoughts, images, and sensations, rather than trying to eliminate them.
- 🚫 It's crucial to understand that the intention of ERP is not to get rid of or stop intrusive thoughts but to habituate to them, making them less bothersome and reducing their impact.
- 🔍 The fear that individuals with OCD are trying to confront through ERP is the fear of having certain thoughts, images, urges, or sensations that they don't want to be there.
- 📝 Creating a hierarchy of fears can be an effective method for approaching ERP, starting with less scary thoughts and gradually working up to more intense ones.
- 💡 The speaker emphasizes that ERP can be applied to any type of OCD, including 'pure O' where any kind of thought could be equally distressing.
- 📱 One practical suggestion for ERP is to record feared thoughts and play them back on a loop to oneself, aiming to desensitize and reduce the fear associated with those thoughts.
- 🖼️ Using images as screen savers on devices can be another way to expose oneself to triggers and practice not reacting to them.
- 🃏 The idea of using 'fear cards' for playing games with a trusted friend or family member is introduced as a creative and engaging way to confront and reduce the power of feared thoughts.
- 📑 Writing thoughts on sticky notes and placing them around the house can serve as constant, low-stakes exposure to feared thoughts throughout the day.
- 🎨 The speaker encourages creativity in finding ways to expose oneself to fears and emphasizes that the process should be personalized and accessible.
- 🌟 The ultimate aim of these ERP techniques is to change one's attitude towards intrusive thoughts and sensations, leading to a point where they become less noticeable and impactful.
Q & A
What is the primary intention behind exposure and response prevention (ERP) for treating ROCD?
-The primary intention behind ERP for treating ROCD is to learn to care less about unwanted thoughts, images, and sensations, allowing them to come and go freely, rather than trying to stop or get rid of them.
Why is it crucial to clarify the goal when undertaking exposure and response prevention?
-Clarifying the goal is crucial because it ensures that the individual understands that the aim is to deal with ROCD differently and let it take care of itself, rather than trying to eliminate the unwanted thoughts or images.
What happens if the intention of ERP becomes about getting rid of unwanted thoughts?
-If the intention becomes about getting rid of unwanted thoughts, it flips over into being unhelpful because it contradicts the goal of learning to care less and allowing thoughts to come and go freely.
Why might some people find ERP for OCD, specifically ROCD, scary or impossible to do?
-Some people might find ERP scary or impossible because they are not clear about what they are exposing themselves to or they misunderstand that ERP is about facing their fears and learning to tolerate them, not necessarily about performing drastic actions.
What is the fear that individuals with ROCD are exposing themselves to during ERP?
-Individuals with ROCD are exposing themselves to their fears, which are the unwanted thoughts, images, urges, and sensations that they typically try to avoid.
Can ERP be applied to any type of OCD, including ROCD?
-Yes, ERP can be applied to any type of OCD, including ROCD, as long as the individual understands what they are exposing themselves to, which is their fear of the thoughts, images, urges, and sensations.
What is the purpose of creating a hierarchy in ERP for OCD?
-Creating a hierarchy in ERP helps individuals to start with less scary thoughts or situations and gradually work their way up to more intense ones, making the process more manageable and less overwhelming.
How can one effectively expose themselves to feared thoughts without taking drastic actions?
-One can effectively expose themselves to feared thoughts by using methods such as recording the thoughts and playing them back, using images as screen savers, or playing games with index cards that have the feared thoughts written on them.
What is the intention behind using a recording of feared thoughts in ERP?
-The intention behind using a recording of feared thoughts is to help the brain habituate to these thoughts, making them less bothersome and taking away their sting over time.
How long should one listen to the recording of their feared thoughts during ERP?
-It is recommended to listen to the recording for approximately five minutes once or twice a day, ensuring to stay with the recording until anxiety levels start to come down and habituation begins.
What is the purpose of using sticky notes with feared thoughts written on them around the house?
-The purpose of using sticky notes with feared thoughts is to increase exposure to these thoughts in everyday life, helping to reduce their impact and make them less significant over time.
Outlines
🧘 Understanding Intention and Exposure in OCD Treatment
The first paragraph emphasizes the importance of having a clear intention when undertaking exposure and response prevention (ERP) for treating OCD. The goal is to learn to care less about intrusive thoughts and allow them to come and go freely, rather than trying to eliminate them. The speaker clarifies that ERP is about changing the way one deals with OCD, and it's crucial to understand what one fears—namely the thoughts, images, and sensations associated with the condition. The paragraph also addresses common misconceptions about ERP's applicability and suggests creating a hierarchy of fears to start ERP in a manageable way, with the idea of gradually facing fears in a controlled and less intimidating manner.
📱 Creative Exposure Techniques for OCD
The second paragraph introduces various creative methods to expose oneself to feared thoughts and images associated with OCD. One such method is recording one's feared thoughts and playing them back on a loop to reduce their emotional impact. The intention is to habituate to these thoughts, making them less distressing over time. The speaker advises turning statements of fear into affirmations to increase the effectiveness of the exposure. The paragraph also suggests using screensavers with triggering images and playing card games that involve confronting fears, like 'snap' or 'bingo', to normalize and reduce the anxiety associated with these thoughts.
🎯 Incremental Exposure and the Power of Habituation
In the third paragraph, the speaker continues to discuss the process of habituation, which is key to reducing the anxiety associated with OCD triggers. They recommend starting with less intimidating exposures and gradually increasing the intensity. The paragraph provides practical tips, such as using sticky notes with feared thoughts around the house or printing out images to confront avoidance behaviors. The speaker emphasizes the importance of consistent exposure to feared thoughts and images to decrease their power over time, with the ultimate goal of indifference and reduced anxiety.
🕊 Achieving Indifference to Intrusive Thoughts
The final paragraph concludes the discussion by highlighting the end goal of ERP: achieving indifference to intrusive thoughts. The speaker explains that as one becomes desensitized to these thoughts through consistent exposure, they will eventually cease to be a source of distress. This paragraph reinforces the idea that with practice and time, the individual will no longer be bothered by the previously feared thoughts, leading to a significant improvement in their quality of life and a reduction in OCD symptoms.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)
💡Intention
💡Habituation
💡Fear
💡Thoughts
💡Images
💡Sensations
💡Hierarchy
💡Pure O
💡Recording
Highlights
The importance of having a clear intention and goal for exposure and response prevention (ERP) in treating ROCD.
The goal of ERP is to learn to deal with thoughts, images, and sensations differently, not to eliminate them.
ERP can be applied to any type of OCD as long as one understands what they are exposing themselves to.
The fear in OCD is often about thoughts, images, urges, and sensations that one doesn't want to be there.
Creating a hierarchy of fears can help in managing exposure therapy, starting with less scary thoughts and working up.
For those with 'pure O', any kind of thoughts can be equally scary, so listing them all and working through them is suggested.
Simple daily activities can be effective in ERP, making the process more accessible and likely to be done.
Recording feared thoughts and playing them back on loop can help in habituation and reducing their impact.
The intention of recording thoughts is to make them less bothersome and to take away their meaning, not to eliminate them.
Listening to the recording of thoughts should be done until anxiety levels decrease, promoting habituation.
Using images as screen savers can be a simple way to increase exposure to feared thoughts or images.
Playing card games with index cards containing fears can be a creative way to confront and reduce fear.
Writing thoughts on sticky notes and placing them around the house can serve as constant, non-threatening exposure.
The presenter acknowledges the difficulty and pain associated with OCD and aims to model a non-fearful attitude.
The ultimate goal of ERP is to reach a point where the individual no longer notices or cares about the previously feared thoughts or images.
Transcripts
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