Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for OCD

Applying a game board metaphor to OCD is not meant to trivialize how challenging OCD can be. It is intended to inspire you to learn how to combat OCD, with Dr. Faier-Routman as your guide. With an individualized, step-wise program, you will gain confidence in your ability to resist OCD’s demands and to go on the offensive rather than avoid.

Cognitive-Behavior Therapy (CBT) involves looking at your thought patterns and identifying faulty beliefs, or tendencies, such as “jumping to conclusions”, also known as “catastrophic thinking.” Once a thought is targeted for intervention, exercises are assigned to dispute the faulty belief. Brief assignments may be recommended between sessions to reinforce new learning and to help you progress at a steady pace.

Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP): The goal of this treatment modality is habituation, i.e. getting used to or bored with certain stimuli through exposure or learning. For example, when you go into a dark theater it takes a bit for your eyes to adjust to the dark. Your eyes do habituate to the darkness, and when it’s time to leave the theater they need to readjust to the daylight. Within a couple of minutes our eyes also habituate to the brighter light outside. Response prevention means gradually resisting the urge to perform certain rituals or compulsions. By blocking the ritual you permit the anxiety to be present. You can then relearn how to cope with the anxiety or OCD more adaptively.