Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

OCD is driven by a pattern of triggers, obsessions, anxiety, and compulsions. OCD is highly disruptive, causing avoidance of things we care about, performing unwanted repetitive behaviors, excessive research or asking for reassurance, and feeling mentally trapped or stuck. Though compulsions are meant to reduce anxiety, they actually maintain the OCD cycle. OCD can also lead to feelings of depression, shame, and guilt. Many people struggle with discussing their OCD due to the “taboo” nature of some OCD intrusive thoughts.

OCD therapy Louisiana

OCD can show up in many different ways:

 

OCD tends to wax and wane over time, showing up more intensely at times, and less so in others. It is very common to have OCD show up in more than one area, and there are many “themes” in OCD, including:

    • Worries related to health, illness, germs, or any type of contaminant

    • Compulsions can look like body or sensation checking, monitoring body processes, asking Google or ChatGPT for reassurance, asking doctors or other people for reassurance, excessively seeing doctors or avoidance of doctors, mental rumination, avoidance or certain places, activities, or people, avoiding certain foods or medications

    • Obsessions about having caused or will cause harm in some way to myself or others purposely or accidentally or through negligence)

    • Compulsions may look like avoidance of knives or other objects, confessing, seeking reassurance, ruminating about past actions, “neutralizing” bad thoughts, checking to see if you may have harmed someone

    • Fears related to romantic relationships, friendships, or other relationships; worry about attraction

    • Compulsions may look like confessing to partner, comparing your relationship to others, checking to see if you love your partner or if they love you, asking your partner for reassurance, checking arousal level around partner, avoidance of things related to relationships

    • Fears or worries related to sexuality or gender identity

    • Compulsions may look like mentally checking attraction to different genders, monitoring bodily sensations for “proof” of attraction, seeking reassurance about sexual orientation, avoiding certain people, media, or situations, googling sexual orientation experiences or tests

    • Obsessions related to being attracted to a child or possibly being the type of person who could be

    • Compulsions may look like mentally reviewing interactions with children for certainty, checking emotional or physical reactions, seeking reassurance that one is not dangerous, avoiding children, family events, or public places, excessive monitoring of thoughts and urges

    • Obsessions about things feeling “right” or symmetrical or feeling incomplete

    • Compulsions may look like repeating actions until they feel “right”, adjusting objects, posture, or movements, restarting tasks if they don’t feel complete, mental checking for internal relief or satisfaction, avoiding tasks that trigger discomfort

    • Obsessions about hitting someone or something while driving

    • Compulsions may look like circling the block to see if there is a person in the road or that you caused an accident, checking police reports or news for accident reports, asking others for reassurance, checking car for damage, rumination about driving

    • Fears about memory accuracy and remembering

    • Compulsions may look like mentally reviewing past events for certainty, questioning whether something “really happened,” seeking reassurance from others about memories, googling legal or moral consequences, confessing to things that may not have occurred

    • Obsessions related to real events that happened

    • Compulsions may look like replaying past mistakes or events repeatedly, analyzing intent, harm, or morality, seeking reassurance that one is not a “bad person,” excessive apologizing or confessing, avoiding reminders of the event

    • Obsessions about morals or religion, heaven and hell, being a “good” or “bad” person

    • Compulsions may look like excessive self and moral judgment, mental review of thoughts or actions for wrongdoing, seeking reassurance about being a “good person,” avoiding situations that feel morally risky, confessing thoughts, doubts, or perceived failures, excessive praying or repeating prayers, seeking reassurance from religious leaders, avoiding activities out of fear of sinning, mental review of thoughts for blasphemy, attending confession repeatedly

    • Mental or thought based obsessions and compulsions

    • Compulsions may look like mental reassurance. thought neutralizing or replacing, analyzing or arguing with thoughts, mental checking for certainty or relief, avoidance of triggers

    • Obsessions related to being a new parent or harm coming to child

    • Compulsions may look like mental checking of thoughts, avoiding being alone with baby, excessive reassurance seeking about safety, checking behaviors or routines repeatedly, monitoring emotions to ensure “appropriate” feelings

    • Obsessions about thoughts, words, numbers, or actions preventing harm or something “bad” from happening

    • Compulsions may look like performing rituals to prevent negative outcome, avoiding certain numbers, words, objects, clothing, or colors, mental counting or repeating phrases, undoing thoughts with neutralizing behaviors

    • Obsessions about attraction or harm to pets

    • Compulsions may look like excessive checking on pets’ health or safety, replaying interactions to ensure no harm was done, seeking reassurance, monitoring thoughts, feelings, arousal or intentions toward pets

    • Obsessions and worries about a partner’s past dating or sexual history

    • Compulsions may look like repeatedly questioning a partner about their past, comparing oneself to a partner’s exes, reviewing conversations or details mentally, checking social media or past messages, seeking reassurance about being “enough”

 

Traditional talk therapy isn’t helpful for OCD, but there is something that is.

You may have tried traditional therapy for OCD before and found is was minimally helpful or not helpful at all. That’s because the gold standard treatment for OCD is actually Exposure and Response Prevention, or ERP. ERP treats OCD behaviorally, so we are not reinforcing the OCD cycle, and are able to engage with life in a way that matters to us even when anxiety shows up. Traditional talk therapy can actually reinforce the OCD cycle, and that may be why it isn’t bringing relief.

You can live a life where OCD isn’t in control.

In ERP therapy, clients can learn helpful skills to use when anxiety shows up- these skills allow them to face scary thoughts without letting anxiety be in charge. Clients also are guided to face their fears in a slow and gradual way, at their own pace, regaining control and adding meaning to their lives.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is often misunderstood and can be easily mismanaged when treated with general talk therapy alone. OCD requires a specialized therapist because it is driven by a cycle of intrusive thoughts, anxiety, and compulsive behaviors that respond best to evidence-based, OCD-specific treatment, particularly Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP).

Specialization is especially important when OCD involves taboo or misunderstood themes. Many people experience intrusive thoughts related to harm, sexuality, religion, morality, or identity. These thoughts are unwanted, distressing, and do not reflect a person’s values or intentions—yet shame and fear often prevent individuals from seeking help. An OCD-specialized therapist recognizes these themes as common presentations of OCD and provides a non-judgmental, informed space where clients can work through them safely and effectively.

With the right treatment, OCD is highly treatable. Working with a specialized therapist means receiving care that is accurate, compassionate, and tailored to how OCD actually functions—helping you break free from the cycle and reclaim your life.

Why does OCD need a specialized therapist?