“OCD is like having a bully stuck inside your head and nobody else can see it.”
~ Krissy McDermott
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder or OCD is a serious mental health concern that affects 2.5 million adults in the United States, or 1.2% of the population. People afflicted with OCD generally have a really hard time functioning properly in their day-to-day lives; the effects of OCD prove to be a serious impediment for them to be able to live their lives to the fullest.
There’s quite a lot of stigma associated with OCD and mental health in general. This is one of the main reasons why people who’re afflicted by this disease do not reach out for help until it has progressed quite a lot. If you’re going through life with OCD casting its dark shadow over it, the first step towards a brighter tomorrow would be to start talking about it with an accredited Psychotherapist for OCD therapy in New York.
To destigmatize talking about mental health issues like OCD however, it is absolutely essential to raise awareness and to disseminate information about it far and wide, and even the best OCD therapist in NYC should do their part to ensure this. Apart from talking about your condition with a psychotherapist, having a clear understanding of your condition would also go a long way in helping you heal:
With these aforementioned consideration in mind, let’s dive a little deeper into OCD:
What is OCD and how does it manifest?
The hallmark of obsessive-compulsive disorder is obsession, which is nothing but a recurring pattern of unwelcome thoughts and sometimes, fears, and you might feel powerless in exerting any control on stopping the recurrence of these unwelcome thoughts and fears. These obsessions cause you to engage in compulsive activities, or repeating actions.
These compulsions and obsessions are very distressing and interfere with day-to-day tasks. In the end, you feel compelled to engage in obsessive behaviors in order to decompress.
Troublesome ideas or urges never go away, no matter how hard you attempt to ignore or overcome them. This makes you behave in a ritualistic manner. This is the OCD’s vicious cycle. OCD frequently focuses on certain themes according to OCD therapists in NYC. Take having an excessive fear of contracting germs as an example. You might repeatedly wash your hands until they are raw and chapped in order to ease concerns about contamination.
People suffering from OCD, according to those who provide OCD treatment in New York, more often than not, exhibit symptoms that can broadly be classified under “Symptoms of Obsession” and “Symptoms of Compulsion.” Although both of them tend to occur simultaneously, it is possible that you’re manifesting symptoms of obsession only without any symptoms of compulsive behavior, and the reverse can also be true. You might also not know that your obsessive and compulsive behaviors are not reasonable in any way.
Themes like these are common in obsessions:
- Fear of dirt or being contaminated
- Doubting and finding it difficult to deal with uncertainty.
- Requiring balance and order in everything.
- Violent or horrifying ideas about going crazy and hurting someone or yourself.
- Unwanted thoughts, such as aggression or thoughts of religious or sexual nature.
Symptoms of obsession include, for example:
- Fear of contracting an infection from items that other people have touched.
- Doubting whether you switched off the stove or shut the door.
- Severe distress when items aren’t arranged neatly or pointed in a specific direction.
- Visions of bringing harm or destruction to others.
- Ideas of yelling profanities or acting inappropriately in public.
- Unpleasant sexual imagery
Similar to obsessions, compulsions typically involve recurring themes, like:
- Cleaning and washing.
- Constant checking.
- Counting.
- Repeatedly placing things in a particular order.
- Observing a rigid schedule.
- Requiring reassurance
Symptoms of compulsion include, for example:
- Wash your hands till your skin gets raw
- Repeatedly examining doors to ensure they are locked.
- Making repeated checks to ensure the stove is off.
- Counting in specific ways.
- Repeating a word, phrase, or prayer silently.
- Attempting to replace a negative notion with a positive one.
- Orienting all of your canned products in the same direction.
Meet Gita, your personal psychotherapist for all your mental health woes:
OCD Therapist In NYC
Gita Sawhney is an accredited psychotherapist practicing in Manhattan, New York, in her GS Mental Health & Wellness, a safe, inclusive and judgment free haven for all young adults and adults struggling with mental health concerns. She’s also an OCD specialist in NYC. Judgment free, inclusive and compassionate therapeutic assistance is provided at GS Mental Health & Wellness by Gita, who is passionate about being of assistance to people from marginalized sections of the society. If you’re seeking OCD therapy in NYC or therapeutic assistance for any other mental health concern, do consider availing her services at GS Mental Health & Wellness.
Gita’s OCD therapy New York include the following:
1. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or CBT
CBT is an incredibly potent tool when it comes to combating OCD. At GS Mental Health & Wellness, Gita will guide you through personalized CBT sessions tailored to your needs and conditions to resolve the problems that lie within that are causing your obsessive thoughts which are resulting in compulsive behavior patterns. Gita also utilizes Exposure and Response Prevention therapy, also known as ERP, to make recovery lasting.
2. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy or ACT
Employing a mindful approach, Gita’s take on ACT will help you distance yourself from your thoughts and work with them impassionately. This’ll enable you to reorient your thoughts towards positivity, mold your behavior accordingly and help you learn to cope with OCD and associated problems for good. Discover resilience and a renewed sense of well-being with Gita’s compassionate guidance.
3. Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy or MBCT
Gita’s MBCT sessions, which incorporate mindfulness into cognitive therapy, offer an exceptional way of addressing the anxiety related to OCD. This particular facet makes her OCD treatment in New York holistic. Foster a greater awareness of self and learn to balance your emotions, as you discover how to observe your thoughts impassionately without getting attached to them. It will indeed go a long way in promoting a positive mental outlook.
FAQs About Psychotherapy For OCD
How long will you need therapy to get better?
There’s no definitive way to tell for how long an individual will need therapy to get better from OCD, it depends from person to person. While it may be a matter of weeks for some, for others, it may take months. Although with regular sessions, your progress is likely to be steady and with an uninterrupted therapy schedule, your progress is sure to become steady and smooth.
Do you need to take medicines along with therapy for it to work?
Gita does not prescribe medicines but she can refer you to a psychiatrist, a medical doctor who can prescribe medicines for your OCD treatment New York, depending on the severity and complexity of your condition. If Gita does refer you to a psychiatrist then in almost all cases you’ll be required to continue therapy along with medications.
However, she does not refer any client of hers to a psychiatrist immediately, she’d need to know how severe and how complex your situation is and for how long you’ve had it, an evaluation of sorts.
How effective is psychotherapy in healing OCD?
Psychotherapy is a very broad field, evidenced based therapies, like CBT, ERP, ACT and such, as employed by Gita as your OCD therapist in New York, are demonstrably effective, being evidence based in essence. Psychotherapy is incredibly effective against OCD, and if you throw Gita’s compassionate, empathetic and inclusive approach tailored to each of her client’s needs into the mix, you’ve got a winning formula in your hands.
What can you expect in a therapy session with Gita?
Gita fosters an inclusive environment in GS Mental Health & Wellness and she is compassionate, understanding and empathetic to her clients’ plight. You can take her into confidence regarding whatever is causing harm to your mental health and open up about your trials and tribulations.
Along with Gita’s signature approach, she will employ the proper tools, tailor them to your needs specifically and help you in your journey to a brighter tomorrow, throughout.
Get In Touch With Gita At GS Mental Health & Wellness today for OCD therapy New York
Make the courageous choice to look after your mental health. Get in touch with GS Mental Health & Wellness to discover the life-changing potential of a skilled and compassionate OCD therapist in New York. Gita Sawhney’s therapeutic approach at GS Mental Health & Wellness is based on empathy and understanding.
Every therapy session is customized to meet the specific requirements of the patient, fostering healing and a growth-oriented environment free from judgment. Gita ensures that her clients receive the best care possible while they work to overcome OCD by adhering to evidence-based approaches as she employs them.
Come, let’s end the hold of OCD over us today with compassionate OCD treatment in New York.
Embark on a journey to free yourself from OCD today! Looking for an OCD therapist in New York? To book a consultation, call, email or reach out on social media.
Our clients include:
Young adults, adults , people from the BIPOC and the LGBTQIA+ community.