The Best Solution for OCD
It is hard to know what kind of therapy is most effective. When it comes to OCD, one of the most researched and evidence based therapies available is exposure therapy. It is considered the gold-standard for OCD treatment, anxiety, and avoidance behaviors! So what is? Read on...
What is Exposure Therapy?
Exposure Therapy is exactly that! It exposes a person to things that can be upsetting as a form of therapy. That is because so much of what we experience externally is processed through our senses first.
Think about it. When you smell something pleasant, it can be relaxing or make your mouth water in anticipation.
Or, you might hear a loud, unfamiliar noise that scares or startles you.
Experiences like these are magnified for teens with OCD. They are still growing and learning how they respond to the external world. Besides that, they are learning to live with their internal responses that are both emotional and physical. When all of this comes together, your teen may obsess by:
Avoiding anything that is upsetting.
Adopting behaviors to prevent being exposed to things that are upsetting.
Examples include excessive cleanliness to repel germs. Or being fearful of cats or other creatures.
Exposure therapy gradually introduces your teen more closely to the unwanted stimulus. This is done in small, mindful steps during which you support and guide your teen with what they are feeling.
How does it help people with OCD?
The value of exposure therapy is it reduces the response rather than the stimulus. Everyday examples include:
Being worried about things breaking.
Going for a walk in the woods.
Riding alone on the bus.
Sleeping in a dark room.
Some insects.
New and/or startling sounds.
Some aromas or forms of touch.
The list goes on...
Exposure therapy also helps as your teen learns how fear affects them. They learn that avoiding something makes fear worse. It grows, gaining hold on various parts of their life.
Identifying what makes a teen obsess about something helps to guide them with:
Overcoming their fear or disgust with the stimulant.
Learning how to apply what they learn to new situations that contribute to obsessive behaviors.
The identification process also helps you as a parent as you learn how to:
Watch for signs that something is triggering your teen’s obsessive behaviors.
Support your teen with reminders about exposure therapy skills.
Find ways to alter situations as needed to decrease avoidance while increasing habituation abilities.
Habituation
This is the process of gradually getting used to whatever is causing a teen’s anxiety. Habituation is a skill that:
Is taken in small steps.
Begin learning about this skill with an issue that is a mild trigger of OCD behaviors.
Limit the length and frequency of exposure so that:
Your teen begins to feel in control.
Fear or anxiety do not have a chance to increase.
At the same time, assure that frequency is often enough that your teen:
Begins to gain a sense of control over their response to the unwanted stimulus.
Appears to be gaining courage as the weeks go on. Signs of fear and anxiety about the stimulus lessen.
Works well with being mindful, as:
You support and guide your child with going slow with this practice.
You observe their and your own responses and behavior changes over time.
You accept that the pace of habituation needs to be right for your teen.
You use mindful reflection to talk with your teen about what they’re experiencing.
Let’s set up a practice example using the fear of things breaking or getting lost, like their phone. Yes, they are costly. Your teen’s main fear is the phone not being available. To support them with facing this possibility begin by:
Talking with your child about what they feel like when thinking about something happening to their phone.
Negotiate a plan for learning how to habituate to the phone not being available, mimicking that it is lost.
Start small and build in time for feedback. Keep that small too; just enough to get a sense of your teen’s responses and concerns.
Accept their feelings without judgment.
Revise the plan as needed, focusing on the reduction in anxiety. Acknowledge when there’s an increase in mindful actions when the phone isn’t available.
Avoidance
Avoiding things and events that make us fearful is a protective human response. Doing so can help to keep us safe. It becomes an obsession when it is unrealistic or interferes with daily functioning. Examples include:
Repeatedly unplugging small appliances because of fear of fire.
Not driving on a certain street because of seeing an accident there several years ago.
Keeping a night light on even though it’s interfering with sound sleep.
Your teen’s fear can actually grow because of avoiding triggers. Habituation balances this by:
Exposing your child in a small way to what they fear.
This helps them to slowly learn that their fear is unwarranted.
As the fear lessens, their courage grows.
Tips for making exposure work
Let’s review some of the tips for making exposure therapy successful for your teen.
Pick something mildly upsetting to begin.
Go slow, realizing that this process takes time. That’s because there’s a lot to learn, including how to mindfully create physical and emotional shifts in responses.
Negotiate a plan with your teen that allows room for review.
Celebrate positive outcomes, regardless of size.
When your process is showing success, reflect on options for choosing the next exposure skill topic.
We at Mindful Healing dedicate our practice to providing your family with useful resources as well as individual counseling services. You are welcome to share your insights about our resources. Please let us know if there are other teen and family-focused topics you’d like us to post here.
If you have a teen who is struggling with anxiety or avoidance and need support click here to contact us today!
