OCD is Complicated. Here’s What Helps.

When you have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, taking care of yourself can become quite a complicated task. Having OCD is far more inconvenient than just feeling compelled to clean or being afraid of germs. Suffering from OCD means it can feel like we’re at the mercy of our intrusive thoughts, and determining the right course of action can be prohibitively difficult. 

If that sounds like you, despair no more. While untreated OCD can be a terrible burden to carry through life, there are many treatment options that offer improvement of and freedom from the symptoms that can leave the unprepared paralyzed. It’s natural to wonder: what can I actually do that helps with my OCD?

“Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits.” – Lao-Tze

How Can Mindfulness Help OCD?

Mindfulness is the conscious act of placing one’s self in the present moment without dissociation or distraction. The benefits of mindfulness are vast, and so it’s often used as a treatment for depression, anxiety, and yes, also Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. 

Human beings are creatures of habit. Most of what we do is done not because we consciously chose to do it, but because we’re on autopilot doing what we’ve already done before. Our thoughts are no different. By being mindful, we can start to see these thoughts and habits for their utility (or lack thereof). Cultivating the skill of mindfulness allows us to examine the present moment so that eventually, we can make it better. 

Does Art Therapy Help With OCD? 

So much of what goes on with our mental health is informed by the subconscious thoughts, emotions, and preconceived ideas that live beneath the surface of our conscious thinking. When you have OCD, you’re often left dealing with uninvited outbursts from your subconscious, and that’s why another excellent avenue of treatment for OCD is art therapy. 

When we make art, we have an opportunity to interface with some of our subconscious feelings and assumptions. After all, the things we make reflect upon the world as we see it. So how can we use art therapy to improve our experience with OCD?

• Recognizing Your Inner Critic. Your inner critic is always hard at work doing things like ruminating on the things you should have done or recoiling in embarrassment at the things you shouldn’t have. Making art gives you an opportunity for the two of you to work together. After all, they’re the one who tells you when something is bad. With enough patience and self-compassion, they’ll tell you when it’s good enough too. 
• Accepting Imperfect Circumstances. Making art requires that we accept what we’re capable of making. That might feel impossible depending on where you are with your OCD journey, but art therapy can help us find a space where the pressure isn’t as intense, the stakes aren’t as high, and we can give ourselves permission to be messy, make mistakes, and create something that is imperfect but beautiful. 
• Processing Complicated Feelings. There are some feelings that defy description and escape explanation. How are we supposed to experience and process these feelings that are so complicated that we struggle to put them into words? Art therapy lets us put these complicated ideas into the abstract. Our anger becomes frantic brushstrokes. Our desire for order becomes balance of composition. We transmute our iron into gold, and our passion into art.

How Does A Therapist Help Someone With OCD? 

Living with OCD can be incredibly difficult. It requires diligence and constant effort to make and maintain progress in your healing journey. Doing it alone is not for everyone. 

Meeting with a therapist can help you break through your old patterning and find tangible tools in your battle with OCD. Mental wellness is a job, one you’ll have to keep working the rest of your life, but you don’t have to do it alone. Here’s how a therapist can help you with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder:

• Meeting You Where You Are. The right therapist will take the time to understand the specifics of your situation and create a treatment plan to match. They won’t expect you to do anything beyond your capabilities, but they can equip you to handle situations that were previously unmanageable.
• Movement Therapy. Our minds and bodies are deeply interconnected. Somatic therapy allows us to treat the anxiety that lives in our body through mindful movement instead of potentially intrusive compulsions. 
• Exposure & Response Prevention. Exposure Therapy is all about safely exposing you to the things and situations that trigger your intrusive thoughts so that you can get valuable practice in monitoring your thoughts, managing your anxiety, and self-soothing when necessary. The right therapist can make this extremely uncomfortable experience into something life-changing. 

“Do the thing you fear and the death of fear is certain.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Where Can I Find The Therapist That’s Right For Me?

At Integrative Counsel, we will match you up with a right-fit therapist that meets your needs. If it’s not with a practitioner at our practice, we have a directory of practitioners who can help you. Alli is our counselor in training and intake specialist, and she will provide you with a free 15-minute consultation to get a sense of what you are wanting and needing from therapy, answer any questions you might have, and find the  right therapist for you.

We care about you getting the help that you need, even if it’s not with us. We will also check your out-of-network insurance benefits. Click here to schedule a consultation.

Sunny Ebsary is an educator, multi-modal artist, and writer specializing in the intersection of myth and mental health. Sunny’s writing walks the line between poetic and logical, giving readers a chance to interface with the mind and imagination. Sunny’s been putting pen to paper since he was a child, writing everything from albums, novels, and plays, to essays, interactive games, and of course, many articles! While studying both psychology and writing, he realized his real passion in life was helping others unlock their creative spark. Whether he’s leading a D&D game, directing a production, or diving deep into the brain, you can be sure Sunny will be ushering you toward finding meaning in your life.