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- Do you replay conversations or situations over and over in your mind to make sure nothing bad happened?
- Do you seek reassurance – maybe more often than you’d like to admit?
- Do you find yourself checking and rechecking whether the stove is off, the door is locked, or your curling iron is unplugged?
- Do you sanitize your hands until you reach the number that feels “just right”?
If any of this sounds familiar, you’re not alone – and you may be experiencing symptoms of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). And while the acronym often gets thrown around casually, the truth is: OCD is anything but lighthearted. While OCD can look different from person to person, understanding how it operates is the first step toward effective treatment and relief.
Has Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) taken over your life?
OCD is a mental health condition characterized by the presence of obsessions, compulsions, or both. Symptoms can range from mildly frustrating to deeply distressing or even disabling.
Some individuals may meet full diagnostic criteria, while others experience what’s known as subclinical obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCS) – less obvious from the outside but still emotionally taxing. What sets OCD apart from everyday worry is the amount of time these symptoms consume and how much they interfere with your life.
If your symptoms are significantly affecting your work, school, relationships, or other important facets of life, it’s worth exploring further.
What is ocd?
Obsessions are defined as intrusive, persistent, and uncontrollable thoughts, images, or urges that interfere with daily functioning. In adults, these obsessions are often understood as irrational, yet they can feel overwhelmingly real.
Common obsession themes include:
- Germs/contamination
- Responsibility
- Sexual and aggressive impulses
- Religion
- Symmetry/order
Obsessions often sound like:
- What if I touched something contaminated and now, I’m going to get sick?
- What if I don’t actually love my partner?
- What if I accidentally harmed someone and didn’t notice?
- Everything needs to be perfectly aligned, or something bad will happen.
Compulsions refer to the repetitive physical or mental actions you feel compelled to perform in order to reduce the anxiety caused by the obsession. Common compulsions include cleaning, counting, touching, and checking. Note that these compulsions reduce anxiety in the short-term, but they do not actually provide pleasure. In other words, compulsive gambling or eating are generally not considered compulsions if the individual sees them as pleasurable.
Compulsions might look like:
- Repeated checking (doors, stoves, emails)
- Cleaning objects like doorknobs before touching them
- Excessive hand sanitizer use
- Counting, praying, or repeating phrases silently
- Mental reviewing or trying to “figure it out”
- Touching items a certain number of times
- Seeking reassurance from others
Note that some compulsions are visible, but many are not. That’s why so many people suffer in silence or don’t even realize they’re dealing with OCD.
OCD defined: What are Obsessions and Compulsions?
OCD follows a predictable cycle: obsessions > anxiety > compulsion > temporary relief > reinforcement.
For example, you might find yourself obsessing over germs and sanitizing, which leads to anxiety about getting sick, which leads to repeated hand washing. Yes, that behavior brings temporary relief, but the fear returns – stronger – and the cycle continues.
OCD doesn’t just live in your head – it can affect everything, from work to social to school to personal to home life. You might find yourself avoiding certain people, places, or things that once brought you great joy. You might experience social withdrawal or missed opportunities.
You might spend hours trying to hide your struggle from others. Not having the right language to describe and understand your internal experience can also lead to symptoms of intense anxiety, depression, social phobia, or panic disorder, all of which commonly co-occur with OCD. This is where therapy for OCD can help.
THE CYCLE AND IMPACT OF OCD
Excessive worry about losing important items and having difficulty discarding things or hoarding
Counting, repeating things, mentally reviewing events or conversations to feel a sense of feeling neutral or to prevent harm
Need for things to be symmetrical, perfectly aligned, or arranged in a specific way
repeatedly checking doors, appliances, locks and other things in attempt to assure safety
Intrusive thoughts about harming slef or others, and often checking to see if you have
Excessive doubt and a strong need for frequent reassurance
Fear of germs, dirt or contamination, resulting in excessive washing or cleaning
Do I have OCD? Symptoms of OCD
arranging things in a specific way until it feels "right"
hoarding and having difficulty throwing things away
repeatedly asking others for reassurance about fears, worries or concerns
While the exact cause of OCD is unknown, research suggests it results from a combination of genetic factors, brain differences or abnormalities, and environmental influences. Other factors may include stressful life events and hormonal changes.
An individual with OCD, for instance, might notice that symptoms get “worse” when starting a new job, going through a breakup, moving to a new community, or during other stressful life transitions.
What matters more than how my OCD developed is what we can do next to prevent it from getting worse.
WHat causes ocd?
Where did ocd come from?
We have therapists who specialize in working with OCD. They understand the complexity of OCD and nuances associated with treatments. OCD therapy and treatment can take time. Our OCD therapists have experience helping people find relief over time and support their clients as they make big hard changes in their life.
Our OCD therapists are trained in Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), the "gold standard," research-backed treatment for OCD. In addition to ERP, our therapists use EMDR and other trauma-informed therapies to support clients on their journey. To help break the cycle and support lasting relief.
We Can Help You experience OCD Relief
What to Expect from Our OCD Therapists in Denver
At the end of the first meeting you and your therapist will know your therapy goals and establish a method to achieve them.
Ongoing sessions are 50-minutes and vary in cost based on clinician and certifications. During these sessions, you will share more of your story and learn tools along the way to help manage your anxiety symptoms and learn to thrive with less anxiety.
Create therapy goals
Should you choose to work with one of our anxiety therapists, you will schedule an initial 90-minute intake appointment.
During this first session, we want to get to know more about you and your anxiety. We are careful not to make this too overwhelming and won’t get into anything too deep this first meeting.
Schedule your intake appointment
We will help you decide who might be the best fit for your needs and schedule a consultation between you and one of our anxiety therapists.
Therapists are matched based on a variety of factors to ensure that you receive the most effective care possible and that you feel comfortable working with the therapist for your specific and unique needs.
Choose your therapist
Reaching out for help, in itself, can increase anxiety. We understand this and strive to make this process as easy as possible.
Our intake coordinator with schedule a complimentary 20-minute consultation to discuss your concerns with a specialized therapist. The therapist will walk you through the process of getting onboarded and scheduling your first appointment.
SCHEDULE A CONSULT
Thank you!
To book your complimentary consultation, call our office using the call button below and take the first step towards better mental health today.
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