The less we truly know OCD (or anxiety in general), the more we struggle with it. The more we get to know OCD, the less of a struggle we have. Below is a little story to illustrate this: In it I'll touch upon the 4 steps of RAIN (Recognize, Accept/allow, Investigate, Nurture). This is the … Continue reading Why we must make friends with OCD(and anxiety)- a little story
Tag: OCD
How embodied connection can help us face our social fears
Embodied connection can help us move closer to our social values and face our social fears. When we are not acting according to our social values, we are often unaware of what’s happening in the moment. Despite our best intentions, we end up acting in the same ways we have always acted. There have been … Continue reading How embodied connection can help us face our social fears
Key ideas from the blog
Here is a little outline of some of the key concepts that I write about on this blog and how I organize them into a model for healing anxiety and working with difficult emotions. I also added a short “about me” part at the end so you can put the model into the context of … Continue reading Key ideas from the blog
There is hope for OCD
A short note on hope for OCD: Are you struggling with OCD and finding conventional gold standard treatments to be missing something? Do you do your exposure therapy and no matter how many exposures you do, you find OCD morphing and presenting itself in new ways? It always seems to come back. Do you find … Continue reading There is hope for OCD
A model for social freedom
Social Connection model or “What am I unwilling to feel socially?” Connection-Benefits us and others (we all want connection) Connection (with ourselves and others)requires contacting the direct felt sense of what we experience in our bodies and making friends with it. Our bodies move towards pleasant sensations and away from unpleasant sensationsOur fears around connection are … Continue reading A model for social freedom
What really triggers anxiety? An exploration
Here are some thoughts on how I understand anxiety and what triggers anxiety. I encourage you to check these ideas out to see if they match up with anxiety from your own direct experience. I am curious to get some of your comments and feedback to see how much of this resonates with you! … Continue reading What really triggers anxiety? An exploration
Social connection and social habit loops (my story)
Recognizing Social Habit loops In previous posts, I have talked about how the first step in befriending anxiety is to become aware of how the mind works by mapping out our habit loops around anxiety. If we are not aware of what’s happening, it will be impossible to change. The following article talks about some … Continue reading Social connection and social habit loops (my story)
Healing OCD and anxiety-my story(the long version)
Healing OCD and Anxiety- My story (the long version) While certainly not always a pleasant path(what treatment for OCD is though?!), my experience has shown me that there is astonishing healing possible when combining exposure therapy with mindfulness practices and training. In the long run, and with practice, it’s the mindfulness practice itself that becomes … Continue reading Healing OCD and anxiety-my story(the long version)
Coyote, fear, and anxiety triggers
I want to recount a little story that happened to me recently to show how anxiety habit loops can be triggered in subtle ways. Recently my Mom told me about an encounter she had with a coyote on the street where we were living together a month ago. She told me the location of where … Continue reading Coyote, fear, and anxiety triggers
Treating OCD with the mindfulness and compassion tool RAIN
Three steps to healing OCD with RAIN Mapping OCD habit loopsSeeing clearly that OCD doesn't feel goodBefriending OCD with RAIN. Replacing compulsions with more rewarding behaviors like mindfulness and compassion. 1. The first step is to get a clear understanding about how our OCD habit loops are driving the neverending nature of OCD. We need … Continue reading Treating OCD with the mindfulness and compassion tool RAIN
Anxiety habit loops
The best model I have found for understanding how anxiety works is the simple reward based learning model from Dr. Jud Brewer at Brown university. Brewer is unique in that he is a trained psychiatrist and scientist and also has been practicing meditation for many years. I was fortunate enough to take a class based … Continue reading Anxiety habit loops
Mindfulness, how it can help with anxiety, and resourcing revisited (with practices)
So what is mindfulness and how can it help if you are suffering with anxiety? Mindfulness is really about coming back to the present moment; back to our senses. It’s a present moment awareness that can befriend life’s varied experiences without judgement. We can become aware of sights, smells, sounds, tastes, body sensations, emotions, and … Continue reading Mindfulness, how it can help with anxiety, and resourcing revisited (with practices)
Befriending OCD with mindfulness and compassion training-(my healing journey)
My experience has shown me that healing from anxiety/OCD is possible when combining exposure therapy with mindfulness practices and training. In the long run, and with practice, it’s the mindfulness practice itself that becomes the exposure therapy. I learned to turn towards the difficult sensations of OCD, anxiety, and panic and get curious about their … Continue reading Befriending OCD with mindfulness and compassion training-(my healing journey)
