Panic, OCD, Phobias

Many of us relate to experiencing a general sense of anxiety every so often that ebbs and flows with the stressors of life. While technically under the Anxiety umbrella, Panic Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), and Phobic Disorder are more specific and as such require a different therapeutic approach.

Panic Disorder is characterized by having panic attacks — that feeling of intense fear or discomfort accompanied by physical symptoms (racing heart rate, sweating, tightness of chest, nausea or abdominal distress, dizziness, shortness of breath, numbness or tingling, etc.) and often the thought that one is losing control, about to die, or detached from oneself or reality.

With OCD, a person can experience obsessions (recurrent thoughts, urges, or images that are experienced as intrusive and unwanted) and/or compulsions (repetitive behaviors such as hand washing or mental acts such as counting), that feels out of control. These obsessions and compulsions cause significant distress and negatively impact your ability to function.

Phobias can range from social phobia (intense anxiety about social situations wherein one feels they may be scrutinized by others), specific phobias (a specific object or situation that evokes immediate fear or anxiety — think fear of flying or fear of spiders, etc.), and agoraphobia (fear of being in open spaces such as bridges or in crowds, a fear of being in closed spaces such as movie theaters, or being alone.) These intense fears or situations are avoided but persist and consequently end up limiting one’s life experiences dramatically.

While the impulse you may have with any of the above struggles is to avoid whatever it is that is causing the distress, the key to healing is actually to face it and work through it. Avoidance actually makes the stressor worse. This may sound counterintuitive and scary, and it is! This is why working with a therapist with specific training to help you with these concerns is imperative — so you’re not alone, watching your life become smaller and smaller as you hide from these fears. We will work with you collaboratively to understand the root cause of your fear and develop specific interventions to address it. This may take the form of an exposure therapy, development of coping skills, and building self-compassion and empathy for your struggle. These issues did not in fact come just out of nowhere. The key is that by getting to know them better, they no longer will hold such power over you and control your life!