Overcome OCD: Ditch the Training Wheels

Today I'm going to show you why it's important to practice treatment for OCD every single day, and what happens when you don't. I'm even going to show you how to do it the right way.

Alright, let's hop onto this metaphorical bike adventure to tackle OCD!

Imagine you've got this brand-new bike, shiny and sleek, but it comes with these clunky training wheels. Sure, they're there to help, keeping you from tipping over and all, but they're also holding you back from really cruising freely. That's like OCD treatment with those safety nets in place – they might seem comforting at first, but they're not setting you up for the real deal.

OCD Compulsions in OCD

These are like the compulsions that you're doing. They seem like a good idea at first—ask some reassurance questions, research some things online, ruminate and problem solve for a while, go wash your hands one more time, avoid, avoid, avoid. Right before you're about to fall on that bike, those training wheels got you. The thing is, you don't actually need them. Yes, there is always a risk that you're going to fall, which is why we keep things so uncertain with treatment because nobody knows the future.

What happens in the real world is that when somebody uses training wheels on their bike, it's not actually training them to ride a bike. It's training them to ride a bike with accommodations. The confidence is not really there, and moving to something bigger and greater doesn't work out the way people think it's going to work out.

So, what's the alternative? Picture a balance bike, the ones without pedals. It's just you and the handlebars, no extra support. That's exposure and response prevention (ERP) therapy for you. Instead of relying on those training wheels, ERP helps you confront your fears head-on, without the safety net. It's like facing your OCD triggers and saying, "Hey, I'm in charge here!"

Let's break it down further. Say you've got this OCD obsession about germs. Every time you touch something "dirty," you feel this overwhelming urge to wash your hands a gazillion times. ERP is like saying, "You know what? I'm not going to let these germs dictate my life." You might start by touching something you'd normally avoid, like a doorknob, and then resisting the urge to wash your hands immediately. Over time, with practice, you realize that nothing catastrophic happens when you don't give in to the compulsion. Again, we can't ever be sure nothing's going to happen, but the way to get through OCD and heal is to risk by not doing those compulsions.

While there are so many different themes of OCD, it is common for people to think that theirs doesn't apply to this. You're talking about washing hands, mine's about hurting somebody, mine's about doing something inappropriate, mine's about this, mine's about that. And what I want you to know is that you matter a lot in this world but your OCD theme does not. We're going to take off those training wheels and do it anyway because you have to keep learning that the catastrophe is not the way you think it's going to happen.

Practicing on this balance bike feels weird when you first start, but the more you do it, the more confident you feel. You are totally risking that you're going to fall, but that's with everything, regardless of whatever thought you have in your mind. Just because you think it doesn't mean it's true. We give so much power to thoughts when we don't need to. My thought right now is that this video is going to go viral. People are going to share it like crazy with each other. Millions of views are coming my way. Every single person is going to love it. But guess what, I'm accepting that this could happen. I'm also accepting that it can completely bomb. But just because I had the thought doesn't automatically make it happen. I'm willing to release this video not knowing the future.

Think of it as flexing your mental muscles. The more you practice ERP, the stronger your ability to resist those OCD urges becomes. Eventually, you'll be ready to ditch the training wheels altogether and hop onto that big bike—living your life without OCD calling the shots.

How to do exposure treatment for OCD

If you're new here and aren't sure what this treatment is, you are facing your fears. You are willing to risk that you're going to fall. You are often doing the opposite of what you think you should do. What this really means is that all the uncertainties we are going to face head-on. We're not going to do the compulsions, which are those safety behaviors such as washing hands, asking for reassurance, praying, checking, and all the other things you do to stay safe. And we're going to teach the brain that the more you do this and the catastrophe doesn't happen, those signals that are being sent will start slowing down.

*Here is a quick example. I teach you this more in-depth in my "Master Your OCD" online course. Step by step. I'm going to link that down in the description for you.

But here's the kicker – it's not a one-day magic trick. Just like learning to ride a bike, it takes consistent practice. That means daily commitment to facing your fears and resisting those compulsions. Each time you do it, you're one step closer to regaining control and kicking OCD to the curb.

So, let's pedal through this together, starting with the balance bike of ERP. With determination and practice, you'll soon be cruising down the road of life, OCD-free and loving every moment of it! And to power yourself up even more, go watch this video right here, where I teach you how you're going to be stronger and become the boss over your OCD.