Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
First Line, Gold Standard Treatment
Though there are many effective therapy treatments to date for a range of issues, CBT comes out as the most researched, most helpful for the widest range of problems, and can be highly personalized.
This triangle reflects no particular order or prioritization.
- A = Affect, or feelings and emotions
- B = Behavior, or actions
- C= Cognition, or thoughts and beliefs
CBT capitalizes on how each of these three domains have strong relationships to each other. The heart of the theory and practice is based on the knowledge that changing one or more of these domains leads to changes in the other. Another way of looking at it is that the more a person lines up their feelings, thoughts, and behaviors with reality, the more they achieve well-being, and many problems can be alleviated.
Exposure Therapy (ET and ERP)
Relevant Videos
Curated to get you started.
What is Exposure Therapy and How Do You Do It?
Exposure therapy can sound intense. What is it? How is it done? Why is it so effective? Justin K Hughes, MA, LPC explains simply an extremely effective FIRST LINE and “GOLD STANDARD” treatment for anxiety disorders and more.
The 4 Types of Exposure Therapy
Exploring the 4 Types of Exposure Therapy- In Vivo, Imaginal, Interoceptive, and Virtual Reality- Justin offers punctual clarity to the approach of how fears that are being treated can be accessed, whether situationally, in one’s thoughts/imagination, through sensations, or a combination.
"Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure."
Specially Curated Resources
These are handpicked, referenced in ACTUAL therapy sessions.
(Sorry, I cannot accommodate outside requests to add to resources.)This page may contain affiliate links. This means that some links on this site will produce a small commission from affiliate sites. Read more
Distinguishing Information-Seeking and Reassurance Seeking
This helpful chart is an educational guide separating info-seeking from reassurance.
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Overcoming Unacceptable Thoughts (Houston OCD)
Check out this presentation by several notable clinicians on “overcoming unacceptable thoughts.”
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Relapse Prevention in OCD (Shala Nicely)
“As you go into recovery from OCD, it’s good to keep in mind that relapse
prevention is a process, and living how we want to live requires some
maintenance….”
“May” or “May Not” Exposure Scripting (Shala Nicely)
“…MOMN statements, which are a type of exposure scripting, can be used with any type of OCD content…because OCD is not about the content!”
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Exposure and Desensitization (U of Mich)
“We spoke about sensitization in the section “Anxiety Fuel.” Now we’ll talk
about desensitization, which means we work to make our anxiety alarm less
sensitive, so it doesn’t go off as often or as loudly.”
Facing Your Fears: Exposure (Anxiety BC)
“An important step in managing anxiety involves facing feared situations, places or
objects. It is normal to want to avoid the things you fear. However, avoidance prevents
you from learning that the things you fear are not as dangerous as you think.”
Key Research Articles on Imaginal Exposure (Science Direct)
“Imaginal exposure refers to patients intentionally confronting specific memories….in their imaginations either by verbally describing … or by writing a description…”
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Stopping the Noise In Your Head (Dr. Reid Wilson)
“Dr. Reid Wilson proposes a groundbreaking, paradoxical approach to overcoming anxiety, worry, OCD, panic, and phobias by moving away from comfort, confidence, and security and willingly moving toward uncertainty, distress and discomfort.”
View >From My Blog
Related posts from my blog
Staying in the Game: Resilience Can Be Learned
Good news: resilience in life can be learned; it’s not just “trait-based” (like a more persistent personality trait). We all set ourselves up for defeat at times through our beliefs. In CBT, we typically call these cognitive distortions. Whatever thoughts we have that are biased or self-defeating will always limit us in some way, often […]
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Time-Savings OCD Shortcuts
In the journey of recovery from OCD, developing quick shortcuts to identify obsessions and/or compulsions is very helpful. Otherwise, clients who attempt to stop and pause to assess every obsession run into two problems: The risk (and actuality) of over-analyzing, thus obsessing more on what is or isn’t an obsession. This is part of the […]
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Faith and OCD- An Interview with Dr. Elizabeth McIngvale
OCD can be a highly debilitating disorder- yet it is highly treatable! You don’t have to check your faith at the door to get good help. One example is from Dr. Elizabeth McIngvale, Director of the McLean OCD Institute // Houston and Lecturer at Harvard Medical School. She is also Founder of the Peace […]
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One Simple Way To Spot OCD- Even If You’re Not A Pro
Is it ego-dystonic? (Inconsistent with one’s personality and/or fundamental beliefs.) It’s called the “Doubting Disease” for a reason. When a person begins to doubt visibly and experientially something that they seem to know, this is something to pay attention to. Did you lock the door? Yes. [10 minutes later] Well, maybe I should go […]
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Can Christians Be Free From Uncertainty? Part 4/4: The Good News In Uncertainty
This four part series is meant to be a brief, yet fairly comprehensive, overview into the world of uncertainty for Christians. SUMMARY: In Part 1, uncertainty is explored as a human experience- one for which Christians do not escape simply in lieu of being a faithful follower. Part 2 addresses what ways people generally handle […]
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Can Christians Be Free From Uncertainty? Part 3/4: The Argument For Christians To Embrace Uncertainty
This four part series is meant to be a brief, yet fairly comprehensive, overview into the world of uncertainty for Christians. SUMMARY: In Part 1, uncertainty is explored as a human experience- one for which Christians do not escape simply in lieu of being a faithful follower. Part 2 addresses what ways people generally handle […]
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