Emetophobia is the fear of vomiting. Although vomit phobia may appear to be a simple phobia, it may actually be a symptom of OCD, social anxiety, or agoraphobia.Flu season will be quickly upon us and with it comes an unfortunate increase in the likelihood of...
Body dysmorphic disorder symptom areas vary between individuals but commonly focus on the skin, hair, weight, and specific facial features.Symptoms of Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is a somatoform disorder that closely resembles...
Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) is an OCD-like syndrome that involves hyper-attention to one or more perceived bodily defects, imperfections, or flaws.What is Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD)? Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is not formally classified as an anxiety...
If you insist on being symptom-free, “normal” body- and thought-noise become potential threats. This is because they are perceived as unwanted and dangerous.In my post about the treatment of sensorimotor OCD, a reader asked about the ultimate goal of treatment. Should...
A penguin obsessed with flying is an unhappy penguin. Resist efforts to suppress unwanted thoughts.OCD & Thought Control Can I learn to eliminate my OCD thoughts? I hear this question all the time from new patients who are searching for ways to suppress their...
Sometimes the symptoms of social anxiety and OCD can overlap. Because avoidance maintains fear, consider high level exposures that involve "broadcasting" your symptoms in order to address anxiety-related cognitions. This is a CBT technique called intentional mistake...
Treatment for body-focused OCD is paradoxical and involves intentionally leaning into your symptoms rather than away from them.This post is the last in a series of posts discussing body-focused obsessions and compulsions (aka, sensorimotor, somatosensory, or somatic...
People with body-focused, sensorimotor OCD often worry about the underlying causes of their symptoms and how long their symptoms will last.This post is the second in a series of posts discussing body-focused obsessions and compulsions (aka, sensorimotor,...
Body-focused, or sensorimotor, obsessions involve hyperawareness of automatic bodily activities (e.g., breathing or swallowing). Individuals with this type of OCD get "stuck" analyzing how often and how “completely” these processes have occurred.This post is the first...
