Driving fears and avoidance in teens may reflect normal development or possibly an emerging anxiety disorder.Reader Question: My daughter just turned 15, and no matter what I say, I can't seem to convince her to practice her driving. It's strange, because in the past,...
IOCDF Conference, IOP for OCD Program, & Group Therapy for Panic…
Hope to see you in Chicago for the 2012 meeting of the International Obsessive-Compulsive Foundation!Just a few quick announcements: 1) The 2012 meeting of the International Obsessive-Compulsive Foundation (IOCDF) is just a week away. The IOCDF conference marks the...
Starting Exposure Therapy: What’s it Like?
Unlike Choose Your Own Adventure books, therapy is a forgiving process that gives you many potential paths to pursue on your road to recovery.For anyone new to exposure-based therapy, such as exposure and response prevention (ERP), there is often much anticipatory...
Does Non-Avoidance = Exposure? No! Anxiety Disorder Treatment Principles for OCD, Panic, Social Anxiety, & Phobias.
Although exposure is predicated upon the purposeful non-avoidance of anxiety-related stimuli, non-avoidance of anxiety triggers is not equivalent to exposure.Anxiety Principle of the Day: Non-Avoidance is not equivalent to exposure. Although exposure is predicated...
Exposure Therapy’s Most Common Mistake: All Eggs in the Habituation Basket
Exposure, when done right, is about much more than just habituation.Many people have an incomplete understanding of exposure therapy... ...be it exposure and response prevention (ERP) for OCD, intentional mistake practice for social anxiety, or interoceptive exposures...
Health-Related Anxiety: Symptoms, Disorders, & Treatment
Worried about feeling sick as a dog? You might be experiencing health anxiety, an umbrella term which is associated with several different underlying conditions.Think about the most significant health scare you have ever experienced. Then multiply this experience by a...
Agoraphobia – Symptom Attacks, Triggers, Panic, & Avoidance Behaviors
Agoraphobia might not be what you think it is. Contrary to popular opinion, agoraphobia is the fear of having physical symptom attacks in situations where escape might be difficult or embarrassing.Let's dispel a common misconception about agoraphobia. Agoraphobia is...
Fear, Doubt, Uncertainty, ERP, & the Monster Under the Bed
Sometimes the most potent way to deal with a fear is learning to be okay with not knowing.Everyone I know has, at some point, had to deal with the monster under the bed. Some do it with grace. Others falter. I've always been clumsy. I can vividly recall many terrified...
Mindfulness & ACT-based therapy: Questioning “I hurt; therefore, I suffer.”
Mindfulness and ACT-based approaches are becoming increasingly popular in treating depression, anxiety, and OCD and distinguish pain from suffering.Mindfulness & ACT-based Approaches to Therapy Mindfulness & Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)-based...









