I had written previously in this blog post that OCD recovery is not a “state” - it is a mindset. There should never be a moment where you think: “I am complete. I no longer need to practice ERP/ACT/Mindfulness/Acceptance/etc…” Instead, you should always be hungry to improve and get stronger by implementing these practices in your life. I’ve said it many times before on this blog, but the skills you learn through ERP and ACT don’t just end once you recover from OCD - they are applicable to any challenging or difficult situation you may find yourself in. And much like how our physical fitness st ..read more

Towards the end of my recovery journey, I experienced something very unique: getting OCD compulsions about my own recovery process! Instead of getting compulsions related to the “usual” fears (such as washing my hands excessively due to fear of contamination, or negative intrusive thoughts about my family and loved ones), I observed that I was getting intrusive thoughts about my own recovery practice. I would have thoughts like: What if you’re not doing ERP or ACT correctly? What if everything you learned in ERP/ACT was a lie? What if everything that you’re doing to beat OCD is actually making ..read more

Something that I struggled with during the worst parts of my battle with OCD, and something which I’m sure many others have challenges with, was asking myself: how can I tell if the thoughts I’m having are intrusive thoughts? Of course, it’s easy to say: intrusive thoughts are unwanted and you should just ignore them. But I would often second guess myself and wonder: do I secretly want these thoughts? Do I actually enjoy them? Maybe they’re not intrusive thoughts and they’re actually “real” thoughts that I want to happen! Oh no, what does that mean about me?? If this sounds like you, then my a ..read more

A couple months ago, I wrote a blog post titled Do You Need a Therapist?, which addresses my thoughts on this oft-asked question by people suffering from OCD. As a follow-up to that, I also wanted to write a short blog post specifically on another frequently asked question: do you need medication to recover from OCD? Before I explain my thoughts and perspectives on this question, let my first preface this by saying: 1) I absolutely believe that the right medication in the right situation can help certain people. 2) You should always consult with a professional mental health expert before decid ..read more

I’ve been wanting to put something like this together for a long time - basically a “primer” on key topics that everyone should read and understand as they go through their OCD recovery journey. This is not meant to be an exhaustive and fully detailed recovery plan, but more of a rough outline covering the key topics and steps along the way. I’ve created the 5-Step Primer below, with links to other blog posts I’ve written on the various topics, which will help keep things organized and direct you to the most relevant topics. Use this as a resource to help structure your own personal recovery p ..read more

I was inspired to write this blog post based on a conversation I had with someone about ERP, particularly when it comes to forcing yourself to face triggers/exposures (the “Exposure” part of ERP) so that you can then practice eliminating the compulsions tied to those triggers (the “Response Prevention” part of ERP). When first starting therapy and practicing ERP, this is a pretty typical exercise. You sit down, identify your triggers (sometimes ranking them in a hierarchy from “most” to “least” triggering), identify the compulsions you would typically perform in response to those triggers, and ..read more

A question that I see commonly asked on OCD help forums and social media communities is: do I need a therapist to recover from OCD? Whether due to the cost of treatment, availability (or lack thereof) of qualified professionals, or even the perceived social stigma of “having to get help for a mental illness,” many people seem reluctant or unable to get a therapist to help them recover from OCD. Hence the question - is a therapist really required? It’s a bit of a complicated topic, which is why I wanted to dedicate a blog post to it. No, a therapist is definitely not required. Many people (incl ..read more

I work in Information Technology and I feel like sometimes, we have a tendency to try and deliver the “perfect” product to the customer. Whatever system, application, or customer experience we are trying to deliver, it has to meet every single requirement, be delivered under budget, on time, and have no bugs. The problem is that “perfect” is pretty much close to impossible to achieve in real life, and if we spend too much time trying to create the “perfect” product, we will lose in other areas (for example, we could take an extra 6 months to fine-tune and polish a product that’s already 95% co ..read more

It’s been a few weeks since I last posted on my blog due to a bunch of life changes - my wife and I bought a new house and have been busy moving in, I got assigned to some new projects at work which have been challenging but rewarding, and…. I injured my foot and have been busy doing physical therapy and rehab. So there’s been quite a few new changes in my life recently (mostly positive) but also a major negative change which has impacted my normal way of living. All things considered, my foot injury isn’t too serious - thankfully there were no broken bones or long-term damage, and after about ..read more

A common question that I see from OCD sufferers is: “How long will it take before I achieve recovery? How long do I need to practice ERP/ACT before I consider myself recovered?” My (somewhat cheeky) answer is: you can be recovered now! Recovery is a choice that we make; it is an action that we do. We can choose to do compulsions, or we can choose to spend our time and energy focused on value added actions. One choice takes us deeper into OCD, and the other choice towards the path to recovery. I apologize if that response came off somewhat facetiously. Obviously, it is a vast oversimplification ..read more