OCD and Phobias

Struggling with OCD or Phobias? You’re Not Alone.

Living with OCD or phobias can feel exhausting. What often starts as a way to reduce anxiety—like avoiding certain situations, ruminating, seeking reassurance, or doing things in a specific way—can slowly begin to take over your life. You may find yourself stuck in a cycle of fear and rituals that’s hard to break.

Over time, this cycle leaves less room for joy, connection, and freedom.

What OCD and Phobias Often Look Like:

• An intense fear of certain situations, objects, or thoughts (like germs, harming someone, or being judged)

• Repetitive behaviors or mental rituals to reduce that fear (like handwashing, checking, or avoiding)

• Rumination of trying to find the answer to an unanswerable question or get certainty for something that is inherently uncertain.

• These strategies might help at first—but they stop working and often make things worse

• You spend more and more time trying to feel safe, but feel less in control

You’re definitely not alone—OCD affects about 2% of people, and phobias affect nearly 9%. Many people with these struggles are creative and resilient—trying everything they can to feel better.

Why Some Therapy Hasn’t Worked

If you’ve tried therapy before and it didn’t help, it’s not your fault. Many traditional approaches for anxiety—like coping strategies or thought-challenging—can actually make OCD and phobias worse.

That’s because they often add more rituals or avoidance, when what actually helps is doing the opposite.

What Actually Works:

Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)

ERP is the gold-standard therapy for OCD and phobias. Instead of trying to avoid or “fix” the fear, ERP helps you face it in small, manageable steps—without doing the usual rituals or avoidance behaviors.

This process retrains your brain so the fear fades on its own. Think of it like watching a scary movie over and over until it no longer feels scary.

You’ll do this with your therapist’s support—gently, gradually, and at your pace—so you feel safe while building real confidence and freedom.

Rumination-Focused Exposure and Response Prevention (RF-ERP)

Not all compulsions are visible. Many people with OCD struggle with mental rituals—like replaying conversations, analyzing feelings, trying to get certainty, or endlessly reviewing thoughts. This is called rumination, and it can be just as disruptive as any outward behavior.

We use Rumination-Focused ERP to help with this. The goal isn’t to “stop thinking,” but to notice when you’re engaging with a thought compulsively—and choose to let it be there without trying to solve or neutralize it.

You’ll learn how to:

• Spot when you’ve slipped into rumination

• Step back from overthinking without engaging in “mental checking”

• Practice mental stillness and intentional non-engagement

• Accept uncertainty while staying grounded in what matters

Rumination-focused ERP helps retrain your brain to stop treating thoughts as threats—and start living with more clarity and peace.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

ACT helps you build a different relationship with your thoughts—so instead of fighting your fears, you can notice them without letting them control your life. Driven by your values and goals, you’ll focus on what matters to you, even if anxiety is present.

There Is Hope

At Believe Psychotherapy, our therapists are trained in RF-ERP, ERP, ACT, and other evidence-based therapies. We’ll work with you to deeply understand your experience and build a customized plan that works.

You can get better. You can take back your time, your peace of mind, and the life you want to live.