The Truth of OCD: Therapist Alegra Kastens on Living with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
May 2, 2024
auto_awesome
Therapist Alegra Kastens shares her experience with OCD and debunks misconceptions. She discusses intrusive thoughts, coping strategies, and the importance of cutting out compulsions. The podcast also touches on recovery challenges, environmental activism, and the complexity of OCD symptoms.
OCD is often misunderstood and takes years to diagnose due to the ego-dystonic nature of obsessions conflicting with personal values.
Intrusive thoughts in OCD can range from contamination to violent or sexual content, leading to shame and isolation.
Effective treatment for OCD involves cutting out compulsions, facing fears through exposure therapy, and rewiring the brain to regain control.
Deep dives
Understanding OCD and Its Impact
OCD, affecting 1 in 50 people in the US, takes years to get diagnosed. Obsessions, repetitive unwanted thoughts, can vary from contamination to violent or sexual content. The ego-dystonic nature of obsessions means they clash with one's values. Compulsions, repetitive acts to counter obsessions, trap individuals in a cycle of anxiety and behavior, often avoiding triggers or performing mental acts to relieve obsession.
Overcoming Shame and Recognizing the Real Self
OCD's cycle feeds on doubt and fear, leading to shame and isolation due to intrusive thoughts involving taboo or harmful scenarios. Seeking help and diagnosis are critical steps toward understanding and managing OCD. The misconceptions surrounding OCD, like the idea of obsession as a personality trait, hinder awareness and acceptance. The journey to self-acceptance involves distinguishing between intrusive thoughts and one's true self, beyond the mental turmoil initiated by OCD.
The Onset and Misconceptions of OCD
OCD's onset remains unclear, possibly linked to genetics and environmental factors. The disorder often distorts individuals' core values, targeting what they cherish most and triggering intrusive thoughts that contradict their true nature. The obsessions' irrationality drives individuals to seek solutions to non-existent problems, perpetuating the cycle of anxiety, compulsions, and self-doubt. Overcoming OCD involves recognizing the false nature of obsessions and compulsions, thereby restoring clarity and self-trust.
Understanding Compulsions in OCD
Compulsions in OCD involve behaviors like checking in on feelings or performing mental reviews of past experiences, thought neutralization, and seeking reassurance. These behaviors exacerbate obsessions by reinforcing their importance and creating a cycle of temporary relief followed by increased stress. Accommodating compulsions, although well-intentioned, only strengthens OCD by signaling to the brain that the obsession is vital. Effective treatment involves cutting out compulsions, facing fears head-on, and engaging in exposure therapy to break the cycle.
The Importance of Education and Exposure Therapy in OCD Recovery
Psychoeducation plays a crucial role in OCD treatment by helping individuals understand the condition and why compulsions worsen obsessions. Exposure and response prevention therapy, the gold standard in OCD treatment, involves facing feared stimuli while abstaining from compulsions. This process promotes habituation and inhibitory learning, shifting perceptions of danger and reducing the reliance on compulsions. Gradual exposure with therapeutic support empowers individuals to rewire their brains and regain control over their lives.
306. The Truth of OCD: Therapist Alegra Kastens on Living with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Therapist Alegra Kastens shares the truth about her lived experience with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) that is vital for all of us to understand. Detailing her own struggle, and work as an OCD specialist, Alegra helps demystify the relentless cycle of ego-dystonic, intrusive thoughts, anxiety, and compulsions that define this often-misunderstood and under-diagnosed disorder – sharing why so many people have OCD and do not know it, and ways to support people with OCD without enabling and reinforcing the compulsions.
CW: Discussion of intrusive sexual and violent thoughts as well as suicidal ideation.
About Alegra:
Alegra Kastens is a licensed therapist, OCD specialist, writer, and the founder of the Center for OCD, Anxiety, and Eating Disorders in New York City. Fueled by lived experience with a lesser-known manifestation of OCD, education and advocacy about OCD are at the forefront of her career.
