OCD Disorder and Four Steps of CBT

It has been proved that Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is the best treatment for OCD. Dr. Jeffrey Schwartz proved that four steps of CBT could change an OCD patient’s brain activity. These steps help the affected person to conduct exposure-response therapy by himself.

OCD - CBT steps

Step 1 – Renaming

1. Discover the thought that attribute to OCD disorder. This involves one’s own conscience as part of the development process.
2. Concentrate on your actions and account them. In case of lack of concentration, pen them down.
3. Maintain a diary as a third party advisor to you. Note down your actions in it just as a spectator does.
4. Find and distinguish between real causes and symptoms. Name them as obsessions and compulsions.
5. Postpone the urges till you forget them completely.

Step 2 – Re-attributing

1. Jog in your memory that the disorder is just a medical problem and in no way your fault.
2. Also, remember that the obsessive thoughts that occur in your mind are untrue messages.
3. Start thinking that the thoughts and impulses are attributed to some biochemical disproportion in your brain, which is in fact the true cause.
What it does: Recognizing OCD as a medical condition means it is treatable and can be overcome with some effort.

Step 3 – Refocusing

1. Start doing your actions like how you will normally do if you are not affected with a disorder. Importantly, you have to change your deeds.
2. Initially, change your concentration to some other job for sometime.
3. Whenever you get an impulse of obsession, do some other reactive measure rather than doing the usual thing. Do something that your mind finds pleasure at.
4. Constantly change your reactive measures. Don’t confine a single activity as your routine.
5. Delay your time of responses even though they are a part of your treatment.

These actions inject self-confidence inside you making you take the decisions by yourself.

Step 4 – Revaluation

The final step is the outcome of all the above three steps. After performing the first 3 steps evaluate your thoughts of obsession.

Previously when you were giving responses to your obsessive thoughts immediately, you will now focus your attention in other activities more than the OCD impulses.

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OCD Disorder And Four Steps of CBT