Spokane therapist, therapist in Spokane, WA

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

OCD is an anxiety disorder characterized by intrusive thoughts, images, or impulses (obsessions), and/or repetitive behaviors or mental acts (compulsions) that are often performed to alleviate the anxiety caused by the obsessions. These thoughts and behaviors are usually very distressing and time-consuming. Common obsessions include:
fear of contamination, fear of hurting oneself or others, violent or sexually explicit thoughts or images, religious or moral ideas. Common compulsions include: checking, counting, hoarding, ordering/arranging, and praying.

OCD is highly treatable, usually with a combination of individual therapy and medication. At Lakeview Center For Psychotherapy we have expertise in treating OCD through a combination of Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), insight-oriented therapy, and relaxation and mindfulness practices.

Compulsive Self-Injury

What is self-injury? Self-injury is a pattern of inflicting pain or wounds on one's body in response to emotional distress. Common types of self-injury are scratching, biting or hitting oneself, cutting oneself with a sharp object, or burning oneself with heat or chemicals. Injuries may range from superficial scratches to wounds requiring stitches.

For those who do not self-injure, it may be difficult to understand how harming one's body provides emotional relief. For the self-injurer, the symptom helps them cope with their feelings in one of several ways:

1) The physical pain becomes a welcome distraction from emotional pain.

2) The act of self-injury become a way to communicate feelings to others without using words, to show others hurt or angry feelings through actions.

3) Some self-injurers feel numb or cut off from their feelings. Some even report feeling invisible or unreal. The act of self-injuring helps them feel more grounded and connected to themselves.

4) The pain from self-injury can release chemicals in the brain called endorphins. These are the same chemicals that cause athletes to get a 'runner's high.' This pleasurable feeling takes away feelings of stress or depression. Many self-injurers experience several of these phenomena. This makes self-injury a dependable coping strategy despite its often severe consequences.