Let’s dive into a topic that will empower you on your journey to overcoming OCD. I want you to take a closer look at functional assessment. This tool will unravel the chaos of OCD and illuminate the best game-plan for your recovery.
Have you ever suddenly realized that you’ve been ritualizing but you don’t know you got there? One second, you’re going about your day, and then the next, you’re stuck in your head or in a compulsion spiral. Functional assessment is like a detective’s toolkit that helps us connect the dots between triggers and behaviors. Rather than focusing solely on the surface-level triggers and behaviors, we delve deeper to understand the “why” behind your experiences. By identifying the underlying fears and functions, we gain valuable insights that guide our treatment strategies.
In functional assessment, we pay close attention to the triggers that set off your OCD and the feared outcomes you’re most afraid of. Triggers can vary from specific situations to thoughts or emotions that intensify your OCD. By recognizing these triggers, we gain a clearer understanding of what ignites your symptoms.
Similarly, we explore the feared outcomes that drive your compulsions. These outcomes represent the things you’re most afraid will happen if you don’t engage in your OCD behaviors. This is beneficial in a few ways: 1) Understanding these feared outcomes helps us address the underlying anxieties and concerns driving your OCD, and 2) Once you understand why you’re engaging in these compulsions, you can design the exposures to more precisely target those fears.
Recovery from OCD is within your reach, and functional assessment is a powerful tool that can guide you along the way. By understanding the triggers, feared outcomes, compulsions and safety behaviors, you can develop a precise counterstrategy to combat OCD.
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