The Power of Response Prevention: The Key to Conquering Anxiety and OCD

[@PaigePradkoTherapy]

👉🏼👉🏼👉🏼SELF ASSESSMENT for OCD: www.paigepradko.com/ocdquiz 👉🏼👉🏼👉🏼 A PDF for The Top 10 Things to Know to Practice ERP for OCD, Phobias & Anxiety: www.paigepradko.com/erp 👉🏼👉🏼👉🏼 Learn how to do ERP the right way: OCD course www.paigepradko.com/ocd 👉🏼👉🏼👉🏼 Coupon Code for 10% Savings on Course for my KZbin Subscribers YTTENOFF

[@DannyGautama]

I sincerely adore this lady. Such a kind person with effectiveness.👍🏽💯

[@PaigePradkoTherapy]

Awww, Danny, I adore you too ❤️

[@GirlDad189]

I concur 👍

[@DannyGautama]

@@PaigePradkoTherapy ☺️

[@DannyGautama]

@@GirlDad189 👍🏽

[@GirlDad189]

@@DannyGautama 👍😊

[@terencereed7957]

This lady is an angel to the community. Helped me a lot. Long way to go, but she assisted and cared.

[@PaigePradkoTherapy]

Thank you, Terence. That’s so nice of you to say.🙏❤️

[@zoepixiechick557]

I wish you were my therapist! I desperately want to effectively perform ERP. Thank you so much for the video!

[@PaigePradkoTherapy]

You are so welcome! And thank you for such a sweet comment. 🙏❤️

[@larrybacheller7832]

I suffer from the mental compulsions and i sometimes don’t even realize I am performing them.

[@PaigePradkoTherapy]

Yes, mental compulsions can be sneaky. The first step is catching yourself doing it.

[@niklevesque5765]

for a while I was clueless on what I was actually going through and now I think I know, I'm thankful to have found you. Clarity on what's going on will hopefully help me start making steps towards getting my life back! I have a beautiful wife and 2 kids, lately i've been calling out of work, avoiding driving, and it's really been affecting me and everyone around me. Somehow I've managed to not lose my job or my wife, I need to get my confidence back. I can't let this ruin my life... I will continue to watch your videos, thank you so much

[@PaigePradkoTherapy]

Hi Nik. I am sorry you have struggled with anxiety, panic and possibly agoraphobia. Here is a playlist that I hope will help you. kzbin.info/aero/PL1lUhuKpYUYoJdExc0g8zVZuekW2zhGG7

[@AR-nk8sy]

Paige, you’re an Angel. Since listening to your videos I’ve seen a decrease in my anxiety symptoms. I’ve seen a change in my compulsion to fix or correct it but to identify accept and sit through it. Today, I identified it as a feeling of being overwhelmed from work and a series of emails that seemed so confusing at the time. And then it hit. I was tempted to get away from the project I was working on but I sat there, took one task at a time and worked through it. It flared again within 30 minutes but I continued with work. It was a first that’s happened twice in one day but maybe I shouldn’t look at it in any other way than my brain is changing. Im guessing it’s so use to the anxiety it must not think it’s done for the day. Bring it on! Ok not really but I’ll be ready with what should I do. I will say the only thing that really calmed me is watching this video and arming myself with some tools to slay the dragon. I’ve started speaking to a therapist and looking for another who specializes in anxiety, OCD and exposure and ERP. Thank you!!

[@PaigePradkoTherapy]

That’s wonderful! I especially like the “Bring it on, anxiety!” Great example of moving through your anxiety. Thank you for sharing. ❤️

[@maggiefernandez4285]

Wow great video Paige! Most of my compulsions are mental. My only physical compulsion is that I have to do alot in a a day and fast "to have a productive day" so on purpose I do whatever I'm doing slowly or just say no I'm not doing anything else today and just sit with a smile to trick my brain that it's ok. It's so hard Paige but definitely doable! Thank you so much for your videos they have helped me tremendously especially with insomnia❤

[@PaigePradkoTherapy]

Good job practicing response prevention, Maggie. It is hard. You have to make a firm decision to do it. Thanks for sharing 🙏❤️

[@dylannicks1146]

You and your videos mean so much to me 💜 I’m battling agoraphobia and fear of stroke. It can be hard if you are part of the LGBT community when people bother you. The last story was so sweet also 💜

[@PaigePradkoTherapy]

Hi Dylan. I am glad that I can do something to support you. You are not alone. I will always stand up for the LGBT community. We are all humans just doing the best that we can and the more we can support each other, the better. Sending you love ❤️

[@Sereneis]

This was extremely helpful, and the music level was much better. Ty very much, Paige. You are the best!

[@PaigePradkoTherapy]

Glad it was helpful! And I am listening about the music level and making adjustments. 🙏😊

[@patriciapablos2015]

Eternally grateful to you and your knowledge

[@PaigePradkoTherapy]

Thank you, Patricia. I hope it is helpful. 😊

[@GirlDad189]

This was a REALLY good one! Very educational and informative! I could really relate!! Get out of my head… 😂😂😂

[@PaigePradkoTherapy]

Thanks Mike. I appreciate it. I nearly broke my video editor’s computer with this video because the file was so huge. I never seem to be short on words. 😂

[@GirlDad189]

@@PaigePradkoTherapy Love your videos! My KZbin therapist! 💚👍

[@PaigePradkoTherapy]

@@GirlDad189 , 🙏❤️

[@GirlDad189]

Looking forward to seeing this one!

[@PaigePradkoTherapy]

Hope you like it!

[@Mikeybooks]

Your a beautiful soul, i truly would be lost without these videos. Its hard to tell ourselves the steps, it helps to hear it from another. This disorder has robbed me of enough. Thank you.🎉

[@hernanezequielferrari3404]

Paige, from Argentina I can't tell thank you enough for all your help and guidance through what I'm going through. Thank you so much. I agree with all the comments, you're an angel. Much love.

[@PaigePradkoTherapy]

Thank you. I hope the videos are helpful.

[@markj6681]

Thank you so much for this video. I love it!!! I have probably watched it 3 times and it helps me every time. ERP has helped me a lot. I used to deal with a lot of mental compulsions and I would follow up on every thought. It was wearing me out every day. I would come home from work and my kids would look at me and say, "Are you ok"? I work an 8-hour shift. I kid you not, I would be doing mental compulsions the entire workday. Fighting my thoughts. Trying to remember conversations and then ruminating about that. It was bad! It has gotten better but I still struggle at times. I think it's very important to know that you don't have to follow every thought. You don't have to solve every intrusive thought. Resisting the urge to do a compulsion is probably the hardest thing I have ever done, especially when I am trying to maintain my sanity at work. Let me ask you this because this happens often. Why does anxiety make you believe things that you know aren't true? It's so powerful. Why does the sensation of anxiety feel so damn strong? There are times when I am having a good day. No intrusive thoughts. Stress-free. Everything is all good until that first intrusive thought. That first thought is always a shock. It's a thought that will sometimes stop me in my tracks. That's when I know I am in my anxiety mode. My anxiety mode makes me feel like my thoughts are true and the only important thing at the moment is that intrusive thought. No matter how I try to deal with it, the initial shock is devastating. Now my Response Prevention helps but it takes time to kick in. You're from Michigan right? How doesn't it feel on cold mornings when you haven't started your car? You're in a hurry, the car is not warm but you can't wait - now you have to deal with an ice-cold car. Cold right! Damn cold! You keep putting your hands to the vents because you're trying to get some sensation of heat, something that will feel good. It takes time for me to resist. I have to really concentrate and sometimes talk to myself, "We can't let this get worse. let's resist" That's how it is with my anxiety. Once I start my response prevention, I have to fight like hell to resist a mental compulsion. Because once I get sucked into a thought, it's almost impossible to pull myself out. Why? Can anxiety be that strong? I get this strong sensation and my thoughts become powerful and very specific, especially if I succumb to the obsessive thought. And then miraculously, my thoughts will ease up and the sensation goes away. Temporarily Then morning comes and now my thoughts are waiting to flood my mind. ERP helps. How long does it take to get through this? Love your videos. Thank you for the shout-out.

[@PaigePradkoTherapy]

You have a brilliant mind, Mark. I love the way you express yourself. And, every person with anxiety and OCD can relate to what you are describing. Anxiety and OCD are at their core, trying to protect you. Your brain noticed that a thought or a sensation concerned you. And this concern prompts the brain to remind you often of that concern (intrusive thought), or with anxiety disorders (bodily sensation or worry). Then, the thinking patterns caused by rumination create neuro networks or thinking loops, that make it difficult to stop. It becomes even more challenging when we are tired or stressed. The brain loves thinking rituals. It does take a great deal of effort to jump off that track. And jumping off the track is a decision to do something different. ERP works because we practice triggering our fears (intrusive thoughts, bodily sensations) on purpose. This shocks the brain that we are stepping into fear or discomfort on purpose. Then, we stay in response prevention and do not allow the brain to go on its favorite thought loop ritual. It’s hard. But breaking the patterns in any way helps too. The more we confuse the brain and use humor and sarcasm or sing the thoughts or say them in a funny voice, the more we get those thought sequences off the old fear track, and make a new track in the brain that is not associated with fear. To summarize, anxiety and ocd lie and try to seem so urgent and important because your brain is trying to protect you. The problem is that your brain unfortunately believes that something is dangerous when it actually has no significance at all. Our brains get it wrong all the time.

[@markj6681]

@@PaigePradkoTherapy I think that's interesting when you said, "Your brain noticed that a thought or a sensation concerned you. And this concern prompts the brain to remind you often of that concern (intrusive thought), or with anxiety disorders (bodily sensation or worry) Because sometimes thoughts that I have forgotten about will just pop up in an intrusive thought, and that is what really makes me nervous. Why that particular thought? Why now? Its as if the brain scans your worries and fears and then picks out what concerns you the most. Very powerful stuff

[@journalwithrach7611]

Hi Paige! I’ve been struggling with counting and checking the locks in my house for a while, I think my ocd got triggered when my grandmother passed away a couple years ago. I’m not sure why though. I wasn’t ocd before then, but it’s gotten progressively worse. I’m still trying to stop my compulsions though :) thank you so much for all of your advice❤

[@PaigePradkoTherapy]

I am sorry for the loss of your grandmother and how it triggered OCD. I have help available for you and specifically cover lock checking and counting in my OCD course. If you would ever like more help, you may begin here: www.paigepradko.com/ocd

[@journalwithrach7611]

@@PaigePradkoTherapy it’s alright she’s in a better place now. And I’ll check that out soon thank you for the link :)

[@bhartiarora4659]

Ur videos mean so much to the battered souls out there trying to fight OCD

[@PaigePradkoTherapy]

Thank you. I am grateful if I can help. 🙏❤️

[@GhostsInSpace_]

what a great video - great content!

[@futuredoctor4350]

Thanks from India❤

[@haritejabandaru5748]

The solution starts at 12:18 - ACT ( defusion technique)

[@PaigePradkoTherapy]

Thank you. 🙏😊

[@donjon8352]

Already learnt to do mixing up ocd checking pattern by myself it does help

[@PaigePradkoTherapy]

That’s great 😊

[@marielouisevanrijswijk2547]

Safety behaviour for me is asking for reassurance by my loved ones

[@PaigePradkoTherapy]

Yes, you are not alone.That is a common compulsion. 😢

[@salamatamin-pk8ln]

i am watching videos about ocd everyday to relieve my pain and anxiety madam Paige..is that also a compulsion madam😢😢😢😢

[@PaigePradkoTherapy]

It can be a compulsion if you are doing so to feel less anxious. It is not if you are trying to gain insight and learn.

[@NatureAffirmationsChannel]

Good day Mrs Paige. I cannot say enough thanks for what you have done for us. I do exposure by my own. But I am also working so I only do 15 mins imaginal exposures (I trigger the anxiety so high and let it go by its own without any impulsions). However I do it 10 times a day. Would it be okay? Thank you in advance.

[@PaigePradkoTherapy]

Yes, that’s wonderful. You can not over do it on exposures or scripts. Sometimes people have to change their scripts if they are not activating enough anxiety, but it sounds like you are doing a great job. 😊

[@NatureAffirmationsChannel]

@@PaigePradkoTherapy thank you 😍

[@NatureAffirmationsChannel]

Another good day Mrs Paige. I now have a schedule about the exposure at 5 PM everyday. However, during the day, would it be okay if I delay my anxiety thoughts which happens randomly until 5 PM to practice the exposure, instead of thinking about it right away when it pops up in my mind. The reason is that I am afraid it can be an avoidance. Thank you so much for you have done for us. It is amazing and helpful.

[@PaigePradkoTherapy]

Yes, you can delay. Shifting your focus while a thought is in the background in your mind is exactly what you want to do instead of ruminating about those thoughts.

[@NatureAffirmationsChannel]

@@PaigePradkoTherapy thank you so much 😍

[@DAClub-uf3br]

How do you handle severe anxiety where you get such a high level of adrenalin that your higher brain functions all but stops working and you freeze physically.

[@PaigePradkoTherapy]

If you are in prolonged stress and in a constant state of fight or flight, you need to incorporate a daily stress management routine including things like exercise, walking, yoga, and meditation.

[@prakhyatiupadhyay1721]

Hey…I have mental compulsions. Although the fear in the thoughts has reduced but the ‘feeling of uncertainty’ is still there & it’s too fast that I don’t even realise when the compulsion is done. Sometimes it’s not even a mental compulsion…it’s just acknowledging that I felt fear just by ‘feeling’ that uncertainty. How to practice response prevention for that? Also some anxieties are still lurking in the back of mind, the thoughts of which not producing fear but it’s still there…

[@PaigePradkoTherapy]

Yes, you will feel uncertainty and you will experience doubt and sometimes you will feel anxious. All humans do. Your task is to allow it to be there without acting on it or examining it or trying to figure anything out.

[@prakhyatiupadhyay1721]

Thank you so much😊

[@prakhyatiupadhyay1721]

Also, could you please suggest any practices which can help in retraining the subconscious mind to break the habit of automatic negative thought patterns caused due to underlying trauma/anxiety

[@marielouisevanrijswijk2547]

I am often insecure about reactions from friends. My ocd is about health. In the past i had a traumatic experience. And now i am scared of dying. I receved a gift from my friend. Is she giving me this present because she also believes the worst. Maybe she is also worried about me. The thought makes me anxious. And then i don't want to meet her anymore. I lost more friends this way😢. Always afraid for that unsafe feeling. Does this makes any sense?

[@PaigePradkoTherapy]

I am sorry that your OCD is affecting you in this way and I am sorry that you had a traumatic experience that is still impacting your life. You will not want to respond to your OCD or to your friend as if your OCD were true. If you are in need of more help, I have resources for OCD at paigepradko.com

[@marielouisevanrijswijk2547]

@@PaigePradkoTherapy Thank you Paige for your advice!

[@louisstkr9581]

Hi Paige I really struggle with planned ERP. I always get meta OCD about doing my treatment “just right”. I am constantly worried, if I did enough ERP whenever I plan it. It’s just too habitual for me, if I do ERP this way. Instead what I do is just accepting the thought/trigger in the moment, resist the compulsions and move on with my day. This way I don’t fall in the “meta OCD” trap. Can I recover this way? Or do I have to do deliberate ERP? Thank you for your videos! 🙏

[@PaigePradkoTherapy]

Hi Louis. Yes, you absolute can recover with that approach. Identify the intrusive thought or urge. Allow it to be there just floating in the background. Do not respond to it…just allow it to float there unattended. Then shift your attention to something else …normal life stuff and move on with your day whether the thought/urge is there or not.

[@louisstkr9581]

@@PaigePradkoTherapy thank you for your quick response! 🙏 I can not tell you how thankful I am for your videos! They really helped me immensely. It’s hard to find a good therapist where I am from. Your content really is a godsend for me!

[@PaigePradkoTherapy]

So glad the videos are helpful ❤