OCD Center of Los Angeles

Serving the community since 1999

Specializing in OCD and related conditions

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Meet Our Social Media Manager Natalie Najera!

OCD Center of Los Angeles December 29, 2024 6:08 pm No Comments

Natalie Najera, of the OCD Center of Los Angeles, brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to our team as our Social Media Manager, as well as her own personal experience and recovery from OCD.

Natalie is passionate about spreading awareness of OCD and related anxiety disorders, sharing valuable resources, and fostering a supportive community online.

Hi, I’m Natalie Najera! I grew up in Laguna Hills, CA, with a childhood full of travel, studying for school, and soccer training and games taking up most of my free time. As a kid, I started noticing behaviors that felt a little “off,” like the urge to wash my hands after touching certain things, cleaning belongings excessively, or needing to shower after being in specific places. I would find myself in moments of hiding it as I was confused and didn’t quite understand how to explain what was happening. Despite this, life was pretty normal. It was more than manageable, and from the outside, you probably would never suspect a thing. It didn’t take up much time, so I continued on my way.

After graduating from Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, I pursued a degree in marketing at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. Then, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, changing life as I knew it. As a 2020 college grad, my paid internship was canceled, and I moved back home with my family, including my older brother, who also returned from NYC. Living under one roof as adults was fun but definitely stressful. With so much uncertainty about the future and what was happening in the world around us, I noticed my anxiety and compulsive behaviors—like handwashing, showering, and cleaning—intensify dramatically. While I had always suspected OCD, the pandemic brought everything to the forefront. With encouragement from my parents, I sought professional help and was diagnosed with emotional contamination OCD.

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Seeking a Spiritual Escape: Spiritual Bypass and Scrupulosity OCD

OCD Center of Los Angeles August 5, 2024 9:15 am 4 Comments

Brandi Roberts, MS, AMFT, of the OCD Center of Los Angeles, shares her personal experience and recovery from religious scrupulosity OCD and spiritual bypassing, as well as discusses the dynamics and treatment of this common OCD subtype.

When spiritual bypass is a component of OCD, the key is to tolerate the feelings that come up and sit with them, instead of placing blame on spiritual reasons, or using spirituality to avoid the emotions.

I was 12 years old, curled up in the fetal position on my bed as my tears fell onto my bedspread. I felt a pit in my stomach, and the heat of guilt, heavy in my chest as I had a desperate urge to confess to my mom that I might have accidentally lied yesterday, and that I had an inappropriate thought today. I believed that if I felt guilty, I must have done something wrong, and if I didn’t confess my mistakes or my thoughts to my parents, God would punish me, and eventually send me to hell. I didn’t know how to manage the guilt and fear that I felt, so I was convinced I was being spiritually attacked by demons. Based on what I learned from church and my religious parents, I was convinced I was caught up in a battle between good and evil and if I prayed and read the Bible enough, I might be able to rise above my bad thoughts and my feelings of guilt. This belief is what caused me to pray a very specific prayer every night out of fear of punishment from God. It wasn’t until years later, as an adult, I found out I actually had scrupulosity obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and what I was doing to escape my uncomfortable feelings, was called spiritual bypassing.

 

What is Spiritual Bypassing?

             Spiritual bypassing is a term created by psychologist John Welwood in 1984 to describe how religion and spirituality are used to bypass developmental needs and painful emotions (Stone, 2013). Many of us believe messages given to us by our families and religion or spirituality, that difficult emotions aren’t meant to be experienced and it becomes normalized to bypass emotions. This normalizing allows spiritual bypassing to go unnoticed because it’s not seen as a problem. Instead of working through difficult emotions or confronting internal conflicts by getting treatment for mental health, many people dismiss these emotions with spiritual explanations (Cherry, 2023). Spiritual bypass prevents emotional integration and keeps us from being immersed in the complex experience of being human. When we bypass our emotions, it impacts our mental health, including repression, emotional numbing, detachment, and developmental delays (Stone, 2013).

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What Is Contamination OCD? There’s More to It Than Meets the Eye…

OCD Center of Los Angeles July 21, 2024 1:11 pm 1 Comment

Mikayla Rodin, MA, AMFT, of the OCD Center of Los Angeles, discusses a subtype of OCD called Contamination OCD, as well as sharing what the symptoms and treatment may look like for someone experiencing this condition. 

CBT focuses on retraining the brain to respond differently, more proactively, to the intrusive thoughts an individual experiences.

Contamination is a subtype category of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). It is defined as the fear of becoming “contaminated.” This contamination can occur in numerous ways but is typically seen when an individual has obsessive fears circulating around sticky residues, bacteria-loaded surfaces, and dirt…to name a few. The general rule of thumb is that any obsession where you feel the need to compulsively wash your hands, clean yourself or the space around you, or keep everything perfectly sterile, would fall under this subgroup of OCD. OCD does not always categorize simply, however. The list goes on and on and can be extensive for an individual suffering from Contamination OCD.  

 

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Navigating Postpartum OCD: Making Space for Scary Thoughts

OCD Center of Los Angeles May 3, 2024 8:35 am 2 Comments

Erica Russell, LMFT,  LPCC, of the OCD Center of Los Angeles discusses the symptoms and treatment of Postpartum OCD and reflects on her own personal experience with the postpartum anxiety journey as she returns from maternity leave.

Postpartum OCD can be effectively treated using the same evidence based interventions used with other OCD presentations 

 

My baby is lying so still in his crib.  Is he even breathing? 

Was that bottle too hot? What if it the milk burns his throat? 

Imagine if you just dropped him right now… 

Am I following the best sleep plan?… Maybe I need to do some more research! 

What if a car hits us while I’m pushing the stroller? 

 

Welcome to my postpartum brain!  Being away on maternity leave for the past four months has given me an amazing opportunity to bond with my new baby boy, but like most moms and dads out there, it has also brought on a spike in anxiety.  The statements above are examples of obsessive thoughts, which refers to any intrusive and distressing thoughts, images, or impulses that repeatedly enter our mind.  These kinds of thoughts feel unwelcome and difficult to control.  Research has shown that about 90% of new mothers (and fathers!) experience obsessive thoughts about their baby following their birth, and unfortunately, being an anxiety disorder therapist has not made me immune (bummer, right?!). The postpartum period, which can be defined as the first twelve months after a baby is delivered, presents a perfect storm for anxiety to grow.  The combination of shifting hormones, sleep deprivation, difficulty with feeding, cultural/ social expectations, and the huge responsibility of caring for a newborn are just some of the factors that contribute to this being a more tumultuous period for parents.  While experiencing some degree of anxiety and obsessive thoughts postpartum is very normal, sometimes the level of distress and impairment in functioning associated with these symptoms can signify something more.  (more…)

Connecting Vasovagal Syncope to Anxiety Reactions

OCD Center of Los Angeles April 23, 2024 10:59 am 1 Comment

Mikayla Rodin, MA, AMFT, of the OCD Center of Los Angeles discusses the connection between Vasovagal Syncope and Anxiety, as well as sharing what the symptoms and treatment may look like for someone with this condition.

Research reports have found that Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) has been the most useful in helping treat clients who are suffering from anxiety and have a history of Vasovagal Syncope.

What is Vasovagal Syncope?

Vasovagal Syncope is medically described as a condition where an individual experiences a rapid drop in their heart rate and blood pressure. This sudden rapid decrease leads an individual to having feelings of lightheadedness, a rapid heartbeat, nausea, rapid changes in body temperature, loss of color in their complexion, and blurred vision. These symptoms typically result in an individual feeling faint and/or fainting. Experts have found that Vasovagal Syncope, also known as Reflex Syncope or neurocardiogenic syncope, can be brought on by the body when triggered by high feelings of emotional distress and sometimes pain.

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OCD: The Invisible Disorder

OCD Center of Los Angeles October 1, 2023 11:12 am 6 Comments

Daniel Safavi, MA, AMFT, of the OCD Center of Los Angeles, discusses how social stigmas and misconceptions can pose unique challenges to interpersonal connection for someone with OCD. Also included are some helpful guidelines to consider when determining whether to self-disclose.

OCD and the Basic Human Need for Connection

Social connection is a basic human need, and a big part of connecting with others is being vulnerable from time to time. Being vulnerable produces some distress. This is true for all of us. However, those with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), have the added challenge of their condition often being misconstrued by others. In other words, even when someone with OCD musters up the courage to open up about OCD-related challenges, others may respond with invalidating comments, even if they didn’t intend to do so. This is often due to their ignorance around the subject. This can leave the person with OCD feeling alienated, which is very unfortunate, since a pain unseen is a constant fiend. 

Different Levels of Understanding 

We all have things we are embarrassed or ashamed about. But most of those things can at least be intellectually understood, and perhaps even emotionally understood, by another person. In fact, the listener may share a similar experience or may know of someone else who did. For example, let’s say that one of your friends feels shame around not going to graduate school and getting an advanced degree. Even if you yourself don’t experience that same trigger, you can probably at least understand that shame and empathize with the experience of feeling inadequate or being self-critical. You may even know of other people who struggle with similar issues that your friend has. 

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Relationship OCD: Accepting the Unknown in Relationships

OCD Center of Los Angeles May 8, 2023 8:14 pm 13 Comments

Brandi Roberts, MS, AMFT, of the OCD Center of Los Angeles, shares her personal experience and recovery from relationship OCD (ROCD), as well as discusses the dynamics and treatment of this very common OCD subtype.

Relationship OCD: Accepting the Unknown in RelationshipsThree months into my first romantic relationship, I was on a date with my boyfriend, and suddenly I was hit with a tightness in my chest that felt unbearable, and a suffocating desire to end the relationship. I had no idea why I felt this sudden anxiety, because he was a sweet guy who treated me well. After a lot of tears and confusion I broke up with him. The only explanation I could give was that, “It just didn’t feel right.” My next few short relationships ended in the same way and I couldn’t figure out why dating caused me so much anxiety. It was so emotionally exhausting, I didn’t date for a long time. Many years later, I met someone I truly could see a future with, and although I was very emotionally vigilant and always waiting for the anxiety to show up, I didn’t feel it for a while. Shortly after a year of dating, I was experiencing many stressful events in my life, and my partner was my main source of comfort and security during that time.

Then it happened, seemingly out of nowhere: The tightness in my chest, the feeling of wanting to break up, and fear that he wasn’t the right one. I tried to quiet the thoughts, but my intrusive thoughts jumped to thinking my partner was cheating on me, but there was no reason to think so. Then my thoughts jumped again to thinking I might hurt my partner, my family, or myself, followed by feeling shame and guilt. I was scared and this anxiety was impeding my ability to function, so I began researching my symptoms and it turns out, my experience was common for Relationship Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (ROCD). This experience was the beginning of a challenging journey through healing from ROCD, and eventually led me to becoming an Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) therapist.

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Go Big or Go Home: The Difference Between OCD and GAD (and My Experience with Both)

OCD Center of Los Angeles February 22, 2023 5:13 pm 8 Comments

Kristen Taylor-Ladd, MA, AMFT, of the OCD Center of Los Angeles, discusses the differences between, and often co-occurring, afflictions of OCD and GAD, as well as shares her personal experience with and way to recovery from both of these conditions.

Both Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) can often exist together simultaneously. It is also common for individuals struggling with OCD to be diagnosed with or assume they have Generalized Anxiety Disorder instead, which can be a frequent misdiagnosis. When this misdiagnosis happened to me, I felt unheard. I didn’t understand the obsessive thoughts and compulsions I was experiencing, especially when those symptoms didn’t fit in with my diagnosis of Generalized Anxiety Disorder and what I understood that to be. Learning that both OCD and GAD can occur together can be a powerful and validating tool. While most people with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) don’t have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), it may be common for individuals with OCD to also have GAD.

It took time, treatment in therapy, and a lot of self-reflection to come to terms with the understanding that I struggled with both Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Gaining an understanding of these conditions provided much-needed clarification and validation for my experiences, which helped immensely in my management and overall treatment.

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Exposure and Response Prevention: Is It Effective Via Telehealth?

OCD Center of Los Angeles June 29, 2022 11:48 pm No Comments

Chanel Taghdis, LMFT, of the OCD Center of Los Angeles, discusses the efficacy of Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) for OCD and related conditions when conducted via teletherapy.

Exposure-Response-Prevention-OCD-Anxiety
Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) conducted via teletherapy is effective for OCD and related conditions.

The year of 2020 presented challenges that no one anticipated. A new and misunderstood virus created a world-wide pandemic resulting in shutdowns across the globe. Schools were closed. Restaurants and businesses were closed. Offices were closed. With social distancing becoming the new standard, employees transitioned to working from home. What did this mean for therapists and clients? A pause in treatment? Panic? Uncertainty? Maybe at first, but technology quickly came to the rescue. It is now 2022 and treating clients for a variety of mental health disorders online has become the new normal. At the OCD Center of Los Angeles, we have offered teletherapy for OCD and anxiety disorders for many years, but never at this magnitude. After two years of this transition, the question is: Is online therapy for these conditions as effective as face-to-face, in-person treatment?

What is teletherapy and how does it work?  

Teletherapy is essentially therapy conducted over the computer using a webcam. It is the exact same treatment that is done with clients in person and the only difference is that it is done via camera. The platform we use for online therapy is very similar to Zoom, but it has a higher level of security meant for health care professionals. It includes multiple features and provides a sense of safety that the client’s confidentiality is protected due to the high encryption. 

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Mindfulness-Based Response Prevention for OCD and Anxiety

OCD Center of Los Angeles May 22, 2022 2:38 pm 14 Comments

Chris Cincotta, LMFT, of the OCD Center of Los Angeles, discusses how to implement an effective mindfulness-based response prevention approach for the treatment of OCD and anxiety, and how to prevent mindfulness from becoming just another compulsion

Response Prevention for OCD and Anxiety-300
Mindfulness-Based Response Prevention is a
valuable approach in managing OCD and anxiety.

A martial arts student went to his teacher and said earnestly, “I am devoted to studying your martial system. How long will it take me to master it?” The teacher’s reply was casual, “Ten years.” Impatiently, the student answered, “But I want to master it faster than that. I will work very hard. I will practice every day, ten or more hours a day if I have to. How long will it take then?” The teacher thought for a moment, “20 years.”

~A Zen Story

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) takes away your confidence in your beliefs, and completely turns you on your head; breaking your trust in others, and most of all, trust in yourself. Trust can be regained through treatment. It is not a mystery how to treat OCD. The gold standard of treatment for OCD is Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP). The two dominant theories pertaining to the understanding and treatment of ERP for OCD are Emotional Processing Theory (EPT) and Inhibitory Learning (IL). Treatment should be clear and understandable. This article focuses on how to stop doing compulsions – the “RP” in ERP. A simple mindfulness-based response prevention approach will help you move away from your mental and physical compulsions, thus leading to successful OCD treatment, and ultimately moving you towards what you value in your life and living the life you want to live.

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Recent Articles

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    No Comments
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  • Connecting Vasovagal Syncope to Anxiety Reactions
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  • OCD is Fake News: The brain is a machine for jumping to conclusionsOCD is Fake News
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    441 Comments
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    23 Comments
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    413 Comments
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    10 Comments
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    9 Comments
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  • Gay OCD / HOCD Treatment
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    No Comments
  • Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) and Body Image in the News
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    1 Comment
  • Treatment of OCD and OC Spectrum Disorders in Children
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    No Comments
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    8 Comments
  • Memory Hoarding in Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
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    266 Comments
  • OCD and the Law – Part 3
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  • OCD and the Law – Part 2
    A Kentucky man murdered his wife and then tried to claim that his OCD led him to kill her. Part 2 of a 3 part series. From the OCD Center of Los Angeles. […]
    4 Comments
  • OCD and the Law – Part 1
    A Scottish man claims his massive child pornography collection is due to OCD. Part 1 of a 3 part series from the OCD Center of Los Angeles. […]
    1 Comment
  • OCD Stockholm Syndrome
    Something akin to the Stockholm Syndrome occurs in some people who struggle with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder ( OCD ). […]
    2 Comments
  • Athletes With Anxiety
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    1 Comment
  • Social Anxiety in Baseball Revisted
    This past week marked the arrival of the 2010 Major League baseball season. And as with last year, this season already has three developing stories of athletes dealing with Social Anxiety. […]
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  • Treatment of OCD and Anxiety: A Brief History
    A look at how the treatment of OCD and related anxiety disorders has changed over time, especially the development of CBT and mindfulness for OCD. […]
    3 Comments
  • Tiger Woods, Sex Addiction, and OCD – Part 2
    Sex addiction is misconstrued by many to be a type of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). This article reviews various factors relevant to determining what diagnosis might be more appropriate. Second of a two part series. […]
    4 Comments
  • Tiger Woods, Sex Addiction, and OCD
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    18 Comments
  • Latisse and Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD)
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    2 Comments
  • Proposed DSM-5 Changes for OCD and Anxiety Disorders
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    7 Comments
  • Reassurance Seeking in OCD and Anxiety
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    92 Comments
  • Phobia Treatment in Unconventional Settings
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    No Comments
  • Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) and Cosmetic Surgery
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    No Comments
  • OCD & Anxiety: The Year 2009 in Review
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    2 Comments
  • Bizarre, Disturbing, Weird, and Unwanted Thoughts in OCD
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    26 Comments
  • Emetophobia treatment at the OCD Center of Los Angeles with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)Emetophobia and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
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    85 Comments
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    186 Comments
  • Cyberchondria: Health Anxiety in the 21st Century
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    8 Comments
  • Is Compulsive Overeating OCD?
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    No Comments
  • Cy Young, Zack Greinke, and Social Anxiety
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    No Comments
  • Exposure Therapy for OCD and AnxietyExposure Therapy for OCD and Anxiety
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    46 Comments
  • Social Anxiety Research
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    No Comments
  • OCD Awareness Week
         […]
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  • CBT and Evidence Based Psychotherapy
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    No Comments
  • OCD, Mental Health, and the National Health Care Debate
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    No Comments
  • Childhood OCD, Strep Infections, and PANDAS
    There is a growing body of research that indicates strep infections are related to rapid-onset OCD in children. […]
    No Comments
  • OCD and the Swine Flu – Part 2
    Panic about the Swine Flu continues, despite facts that suggest there is no cause for increased concern. […]
    No Comments
  • 2009 Obsessive-Compulsive Foundation Conference
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    No Comments
  • New Trichotillomania Research
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    No Comments
  • Parenting a Child With OCD
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    No Comments
  • Social Anxiety in Baseball
    A look at the recent rash of pro baseball players struggling with Social Anxiety Disorder. […]
    No Comments
  • Michael Jackson and Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD)
    A look at the sad tale of Michael Jackson and his mental health issues. […]
    No Comments
  • OCD and the Swine Flu
    The past few months have seen an avalanche of news stories on the Swine Flu, despite its relatively low impact in the US. […]
    No Comments
  • Meet the OCD Center of Los Angeles Staff
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    No Comments
  • Welcome to the OCD Center of Los Angeles Blog
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    No Comments

    

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