OCD Treatments Walk Into a Bar...
What OCD Treatment Might Look Like If We All Got Along
ERP (marvels at the orange-red glow of his Old Fashioned):
You know they’re all really here for me. I’ve distilled this drink down to its active ingredient, and that’s really all you need. It’s the perfect spirit!
ACT (ACT imbibes his White Russian slowly, his sunglasses reflecting the glare of the bar lights):
The dude abides man. Why can’t you be a little more zen and practice non-attachment? Your drink is really good but why ya gotta keep evaluating its merit? Just be man, just be.
I-CBT (rolling his eyes, and taking a fast swig from his Manhattan):
You know, both of you really should pay a little more attention to your senses and how your imagination runs wild. It happens way before your spike comes ERP. And ACT,you don’t have to be so zen about it. Normal people don’t tolerate so much uncertainty and neither should you!
IFS (offering her olive to all three like a peace offering as she sips languidly from her martini):
Gentlemen, why does your OCD have to always be the bad guy? Don’t you realize that sometimes it’s a message in a bottle. I know you don’t want to listen to what it’s trying to tell you but it’s got some wisdom.
The Upside (raising his Stanley-Tucci-inspired Negroni to the group to say cheers to all):
Right on! Even Grayson reminds us that we’ve got loads of creativity here right from the start. To be or not to be, that is the question. I know we want the answer every minute but we can leverage that skill to do lots of good. I know that sounds crazy but it’s true!
ERP: You know I thought of something. What if some of my active ingredient is in your drink too? What’s in there?
ICBT: Well, yeah, that’s what I’ve been trying to tell you. I’m just as interested in how reasoning goes overboard when it isn’t connected to what’s making it go haywire. And yeah, I’ve just got sweet vermouth to your sugar.
ACT: I might have vodka in here, but I’m tolerating uncertainty left and right. I’m west-coast to your east-coast, eastern philosophy to your western medicine.
IFS: I’ve got your gin and vodka here too, and that’s what I’ve been trying to tell you. Befriending your bad selves is an exposure for god’s sake! It’s tapping into the feared self that ICBT says is making you ‘lose your mind.’
The Upside: Isn’t it funny how we’ve been knocking each other’s drinks when all of us are trying to get to the essence?
Here’s a toast to all of us as we keep on finding the best ways to heal and celebrate our friends who need us most. Now who wants dessert?
Michael Alcée, Ph.D.is a clinical psychologist and author of The Upside of OCD: Flip the Script to Reclaim Your Life.
Glossary:
ERP = Exposure-Response Prevention
ACT = Acceptance-Commitment Therapy
I-CBT = Inference-based Cognitive-behavior Therapy
IFS = Internal Family Systems Therapy
The Upside = Integration based on my work in The Upside of OCD