Knowledge is Power: The Importance of Psychoeducation in Anxiety & OCD Treatment

You’ve just decided that you’re ready to begin your treatment journey for anxiety and/or OCD, now what? The first, and arguably most important step, is to head back to the classroom. It is crucial to understand how anxiety and OCD work, what keeps you in their vicious cycles, and how to achieve freedom. Psychoeducation is especially important if you are beginning Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) treatment. This is because to expose yourself to your greatest fears and obsessions, you need to understand the why. Without this foundation, you might think the idea of it is unreasonable. I mean who would choose to sit in discomfort for fun? While you can definitely have some laughs while engaging in ERP (in fact, humor can be helpful in retraining the brain), the real reason to put yourself in these situations is to teach your brain that you can handle your anxiety without engaging in compulsions or avoidance. 

Another big piece of the psychoeducation puzzle is learning that you are safe. Safety is one of the most basic human needs. To be able to fully commit and truly trust in the ERP process, you must know that you are safe. Anxiety itself is not dangerous. However, it can certainly tell a convincing story. Learning about things like the fight or flight response, the physiological reaction that occurs when our brain perceives danger, will show you that your body is actually trying to protect you. In turn, you may experience some pretty uncomfortable physical sensations. The good news is, this is temporary and should pass rather quickly. The more you know, the less you fear. 

Empowerment. Proper psychoeducation should leave you feeling empowered, hopeful, and motivated to reach your goals. This is key for success with ERP or any other treatment approach. Ready to learn more? Break out your notebook and pencil, A Little OCD Treatment Center would be happy to be your teacher! Our program begins with psychoeducation to ensure that you are equipped with all the knowledge you need to dive in and thrive out.