Willamette Anxiety Clinic

05/21/2020

OCD is not an adjective — it's a serious disorder. And while we're all feeling a heightened level of anxiety at this time, it does not mean that we all have ...

04/19/2020

You get to design and choose your attitude. Who’s the person you want to be during this time?

04/18/2020

When individuals are in pain, it’s common for them to distract themselves and try and go outside of themselves to numb out and avoid the pain—whether it is going on social media, numbing out through addiction, or any type of distraction or escape.

However, don’t miss out on the great opportunity when you’re in pain to reflect on what you're feeling and gain a greater understanding of yourself. Rather than numbing out, go inside.

Ways to go in:
• Of course, there is always therapy.
• Ask yourself some reflective questions:
• What do you notice in your body?
• What’s happening at an emotional level? - Looking at a feelings list can be helpful.
• What are you telling yourself? If you are telling yourself blame or victimization stories this causes and can lead to more suffering.
• What do you need right now? Is it: connection, growth, relational needs, safety, dependability, independence, play, or teamwork?

Pause and reflect. The capacity to stay present in suffering and not run from it allows us to be there for ourselves.

Then use your inner resources to self-soothe and tell yourself statements that feel right to you such as:

I can take loving care of myself, even when things are hard.

I can accept myself, just as I am, in this moment.

I have strengths that will help me endure the situation.

I can care well for myself by reaching out to others for support.

04/03/2020

We need two things in life: love and trust. As a species, we ask ourselves, “Am I loved?” and “Am I safe?”

•

From the time we are born, we are taking in all sorts of messages about whether we are loved and whether or not we are safe. We grow up forming our sense of trust with others and our sense of identity and worth.

•

If right now, you feel worthy, precious and valued, you were likely loved in just that way by your parents or caretakers. If you feel unworthy, insignificant, and worthless, you probably picked that program from either bad information or no information from the people that were supposed to love you. You were built to be loved in a way that is endless, selfless, and sacrificing.

•

In the same way you were built to be loved, you were built to be programmed in how to trust in relationships. If you came from a family where they provided for your needs, were there for you, were predictable, and taught you how to be responsible, you likely grew up believing that relationships could be safe and secure. If the opposite was true, you probably feel weary and suspicious of relationships and are guarded when you interact with others. Of course, some people grow up between being safe versus a damaging environment.

•

Recently, you may be dealing with issues concerning safety. In light of the coronavirus pandemic, feelings of a lack of safety or security are especially rising among individuals who didn’t feel a sense of safety and security growing up. The uncertainty and feelings of powerlessness and lack of control cause this rise.

•

However, we can tell ourselves the truth and realize that we do have power and can make choices. We have the ability to structure and organize our lives and follow the recommendations of the CDC, following good practices in terms of hand-washing. We do have the power to keep ourselves structured throughout the day, plan a meal, get up on a regular time, and do work when we’re feeling well.

•

Choose to think about this virus as: do I focus on the threat? Or do I focus on the recovery? The truth is that we will make it through this situation. We do have choices and we do have power.

•

*These are Restoration Therapy principles adapted from Terry Hargrave, PhD and Sharon Hargrave, LMFT.

04/01/2020

Often our suffering is made more intense by remembering past suffering and worrying about future suffering. If we can stay in the moment and focus on what is happening in the here and now, our suffering will be greatly reduced.
•
•
•
•
•

03/25/2020

Dr. Russ Harris illustrates how to deal with fear, anxiety, and worry associated with the coronavirus.

F- focus on what's in your control.
A- acknowledge your thoughts and feelings.
C- come back into your body.
E- engage in what you're doing.

C- committed action.
O- opening up.
V- values.
I- identify resources.
D- disinfect and distance.✨

FACE COVID – How To Respond Effectively To The Corona Crisis In this brief animation, Dr Russ Harris, author of the international best-seller The Happiness T...

03/19/2020

Dr. Bob McLellarn from the Panic & Anxiety Treatment Center shares some encouraging news!

Some Good News About the Covid - 19 Pandemic

03/10/2020

Helpful article on Managing OCD and the Coronavirus.

"The coronavirus situation is scary because there’s so much about it that’s uncertain. But if you’ve done ERP for OCD, you have above average skills in managing uncertainty and anxiety. You’re actually more prepared to handle all the unknowns than people who haven’t done ERP. While you may be scared and OCD may act up, remember that when it comes to anxiety and uncertainty, you’ve got this!"

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) fears about contamination or your health, including those triggered by the current coronavirus situation, can be paralyzing. As I share in Is Fred in the Refrigerator? Taming OCD and Reclaiming My Life, I spent years lost in obsessions that I'd contracted diseases...

03/06/2020

Please reach out if you’d like to join our upcoming group!

12/21/2019

Great article on health anxiety!

“But also remember, your health is not as vulnerable as your OCD leads you to believe. We are pretty resilient creatures. Even though you feel like you are about to fall off the edge of a cliff most of the time, doesn’t mean you are. This is the faulty brain messaging that makes you feel that you need to know for sure that leads to compulsions. Take the risks that everyone who inhabits a body must take. Label the unwanted health thoughts OCD and refuse to seek certainty. It will feel very dangerous at first, but through time your health will stop feeling so critical. Return your focus from saving your life to actually living it.”

We are all dying. One of the cruel realities of being human is our capacity for introspection and our awareness that each and every one of us will be gone one day. Although health misfortunes and accidents may occur, many of us hope and imagine the end of our lives will occur somewhere in the

11/25/2019

Panic attacks occur due to a misinterpretation of the “fight or flight” system.