OCD CBT ACT Philadelphia Bryn Mawr PA Delco, Montgo

Treating Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: How CBT and ACT Can Help

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Best Treatments Available for OCD Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) can be a challenging mental health condition that affects many people across Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and beyond. Those struggling with OCD experience intrusive thoughts (obsessions) and may engage in repetitive behaviors (compulsions) to alleviate the anxiety caused by these thoughts. Two of the most effective treatment approaches for OCD are Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Here is a closer look at how these therapies work and how they are helping individuals in Pennsylvania and across the country find relief. Understanding OCD and Its Impact OCD can manifest in various ways, with some individuals constantly worrying about contamination,… Read More

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Worry Anxiety Philadelphia Bryn Mawr Pennsylvania

CBT and Mindfulness: The Antidote to Worry and Anxiety

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Effective Approach to Worry Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) can feel overwhelming, especially when constant worry and unease start to impact everyday life. For individuals in Philadelphia and Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and mindfulness practice offers effective, evidence-based treatments to manage these feelings. What is Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)? GAD is characterized by chronic, excessive worry about various aspects of life including work, health, family, and finances. This type of anxiety can interfere with daily functioning and negatively impact concentration, sleep, or social activities. Symptoms often include racing thoughts, restlessness, fatigue, irritability, muscle tension and migraine headaches. While everyone experiences anxiety from time to time, GAD involves persistent… Read More

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The EMDR and Behavior Therapy Controversy

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EMDR vs Behavior Therapy Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, or EMDR, is a popular PTSD treatment for patients and clinicians alike. While it has gained in popularity over the years, it has also been mired in controversy. Proponents of EMDR maintain that the treatment more effectively reprocesses trauma than exposure therapy, and does so at a faster rate. CBT and behavioral practitioners have questioned whether the mechanisms of action underlying EMDR are simply exposure-based and if bilateral stimulation (i.e. eye movements) is a superfluous addition. State of the Evidence Previous meta-analyses and dismantling studies appear to support this analysis, indicating that eye movements and other bilateral stimulation do not add… Read More

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Behavioral Innovations in PTSD and Trauma Therapy

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Prolonged Exposure Therapy One of the most well established and highly effective treatments for PTSD is prolonged exposure therapy. However, while this treatment has demonstrated much success over the years, focusing on habituation as the primary mechanisms of change has been called into question. The inhibitory learning model challenges outdated approaches and aligns with advances in neuroscience. Inhibitory Learning Model: Advances in CBT According to the inhibitory learning model, when exposure therapy results in extinction, information in the brain is not rewritten. Instead, new learning simply inhibits older excititory learning. The important take-home is that information is never unlearned. It just becomes inhibited. This means that depending on context and… Read More

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