Most people get intrusive thoughts. Those without OCD might be momentarily disturbed, but can shift their attention, let it go, and move on.

When OCD is active, the intrusive thought triggers a stress response in the body - similar to a trauma response. You respond by doing compulsions - that's what sets it apart from the experience of people who don't suffer OCD.

“Pure O,” which is a misnomer, refers to a type of OCD with predominantly mental compulsions. It’s a common misconception that mental OCD consists of only intrusive thoughts (“obsessions”) without any compulsions. But the truth is, compulsions are always present in this type of OCD as mental activities such as rumination, mental checking, thinking certain thoughts in order to control other thoughts, and others. These mental compulsions can seem indistinguishable from intrusive thoughts, since they both carry similar emotional charge and urgency. But intrusive thoughts arise spontaneously, whereas mental compulsions are mental activities that you engage in actively in order to escape uncomfortable feelings.

First, understand why you compulsively ruminate. Rumination is a subconscious tactic to avoid fully feeling uncomfortable emotions. But emotions can never be resolved through rumination, or through any other compulsion. That's why OCD is a “disorder.”

During an OCD episode, usually we are aware of general anxiety and discomfort. But there is actually a rich world of sensations in the body that we don’t notice unless we pay precise attention. And the rumination functions to distract us and make sure we do NOT pay attention.

Most people can’t just “stop ruminating.” However, the best way to change a habit is to replace it with a new one. So, what do you replace rumination with?

Somatic coaching trains you to replace rumination, which is a disembodied conceptual process, with a direct experience of what is happening beneath the thoughts - the raw emotional reality in your body. This isn’t necessarily comfortable, and it can actually be terrifying to face yourself in the present moment, without the buffer of rumination. But it’s like jumping into a wild mountain lake - perhaps scary at first, but once you get through the shock of cold water, you realize you feel alive.

You can learn to trust that your anxiety and fear aren't bad, they are just uncomfortable. But they are part of your vitality, and when you work with them instead of against them (rumination), they can transform and move through you.

As you activate full-body intelligence, the rumination organically subsides on its own - since you are no longer trying to control your feelings, the function of rumination becomes obsolete.

This is why I call the OCD state a “trance.” Even though the thoughts aren’t real, the emotions in the body are real - and the emotions are what drive the OCD. Without training, people tend to put all their attention on intrusive thoughts and compulsions. But it’s the feelings which are the life blood of OCD.

From within the OCD trance, you can’t always know what’s real. Your thoughts and perceptions are distorted. You have to transition to full-body intelligence first. YOU CAN’T THINK YOURSELF OUT OF THE TRANCE. The biggest trap in mental OCD is believing you can only break the trance after you have figured out what’s true. Actually, it works in reverse. You break the trance by dropping into full-system intelligence - and from this embodied state, clarity about what is real emerges.

Sessions are priced as follows:

55 minute session: $145

Package of four: $500

For those with financial concerns, I reserve a number of sessions per week for lower income clients to pay on a sliding scale basis.description

Mindfulness is a crucial part of somatic coaching. But mindfulness alone does not necessarily break the OCD trance. It’s possible to carefully observe that you’re driving yourself crazy for hours, without actually changing the pattern. In somatic coaching, we use mindfulness strategically, along with cognitive and perceptual techniques, breath and movement - always with the goal to actively get you out of the OCD trance.

For some people suffering with OCD, "sit with the thoughts" is effective. Just giving someone space without engaging in compulsions allows the anxiety to pass.

But for many others, it isn't enough. This is particularly the case for people with a lot of mental compulsions.

These people usually need deeper and more extensive guidance on what to do when they’re in the OCD state. How to relate to the thoughts. How to relate to the anxiety in the body. How to actively get out of the trance.

You get to learn about your mind. You get to learn about reality. Some people take drugs to push the limits of their mind and experience reality outside of the conventional. OCD is like a bad drug trip. But even a bad trip can be a catalyst for healing if you have an experienced guide who can show you how to work with it.

Not at all. I assist people with and without a mental health diagnosis - anyone who wants to learn to navigate their thoughts, emotions and life experiences from a more vital, embodied and effective state.