Ted Robinson

Hi, I’m Ted Robinson. I have been undergoing CBT treatment with great success for the past year. I hope to give other people struggling with mental health issues some hope by telling them about my experience to see there are treatments out there that work!

My OCD had started relatively mild but slowly got worse over many years.

It began when I was in college and would get anxious while studying because if I didn’t learn perfectly, my grades would suffer tremendously.

The more anxiety-provoking thoughts came, the more time I spent studying and thinking about school.

The more I obsessed, the worse it became over time, until I would get up every morning and spend the first hour of my day obsessing over different things like whether or not my laundry was folded correctly.

My anxiety level had reached a point where I couldn’t even go to school anymore.

I fell into many more “OCD traps” over the years.

For instance, I was obsessed with keeping my apartment perfectly clean and had some irrational fear that something terrible would happen if I left books on the floor.

The worst part of this wasn’t my apartment; it was living inside my head.

I couldn’t even go to class anymore because I became so anxious about making mistakes or not doing things “just right.”

The next several years of my life were miserable. I couldn’t go out and do everyday things like go to the movies or hang out with friends. 

It was all about avoiding anxiety, which inevitably drove me deeper into depression.

I didn’t know what to do for myself at this point and felt utterly helpless. Fortunately, a friend recommended I see a CBT therapist.

I knew that I needed help, so I started researching OCD on the internet.

After hours of research, I decided to see a therapist experienced in treating obsessive-compulsive disorder.

My therapist diagnosed me with OCD.

We decided to use a form of behavior therapy known as ERP, short for exposure and response prevention; you can read more about it here: 

I was told that this treatment would be challenging, but honestly, I didn’t know anything could be worse than where I was in my life.

Over the next year, we worked on cognitive techniques to help me cope with my anxiety. 

I learned how to recognize the difference between what was “real” and not real and how to question my fears and replace negative thoughts with more helpful ones.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy has helped me a lot.

I now spend less than an hour a day obsessing over things that don’t matter, and I can go out and do normal things like watch a movie or sit outside on a bench without feeling too anxious.

I still have bad days, but now I know how to cope better with them. 

CBT has made me happier and more confident in my ability to overcome challenges, which was something I had lost during the early stages of my OCD.

It’s nice to do everyday things now without too much anxiety. If you are struggling with OCD, you need to know that there is another way! 

I am living proof that it gets better if you get help.