Blossoming Together 2024

Hey, Orange County… Let’s Blossom Together! While we each hold the seeds of our own success, we all need support creating the right conditions to help us grow. This April, in partnership with Orange County Health Care Agency (HCA), join us for Blossoming Together: a no-cost, outdoor, picnic-style, family-friendly community wellness gathering for ALL Orange County residents. Enjoy no-cost performances,…

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Upcoming (and links to past) events

With all of the recent changes at OCAC, we’ve neglected to keep everyone informed of the events we’ve been involved in over the past few weeks and upcoming ones that you can come see us.   February 25, 2024: Hope for Mental Health Community Gathering https://saddleback.com/event/11231/hope-for-mental-health-february-community-gathering?occurrenceId=183227&startDateTime=2024-02-25T13%3A00%3A00-08%3A00&endDateTime=2024-02-25T15%3A00%3A00-08%3A00 A recording of the event is posted here: https://kaywarren.com/community/ We’ll…

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Agoraphobia: I’m trapped!

Many people think that people with agoraphobia can’t leave their house and are afraid of ‘the outside’.  In fact, agoraphobia is much more nuanced and broad, with approximately 1.5% of people worldwide meeting criteria for its diagnosis.  What to know about agoraphobia: While it is now its own diagnosis as of DSM-V-TR, it is helpful…

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OCD vs. Psychosis. What’s the difference?

What’s the difference between Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and psychosis? OCD is characterized by the experience of recurring and often unwanted thoughts (obsessions) and/or repetitive behaviors or mental acts that are difficult to resist (compulsions). Psychosis is a clinical state that occurs when individuals have difficulty distinguishing between what is real and what is imaginary, which…

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Ms. Ogata presents research at the 2023 California Psychological Association Conference

Congratulations to our own Katie Ogata, who presented her research in September at the California Psychological Association Conference.  Her research detailed perceived vs actual outcome of treatment for teenagers, comparing online, hybrid and inperson treatment modalities.  While teenagers (n=80) believed at a statistically significant rate that inperson treatment would have better outcomes, we found at…

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Exposure is hard! Why should I even do it?

Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) therapy is a form of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) that has been proven to be effective in treating a variety of anxiety disorders. This therapy involves systematically exposing a person to their feared stimuli or situations (Confronting thoughts, images, objects) and preventing them from performing their compulsive or avoidance behaviors. By…

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We’re IOCDF bound!

Next week from July 7-9th,  the International OCD Foundation will be having its annual conference in San Francisco at the Marriott Marquis , and the OC Anxiety Center will be there. Drs. Hsia and Davis and Ms. Portillo will not only be attending, but all three will be giving presentations. Additionally, OCAC will have a…

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New staff at the OC Anxiety Center

We’re happy to announce that the OC Anxiety Center will be adding another new staff member in November of this year.  Unlike our other therapists, Daisy will likely gladly accept a pat on the head or a tummy rub from you. Daisy is a 1.5 year-old golden retriever, currently being trained at Joys of Living…

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Emetophobia: a crippling illness

The fear of vomiting, or emetophobia is one of the most often treated phobias at the OC Anxiety Center.  Many people are surprised by its frequency and its devastating effects.  It stops people from attending work and school, makes people avoid driving and traveling, and prevents individuals from attending social gatherings. Its affects can vary…

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Re-entry Anxiety

In most cities we’ve seen offices, entertainment, and schools reopen. Some people are struggling with anxiety about re-entering. There may be increased anxiety about socializing in person, feeling scrutinized by others or feeling self-conscious. For other people it may feel or be risky to engage in-person due to health concerns. Here are a few points…

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Not all data is equal

Data is data.  Or is it? As is the case in many things, yes and no. When speaking with a scientist, the term “data” implies objective data.  This means that the information is quantified in a manner that is universally agreed upon.  For example the unit of a kilogram is not relative and does not change. …

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Compassion for yourself

I was a graduate student when I first heard Kristin Neff (pioneer in the field of self-compassion) speak. I remember being blown away by this concept of being kind towards yourself. As a student I had a crazy schedule, juggling two labs, three clinical sites, a dissertation, and classes. I felt the need to always…

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Press pause on your thinking

We have anywhere from 50,000-80000 thoughts in a day. ⁠ That is way too many thoughts to keep track of. So many of our thoughts pass through without us noticing. ⁠ ⁠ But we cannot believe every thought we have. There are so many untrue thoughts or unhelpful thoughts that we accept because we just…

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Dr. Google

  Web MD, healthline, mayoclinic and other sites like these can be helpful in deciding when to visit a doctor or deciding treatment for mild concerns.   If you have anxiety though, you may experience panic and fear when googled symptoms are ‘consistent’ with severe illnesses. You can spend hours on the internet convinced that…

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Happy-ish Holidays

  If you struggle with anxiety, the holiday season can be a time of high stress. There are gifts to buy, decorations to hang, traditions to follow, and people to please. This can lead to worries and tension about doing things ‘right’.   This desire to do things ‘right’ is mentally and physically exhausting.  …

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Stress is….good?

We most commonly hear about stress being bad and to be avoided.  It actually turns out stress can be useful in specific, time limited situations – and an unavoidable part of life. As the year winds down, many of us have looming projects and deadlines that create stress:  Final exams, annual sales goals and reports…

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