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Testimonials

Cindy’s

My OCD started in the 5th grade when I believed my parents were trying to poison me. Every night before bed, I asked for a glass of water, and would take a sip while calculating the number of hours until the poison would kill me. This is just one example of the strange compulsions and haunting images I had to endure. While in Hawaii during Christmas of my 6th grade year, I saw a TV. show on MTV called “True Life: I have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder”. The hour-long television segment followed the life of three young men and women (around their 20’s), dealing with everyday battles related to OCD. I watched the program for about 3 minutes and turned it off. I was scared out of my mind. It was all too realistic and close to the same things that were going on inside my head. From that point on, I told my parents that I thought I had Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. I knew very little about the condition, because when you are of a young age like I was, you do not know what is considered “normal”. You do not know if millions of other kids are scared of killing someone when they hold a knife in their hands, which was another one of my fears. You do not know if these horrible thoughts and images pass through other people’s minds. Middle school continued, and my OCD seemed to get better. Whenever I did do something strange, I’d mention it to my mom. She would reply with “Okay sweetheart. If it ever gets too much for you to handle we’ll get you some help.” Slowly my compulsions began to get out of hand. I couldn’t watch TV unless the volume was at an even number. I couldn’t walk into my bathroom without first turning on one light switch then the second. I couldn’t run or exercise without holding my tongue to the roof of my mouth, or feel the need to constantly squeeze my toes to the bottom of my shoes. I joined a competitive cheerleading team, and traveled to compete with amazing teams of girls. That brought a lot of stress which fed my anxiety, which boosted my OCD. I would have to run through the routine perfectly three times without messing up due to fear that I might get injured or injure someone else. When freshman year of high school came and went, things started too look a little better. I made captain of my cheerleading squad, participated in volunteer work for a local charity and met new friends. However, the summer before my sophomore year, things began to spiral again. I was named cheerleading captain again, but this time it would fuel my OCD. I would count at practices and have to do weird rituals with the numbers as I counted. I became increasingly depressed and had thoughts of death and loneliness. I told my parents how unbearable my OCD had become and asked for help. My mom searched for the correct way to deal with my disorder. We found The Anxiety Treatment Center and through Exposure and Ritual Prevention techniques my OCD got better. This form of behavioral therapy, combined with Zoloft, allowed me to overcome my constant and torturing fears. I am no longer in therapy and currently maintain a 4.2 GPA. I continue to be Captain of my cheerleading squad, and I am now President of the charity I referenced earlier. I am no longer depressed, and have my life back. I am now in charge, not my OCD!

Jenna’s

The Anxiety Treatment Center is the first program that actually understood my anxiety and what I needed to do to get better. They looked at me as a whole person and all the areas of my life that were affected by my anxiety. I had been through other local programs reporting to have expertise only to find out they were group based and for more general mental health conditions. The kind, warm, individualized treatment that I received fostered a safe environment for me to open up, talk about my fears, and face them head on. I am ready to return to work, something that I never thought I could do. If you are looking for help, this is the place to go.

Barry’s

I can’t thank you enough for all the help and support during my treatment. Thank you for tailoring my treatment to my needs and my schedule. During this journey I have gained more than I ever thought possible, and I am incredibly grateful to be able to live a life with more freedom and peace. Thank you for your compassion and providing the help that I desperately needed to change my life.

David’s

Hypochondriasis and Scrupulosity

My OCD became evident and disruptive to me, and my family’s life, in February of 2000.  Shortly after the birth of my son, I was hospitalized with internal bleeding.  After being released, a sense of constant anxiety over fears of health, death, and my standing with God became intrusive to my everyday life. Looking back, I now realize that they were obsessive thoughts.  It took until July 2002 before I decided that enough was enough and I needed to get some help finding out what was going on with my thinking.  Frustration set in.  I bounced along from therapist to therapist until one of them introduced me to the concept of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), but she did not specialize in these areas of treatment.  She suggested a few books and sent me on my way.

After doing some research on CBT and ERP, the concepts resonated with what I was going through.  The treatment course that I was on was not working, and I decided that I needed to do something different.  Unfortunately, it took until 2007 before I was able to find someone that had expertise in this area of treatment.   Until then, I spent thousands of dollars, and hours, looking for someone that specialized in CBT and ERP.  I contacted “Best Seller” authors as well as other “well known” published experts.  Luckily my quests lead me to the Anxiety Treatment Center.  The treatment that I have been pursuing with Dr Zasio has done more for me in the last 7 months than all of the treatment I received in the last 8 years.

The goal of sharing my story is to help others realize that there is hope.  What I was doing wasn’t working and if I can help even one person find their way to managing OCD, I will have been successful.

I have learned that “feelings are not facts and that I’m more powerful than my fears.”

Barbara’s

My snake phobia nearly destroyed my relationships and career. Struggling with this my whole life, being teased and without support from my family, I felt all alone. I could no longer walk in public without living in fear that I would encounter a snake. I was no longer able to go hiking, on picnics, or to any social gathering in the community. My world was getting smaller as I even became afraid to go to work. The systematic desensitization produced through the exposure process while difficult, was extremely effective and by the end of the treatment, I was able to hold a snake with no anxiety. I am so grateful to have my freedom back!

Steve’s

When I started treatment at The Anxiety Treatment Center, I had to have someone drive me to and from treatment. I was so terrified of having a panic attack that just thinking about it would cause me to shut down. Through the gradual exposure exercises, I was slowly able to start driving on my own in areas around the clinic, and then slowly and incrementally further and further away. The homework assigned allowed me to practice near my home and over time, I was able to get to and from the program by myself. Many times I would think “This is ridiculous! I “should” be able to do this on my own.” After recognizing that the “should” statements were distortions, I was able to give myself a break and fully embrace the treatment. I am fully able to drive wherever I want and my freedom is restored! I am back in control, not my panic disorder!

John’s

OCD makes life so much harder than it should be.  If it is not one thing it’s another.  After I do a compulsion I gain temporary relief, but hours, sometimes even minutes later the obsession crops us again in a worse form.  Exposure and ritual prevention therapy, I find, is the real solution to get a handle on OCD.

Some of the obsessions included: 1) A fear of being gay or damned (doomed); 2) A fear of not living a good Christian life; 3) A fear that other Christians may advise me to dispose of my collections and try to control my life; 4) A fear of not being normal; 5) A fear that if I don’t deposit money in my checking account daily that I will not have a secure bank account.

These are only some of my obsessions, many of which are linked to religion.  I feared that I had to live a “perfect” Christian life.  This resulted in compulsions and drastic changes in my life.  The OCD created it’s own standard and, I followed.  When I thought about my DVD’s, I feared that having these “worldly things” would cause Christians to advise me to purify my life by disposing of them….so I did it on my own.  When I thought about my fear of being gay, I thought I would not make it into heaven, so I confessed my sins and, would purge more of my possessions.  The problem was, it never helped. I purged everything I owned except my bedroom furniture and clothing.  I lost thousands of dollars in computers, cell phones, DVD’s, personal items, and so forth.

In an effort to reclaim my life, I researched all I could on OCD and learned about Exposure Therapy.  I had no idea how it would change my life.  I began with buying one item at a time and began to bring them home to my room.  I learned to sit with my fear that others would not see me as a worthy Christian. I limited depositing money into my checking account, did not go on-line to verify the balance, and did not pay bills as soon as they came in.  I was able to put labels on movies “not perfectly,” and keep them in my room without discarding them.  Each time I sat with my fears I found that what I was so scared of never even existed.  None of my fears ever happened.

I have reached many great milestones in my life.  After spending only a few weeks in Intensive Outpatient Treatment, I was discharged and now follow up once per week with individual and group therapy for support.  I have the tools to apply when needed, understanding that doing compulsions only provides temporary relief and feeds the condition.  Sitting with my anxiety and accepting the feared consequences has helped to desensitize me and change my life.  I am someone who can manage my OCD and hope that through my story, others will see there is hope.

Jen’s

The best place I could have taken my daughter. The tools she learned here will benefit her for a lifetime!

Mark’s

Absolutely great program. It took me several years to finally find a place that can understand me and provide me with the help I need.

Jennifer’s

A major benefit of this program is the group time. I benefited so much from being around other people who suffered from OCD/anxiety. It felt so good to check in and talk to others. I felt compassion for everyone here and in turn I felt self-compassion. One of my favorite days was when Dr. Jason did education on mindfulness. I loved and benefited greatly from everyone in group learning and discussing this concept together.

Dr. Jason was wonderful and helped me through one of the most challenging days when he encouraged me to open up about my OCD to my husband. He walked me through it and had he not encouraged me to do this I would have never done it.

The number one most beneficial thing that I learned here was that the goal was not to fight anxiety or never feel it again.

Instead…

  • Learning to cope with it and feel it. By doing this it was no longer so scary. This whole concept changed my thinking and gave me a sense of self-empowerment.
  • I feel it was so beneficial to be amongst other people who suffered as I did. I drew from their strength and was inspired by their courage,
  • We learned to not view everything as black or white at the direction of the therapist.
  • My time here has inspired me to want to start a support group in my county and also continue to learn more about OCD and anxiety.

I have always hidden this part of my life but I need to remain aware. If I am aware I feel I can face any new OCD Obsession/compulsion that is put before me or may enter my life. This makes me less afraid of my future.

Thank you

Not to sound cliche- BUT- this program saved my life. I truly believe this.

Sarah’s

The Anxiety Treatment Center is a friendly environment where the staff was able to help me have a better life. Thank you!

Marissa’s

Dr. Murphey knew exactly what I needed. I haven’t been this positive in a year! I finally feel alive again and I am living and enjoying life!

Amber’s

The Staff and treatment at The Anxiety Treatment Center are amazing. The staff is professional, friendly and the treatment methods really work. They gave me the tools I needed to manage my anxiety. Highly recommended!

Renee’s

I strongly recommend the ATC to anyone struggling with an Anxiety Disorder. Dr. Zasio and her staff are very good at what they do. They are professional, knowledgeable, compassionate and very friendly. Exposure Therapy is hard work, but the staff is always there to support you every step of the way. I learned many tools that helped me bring my anxiety down and overcome some of my phobias. Although we see an increase of people experiencing anxiety all over the nation, there are not many centers who specialize in treating only anxiety disorders. I was very lucky to be able to come here and get the help I much needed. My most sincere gratitude to everyone
Anxiety Treatment Center Patient Graduation