EMDR is one of those therapies people hear about a lot, but don’t always understand. Clients often come in saying, “I know it works, but I don’t really get how.”

“When you live with anxiety or OCD, your brain is almost always doing something. In therapy I love to call this an overactive fire alarm. It reacts to EVERYTHING that could be remotely construed as fire or smoke and calls the fire department. “Is that a candle I smell? EMERGENCY!! Is that a pot of pasta boiling?? SOS PLEASE HELP!! Is that sweat on my forehead?? RED ALERT!!”

We’re constantly scanning, planning, double-checking, and preparing for what might go wrong. Over time, that level of alertness becomes familiar, so when things finally get quiet, your system doesn’t automatically relax. It can feel uncomfortable or even unsafe, like you’re missing something important.”

We pack up our bags and go home, forgetting, or maybe not forgetting at all, that we have done a lot of growing since we were last there. Then we walk back through that door and suddenly old patterns, expectations, and family chaos hit like a truck.

AI tools like ChatGPT can feel like the perfect place to turn when your brain won’t stop spinning. You type in your worry, get an answer, and for a moment, the anxiety calms down. But if you live with OCD or anxiety, that short-term relief can actually feed the cycle. The more you ask, the more you need to keep asking - whether it’s “What if I hurt someone without knowing?” or “Am I a bad person for having this thought?” Instead of quieting the spiral, AI can become part of it, offering reassurance that fades almost as quickly as it arrives. Over time, that habit can make obsessions feel stronger and the urge to check even harder to resist.