--- title: "Pure O OCD Therapy in Alpharetta, GA | The Solace Space" url: https://thesolacespacetherapy.com/pure-o-ocd-therapy description: "ERP for 'Pure O' OCD: mental reviewing, neutralizing, analyzing and silent reassurance. In person in Alpharetta or telehealth statewide in Georgia." lang: en --- Pure O OCD Therapy in Alpharetta, GA # "Pure O" OCD: the compulsions _nobody_ can see. (i look like i'm listening. i'm actually on round forty of the same argument.) No hand washing. No lock checking. From the outside, you look completely fine. On the inside, you've been reviewing the same thought since breakfast, trying to figure out if it means something, trying to feel sure enough to let it go. People call this "Pure O," short for purely obsessional. The name is a little misleading. There are compulsions here. They just happen in your head, which is why they're so hard to spot and so easy to mistake for "just thinking." I treat mental rituals with ERP (https://thesolacespacetherapy.com/erp-ocd-therapy). If your thoughts feel dangerous or disgusting, see intrusive thoughts therapy (https://thesolacespacetherapy.com/intrusive-thoughts-therapy). If they center on your relationship, see relationship OCD (https://thesolacespacetherapy.com/relationship-ocd-therapy). What it looks like ## Your brain has a _night shift_, and it never clocks out. - You replay a conversation or a moment to check that you didn't do something wrong. - You counter a bad thought with a good one, a word, or an image to 'cancel' it. - You analyze a thought from every angle, trying to prove what it does or doesn't mean. - You silently reassure yourself: 'I'm a good person, I'd never, it's fine.' - You test yourself, conjuring the thought on purpose to see how you react. - You can lose an hour to this and have nothing to show for it but exhaustion. ERP for mental rituals ## Catch the ritual. _Skip_ the ritual. (the thought is allowed to stay. you don't have to entertain it.) The first step is noticing. Mental compulsions blend into ordinary thinking, so a lot of early work is learning to spot them: the reviewing, the neutralizing, the silent "but what if," the checking of your own feelings. Once you can see them, ERP works the same way it does for visible rituals. You deliberately allow the uncomfortable thought, and instead of reviewing or neutralizing it, you let it sit there unresolved. You might say, "Maybe, maybe not," and go back to what you were doing. The discomfort rises, then settles on its own. You will slip into reviewing. Everyone does. The skill isn't never starting a ritual. It's noticing sooner and dropping it faster. That's real progress, even when it doesn't feel dramatic. It also helps to expect that the thought will try new angles. OCD is creative. Drop one ritual and it will offer you a slightly different question that seems to need answering. Part of the work is recognizing the same loop wearing a new outfit, and responding the same way: not now, maybe, and back to your day. We go gradually and at your pace, starting with thoughts that bother you a little and building from there. CBT tools help too, especially for beliefs like "if I stop analyzing, I'll miss something important." For more on why talking the thought through tends to keep it going, read ERP vs. talk therapy for OCD (https://thesolacespacetherapy.com/resources/erp-vs-talk-therapy). What you'll actually do ## Make the invisible _visible_. 1. 01 ### Track the rituals A simple log for a week to catch the reviewing, neutralizing and self-reassurance you normally don't notice. 2. 02 ### Practice 'maybe' Short daily practice answering the doubt with uncertainty instead of analysis. 3. 03 ### Planned exposures Deliberately bringing up the thought, starting small, and letting it be there without solving it. 4. 04 ### Redirect, don't resolve Practice returning to your actual life while the thought is still in the room. Common questions ## Before you book. Is Pure O a real type of OCD? Pure O is an informal name, not a separate diagnosis. It usually describes OCD where most of the compulsions happen mentally, so they are easy to miss. The compulsions are still there. They are just quiet. How can ERP work if my rituals are in my head? Mental rituals like reviewing, neutralizing and analyzing can be noticed and practiced against, the same way visible ones can. It takes some practice to catch them, and that is part of the work. Do I need to be in person for this? No. ERP for mental rituals works well by secure telehealth anywhere in Georgia. In-person sessions are available in Alpharetta. ## Ready when _you_ are. A free 15-minute call. You tell me what's going on. I tell you honestly whether I'm the right fit. Book the consult: https://calendly.com/thesolacespacetherapy/free-15-minute-consultation See all services: https://thesolacespacetherapy.com/services Related reading - Intrusive Thoughts: https://thesolacespacetherapy.com/intrusive-thoughts-therapy - Harm OCD: https://thesolacespacetherapy.com/harm-ocd-therapy - ERP for OCD: https://thesolacespacetherapy.com/erp-ocd-therapy - ERP vs. Talk Therapy: https://thesolacespacetherapy.com/resources/erp-vs-talk-therapy ## Structured data ```json [ { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://thesolacespacetherapy.com/#colleen-ritz", "name": "Colleen Ritz", "honorificSuffix": "MA, LPC", "jobTitle": "Licensed Professional Counselor", "url": "https://thesolacespacetherapy.com/about-me", "email": "colleendonahueritz@gmail.com", "telephone": "+1-603-209-2168", "alumniOf": { "@type": "CollegeOrUniversity", "name": "Antioch University" }, "hasCredential": [ { "@type": "EducationalOccupationalCredential", "credentialCategory": "license", "name": "Licensed Professional Counselor, Georgia (GA LPC #016238)" }, { "@type": "EducationalOccupationalCredential", "credentialCategory": "degree", "name": "MA, Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Antioch University" } ], "memberOf": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "International OCD Foundation (IOCDF)" }, "knowsLanguage": "en-US", "sameAs": [ "https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/colleen-ritz-alpharetta-ga/1134095" ] }, { "@type": "MedicalClinic", "@id": "https://thesolacespacetherapy.com/#practice", "name": "The Solace Space Therapy", "legalName": "CDR Counseling, LLC", "url": "https://thesolacespacetherapy.com/", "email": "colleendonahueritz@gmail.com", "telephone": "+1-603-209-2168", "address": { "@type": "PostalAddress", "streetAddress": "290 S Main St, Suite 200", "addressLocality": "Alpharetta", "addressRegion": "GA", "postalCode": "30009", "addressCountry": "US" }, "areaServed": [ { "@type": "State", "name": "Georgia" }, { "@type": "City", "name": "Alpharetta, GA" }, { "@type": "City", "name": "Roswell, GA" }, { "@type": "City", "name": "Milton, GA" }, { "@type": "City", "name": "Johns Creek, GA" }, { "@type": "City", "name": "Cumming, GA" }, { "@type": "City", "name": "Duluth, GA" }, { "@type": "City", "name": "Suwanee, GA" }, { "@type": "City", "name": "Sandy Springs, GA" } ], "availableLanguage": [ { "@type": "Language", "name": "English" } ], "medicalSpecialty": "Psychiatric", "serviceType": [ "Anxiety therapy", "OCD therapy (Exposure and Response Prevention)", "Panic attack treatment", "Social anxiety therapy", "Health anxiety therapy", "Perfectionism therapy", "High-functioning anxiety therapy", "Teen therapy (ages 13-17)", "SPACE parent-led treatment", "EFT couples therapy", "Online therapy across Georgia", "Intrusive thoughts therapy", "Harm OCD therapy", "Relationship OCD therapy", "Pure O OCD therapy", "Generalized anxiety therapy", "Overthinking therapy" ], "availableService": [ { "@type": "MedicalTherapy", "name": "Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)" }, { "@type": "MedicalTherapy", "name": "Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)" }, { "@type": "MedicalTherapy", "name": "Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)" }, { "@type": "MedicalTherapy", "name": "Person-Centered Therapy" } ], "provider": { "@id": "https://thesolacespacetherapy.com/#colleen-ritz" } } ] }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "FAQPage", "@id": "https://thesolacespacetherapy.com/pure-o-ocd-therapy#faq", "url": "https://thesolacespacetherapy.com/pure-o-ocd-therapy", "mainEntity": [ { "@type": "Question", "name": "Is Pure O a real type of OCD?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Pure O is an informal name, not a separate diagnosis. 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