Guest guest Posted January 7, 2001 Report Share Posted January 7, 2001 Dear , From what I understand, " flooding " means to immerse the patient in what they fear. had four weeks of such therapy 10 years ago. At that time , because his fears are of contamination, they would have him touch " contaminated things " and then he could not wash for five days at a time. One day he had to put his hand in the water in a public toilet and still could not wash anything for five days - no toothbrushing, hand washing, showers, etc. The problem with all this is it did not start slow and work its way up to the most threatening things, and so blocked most of the four weeks out of his mind. He was better, but since he had blocked most of it, he had not developed any pattern of coping. So he slowly lost all he had gained. And because we could not find any therapist nearby who could continue the treatment, he gradually became worse again. For a lifetime ability to cope, it seems to me that working one's way slowly up the hierarchy of fears would be the best technique. I am no expert, but I say this as a result of 's experiences. Jackie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 7, 2001 Report Share Posted January 7, 2001 HI : I am familiar with flooding. Conventional E & RP as outlined in the March protocol recommends graduated exposure and response prevention rather than the all or nothing approach of typical flooding. I found that flooding was very effective for Steve, but he needed to be in agreement about attempting flooding or he would be very oppositional. For mental rituals the sufferer needs to agree not to perform mental rituals during the exposure or these will neutralize much of the effectiveness with the exposure. Frequently loop tapes can be used which vividly describe the feared event , although in vivo (real life) exposures are usually more effective. The approach depends on the specific OCD symptom. has been trained at the OCF BTI and can give you some more professional information. I am so pleased to hear that your son is recovering from his OCD with E & RP and meds. Good for him, he is working hard. Take care, aloha, Kathy (H) kathyh@... At 05:59 PM 01/07/2001 -0000, you wrote: >Hi, my son has OCD and the therapist is now using " flooding. " Does >anyone know if this is effective for OCD? He wants me to do this at >home too with my son. His rituals are almost all mental ones, such as >spelling in his head when he hears people's names, counting in his >head when he hears a number, spelling a number when he hears a >number. He is taking medications and has been doing E & RP Therapy & >that has been helping. >I appreciate your responses. > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 7, 2001 Report Share Posted January 7, 2001 Hi , flooding is sometimes used in the treatment of OCD, it consists of immersion in the feared situation etc., rather than the graded, stepwise approach of E & RP. I believe loop tapes where the fear is detailed may be used, and the OCDer listens to the tape until it no longer provokes anxiety and the fear is extinguished. Or a person with contamination fears may touch or rub contamination on themselves and not wash for extended periods. I've read that flooding can backfire so an expert therapist's guidance is needed. I think results can come quicker than with the stepped exposures. Let us know how this goes and how your son does. Kathy R in Indiana ----- Original Message ----- From: <otterfan@...> > Hi, my son has OCD and the therapist is now using " flooding. " Does > anyone know if this is effective for OCD? He wants me to do this at > home too with my son. His rituals are almost all mental ones, such as > spelling in his head when he hears people's names, counting in his > head when he hears a number, spelling a number when he hears a > number. He is taking medications and has been doing E & RP Therapy & > that has been helping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 8, 2001 Report Share Posted January 8, 2001 >Hi, thanks for responses. My son's OCD mostly consists of if he hears a number, he will spell it in his head, or count to the number, or if he hears a name he will spell it in his head. The therapist says a bunch of numbers quickly and after a time my son cannot keep spelling them & keeping up.(The therapist labeled this flooding.) He then tells him, " nothing bad happened. " My son has a fear of something bad happening but he doesn't know what. I think he also spells because it feels right doing that. Does anyone else have children with these symptoms? And do you know if this kind of exposure therapy works? Thanks, Hi , flooding is sometimes used in the treatment of OCD, it consists > of immersion in the feared situation etc., rather than the graded, stepwise > approach of E & RP. I believe loop tapes where the fear is detailed may be > used, and the OCDer listens to the tape until it no longer provokes anxiety > and the fear is extinguished. Or a person with contamination fears may > touch or rub contamination on themselves and not wash for extended periods. > > I've read that flooding can backfire so an expert therapist's guidance is > needed. I think results can come quicker than with the stepped exposures. > > Let us know how this goes and how your son does. > > Kathy R in Indiana > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: <otterfan@h...> > > > Hi, my son has OCD and the therapist is now using " flooding. " Does > > anyone know if this is effective for OCD? He wants me to do this at > > home too with my son. His rituals are almost all mental ones, such as > > spelling in his head when he hears people's names, counting in his > > head when he hears a number, spelling a number when he hears a > > number. He is taking medications and has been doing E & RP Therapy & > > that has been helping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 10, 2001 Report Share Posted January 10, 2001 > > Hi , > Flooding is merely an older (and somewhat obsolete) term for exposure. The > word is not used as much in the context of OCD as it is in the treatment of > phobias. Professionals sometimes use the terms flooding and exposure > interchangeably to mean the same thing. Usually, flooding refers to > ungraded exposure, ie, exposure that is conducted without generating a > heirarchy of gradual steps. Your therapist is using the technique > appropriately. Hope your son can overcome his counting. > Take care, > Aureen > > Thanks for the information! > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: <otterfan@h...> > My son's OCD mostly consists of if he > > hears a number, he will spell it in his head, or count to the number, > > or if he hears a name he will spell it in his head. The therapist > > says a bunch of numbers quickly and after a time my son cannot keep > > spelling them & keeping up.(The therapist labeled this flooding.) He > > then tells him, " nothing bad happened. " My son has a fear of > > something bad happening but he doesn't know what. I think he also > > spells because it feels right doing that. Does anyone else have > > children with these symptoms? And do you know if this kind of > > exposure therapy works? > > Thanks, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 1, 2006 Report Share Posted July 1, 2006 Hi All: I thought I'd give you a " flooding report " from Oxford, NY where my husband and dog are stranded. We were supposed to have guests for the long, holiday weekend, so my husband packed up the dog and himself and left last Tuesday to get the house and lawn " spiffed up " . However, that was not to be. We live about 2 miles from the center of Oxford. The center was flooded for the second time this year; many of the bridges that cross the once picturesque streams are washed out; roads have chasms that make them impassable; Route 12 to Binghamton and Norwich (from Oxford) is only open partially. We faired quite well thanks, in part, to being on higher ground (the Chenango River is across the street about 1/3 mile away surrounded by farmland, which is, under water). My husband said it will probably be Tuesday or Wednesday before a limited number of roads are passable to allow access/egress in and out of the area. And-- more rain is forecast! Both he and the dog will probably gain 10 pounds after a week " home alone " . Keep the faith! Edna Creative Lady Soap Shoppe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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