Online across California · In person in North Lake TahoeOCD therapy for overthinking, rumination, and intrusive thoughts that won’t leave you alone
Nurture your nature ·
Nurture your nature ·
You don’t have to believe every thought you have.
This was a personal revelation for me, nearly 15 years ago when I entered the therapy space. But what happens when thoughts and physical sensations start looping uncontrollably? It can feel so exhausting and frustrating to be in this tug of war. With rumination and OCD, your mind is trying to keep you safe by bracing for the worst. We work with the system underneath, not just the thought on top.
Who it's forAdults caught in intrusive thoughts, rumination, and mild compulsions that work temporarily but ultimately leave you stuck. Harm, moral, and relationship OCD included.
What it isOCD therapy that changes your relationship to the thoughts, drawing on cognitive and mindfulness tools, somatic work, and depth.
WhereOnline across California, in person in North Lake Tahoe.
How to startA free 15-minute consultation.
What it actually looks like
OCD rarely looks the way people think. It isn't about being tidy. It's a mind that latches onto the worst possible meaning of a thought and can't put it down.
A thought shows up so awful you're sure it means something about you. It doesn't, but the fear feels like proof.
You've googled whether your relationship is right so many times you've lost track of how you actually feel.
You check, replay, and seek reassurance. It works for a minute, then the doubt comes back louder.
You confess or over-explain to make the discomfort stop.
You need to know for certain, and certainty never quite arrives.
You're worn out from arguing with your own mind all day.
None of this makes you dangerous, a bad person, or beyond help. It's a protective system doing its job too well, and your relationship to it can change.
The forms it takes
OCD attaches to whatever you care about most. A few of the shapes it takes, all of which I work with:
Harm OCD
Intrusive thoughts about hurting someone you would never hurt. The more a thought horrifies you, the more your brain flags it as important, and the louder it gets. The distress is the opposite of intent.
Moral and scrupulosity OCD
Intrusive thoughts about hurting someone you would never hurt. The more a thought horrifies you, the more your brain flags it as important, and the louder it gets. The distress is the opposite of intent.
Relationship OCD
Compulsive doubt about your partner, your feelings, or their past. Reassurance calms it for a moment, then the questioning starts again. This is one of the most common forms I see, and one of the most misunderstood.
The goal was never certainty.
How the work goes
I draw on cognitive and mindfulness tools, somatic work, and depth-oriented therapy, matched to how OCD actually shows up for you. It's grounded in your nervous system, not run from a script.
01We change your relationship to the thoughts.
OCD recovery isn't about getting rid of the thoughts or finally proving them false. It's learning to let a thought be there without answering it, so it stops running the whole day.
02We work with the nervous system.
Compulsions are how the body tries to discharge unbearable uncertainty. We work somatically so you can feel the urge rise and let it pass without acting on it, building real tolerance for not knowing.
03We go at a pace you can trust.
No flooding, no forcing certainty. We build the footing first, then practice facing the fear in small, chosen doses instead of avoiding it, until the doubt loses its grip.
Who this is for
This work fits adults whose OCD shows up as intrusive thoughts and mental compulsions, harm, moral, or relationship OCD included, more than as visible rituals. It often travels with anxiety and ADHD. You don't need a formal diagnosis to start.
I'm a therapist, not a diagnostician, so this is about working with what you're actually experiencing rather than labeling it. If you're not sure whether OCD or something else fits, we can look at that together, or start with individual therapy.
I work full fee and out of network, and provide superbills you can submit to your insurance for possible reimbursement. A sliding scale is available based on need. Sessions are online across California, or in person in North Lake Tahoe.
Work with AustinHi, I'm Austin.
I'm a licensed therapist for adults with ADHD, OCD, and high sensitivity, especially where they overlap. I use cognitive and mindfulness tools alongside somatic therapy and EMDR, for the moments when understanding a thought isn't enough to loosen its hold. I believe healing happens in connection: with yourself, with others, and with the land.
Austin Sherman, LMFT · CA license #146132 · MA, California Institute of Integral Studies · Bilingual in English and Spanish
Questions about OCD
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Harm OCD is intrusive thoughts about hurting yourself or someone else, thoughts you find horrifying and have no wish to act on. The panic you feel about them is the tell: it's the opposite of intent. The work isn't to prove you're safe, it's to stop the thought from holding you hostage.
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They overlap, and only a formal evaluation can say for sure, which isn't something I do as part of therapy. Loosely: anxiety tends to worry about real-life problems, while OCD latches onto a specific feared thought and demands certainty through checking or reassurance. Either way, the work looks similar, so you don't need the label sorted out to begin.
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I draw on exposure principles, facing fears in small, chosen doses, alongside mindfulness, somatic, and depth work. I'm not an ERP-certified specialist. If strict, protocol-based ERP is specifically what you're looking for, I'm glad to help you find someone who offers it.
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I'm an out-of-network provider and full fee. I provide superbills you can submit to your insurance for possible reimbursement, and I offer a sliding scale based on need and availability.
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Yes. Many of my clients meet online across California. In-person sessions are available in North Lake Tahoe.
There's a life outside the loop.
If you're worn out from arguing with your own mind, let's talk.
NewsletterKeep in touch
A few times a year I send a short email about new workshops, groups, and seasonal retreats, with the occasional note on slowing down and living with a mind that runs fast and feels everything.