I had three sessions with a 13-year-old girl who exhibited OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder). This meant she had recurrent racing, intrusive thoughts, fears around being dirty and fears of losing friends because of being smelly or dirty.

I taught her the TAT Pose and the first two Steps of the protocol. I also taught her that she can use just the pose to calm down, but I told her to use any two steps that would involve the problem and the opposite of the problem. For her, I found it easier to use "It's not true that....." for the second step, rather than puzzling out wording to represent the opposite of statement one. So, we would do "My thoughts won't stop racing around my head and I can't concentrate." for Step 1; then "It's not true that my thoughts won't stop racing around my head and that I can't concentrate" for Step 2. I also suggested she might add in, "and I choose to be calm and confident and focused."

She now reports that she feels much more in control of her behavior and thoughts, and that she feels safer having a tool to provide an intervention when she's "freaking out." She no longer feels the need to shower for long periods of time to make sure she is clean. Mom has also reported seeing her using the pose throughout the day and she affirms that her daughter is doing better and feeling more relaxed. That's just the latest of many wonderful successes I have had with TAT.

Gina Haber, TAT Professional and Trainer (click here for Gina's contact and practice information)