OCD

KETAMINE THERAPY, PSYCHOTHERAPY & MEDICATION MANAGEMENT FOR TEENS AND ADULTS IN RALEIGH / DURHAM / CHAPEL HILL, NC

EXPERIENCE FREEDOM from OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE DISORDER (OCD)

Finding peace when your mind gets stuck in loops

OCD
Ketamine Therapy, Medication Management, and Psychotherapy in Chapel Hill, NC & Durham, NC
Ketamine Therapy, Medication Management, and Psychotherapy in Chapel Hill, NC & Durham, NC

Could it be OCD?

Have you been suffering with any of the following OCD symptoms?

  • Intrusive thoughts that feel disturbing, scary, or completely unlike who you are

  • Intense anxiety or discomfort when certain thoughts arise

  • Feeling compelled to perform specific actions or mental rituals to "make things right"

  • Knowing logically that your concerns might be excessive, but feeling unable to stop

  • Spending significant time each day caught in these mental loops

OCD shows up differently for different people:

  • Some focus on contamination worries and cleaning rituals

  • Others get caught in loops about harm, checking and rechecking to ensure safety

  • Many experience intrusive thoughts about topics that feel completely contrary to their values

  • Some get stuck on needing things to feel "just right" or perfectly symmetrical

  • Others perform elaborate mental rituals that no one else can see

YOU’RE NOT ALONE.
You’re struggling.

You deserve to feel like yourself again - there’s another path forward.

Ketamine Therapy, Medication Management, and Psychotherapy in Chapel Hill, NC & Durham, NC

Understanding OCD

OCD often gets misunderstood as simply being very organized or particular about cleanliness. In reality, it's much more complex and often distressing. OCD feels like your mind gets caught in loops—repetitive thoughts that create intense anxiety, followed by behaviors or mental rituals that temporarily ease that distress, only to have the cycle start all over again.

OCD isn't about being particular or perfectionist. It's about feeling trapped by thoughts and compulsions that take up far more mental space than they deserve.

The Exhausting Dance of OCD

OCD creates a demanding relationship between your thoughts (obsessions) and your actions (compulsions). An intrusive thought might trigger intense worry about something terrible happening, so you perform a ritual—checking, counting, arranging, or seeking reassurance—to temporarily calm that anxiety.

But relief is always temporary. The cycle repeats, often growing stronger over time. What started as checking the door once becomes checking it five times, then ten. A simple worry becomes an elaborate mental ritual that consumes hours of your day.

This isn't weakness or lack of willpower. It's your brain trying to protect you in a way that actually makes you feel less safe.

Ketamine Therapy, Medication Management, and Psychotherapy in Chapel Hill, NC & Durham, NC

When Doubt Becomes your Constant Companion

One of the most challenging aspects of OCD is how it attacks your confidence in your own perceptions and memories. You might check if you locked the door, but then immediately doubt whether you really checked or if you were just going through the motions. You might wash your hands thoroughly but still feel uncertain about whether you did it "right."

This doubt can extend beyond specific behaviors to broader questions about yourself, your relationships, or your values. OCD has a way of making you question things you once felt certain about.

The doubt isn't evidence that something is wrong—it's evidence that OCD is working overtime to create problems where none exist.

You're Not Your OCD.

Perhaps the most important thing to understand about OCD is that these intrusive thoughts and compulsions aren't reflections of your character, your desires, or your true self. OCD often attacks the things you care about most—your relationships, your values, your sense of safety.

Having disturbing or unwanted thoughts doesn't make you a bad person. Feeling compelled to perform rituals doesn't mean you're weak. It means you're dealing with a condition that creates false alarms in your brain's security system.

OCD is something you experience, not something you are. And with the right support, you can learn to relate to these thoughts and urges in ways that give you your life back.

Your mind deserves to feel peaceful, and freedom from these exhausting loops is possible.

How We Help

Ketamine Therapy, Medication Management, and Psychotherapy in Chapel Hill, NC & Durham, NC

Ketamine-Assisted Therapy

Ketamine therapy for OCD offers rapid relief by helping your brain form new neural connections. Many clients describe feeling like they can "breathe again" or access parts of themselves that depression and OCD had made unreachable—often within days rather than months. This isn't about eliminating difficult emotions; it's about reclaiming your capacity to feel, connect, and engage with life.

Ketamine Therapy, Medication Management, and Psychotherapy in Chapel Hill, NC & Durham, NC

Traditional Therapy

Sometimes the gentle, steady work of talk therapy is exactly what you need to get relief from OCD. We offer evidence-based approaches in a warm, supportive environment where you can explore patterns, build coping skills, and create lasting change at your own pace.

Medication Management

When thoughtfully chosen and carefully monitored, medication for OCD can be one of mthe most powerful tools for healing. We take time to understand your unique experience and work collaboratively to find what supports your wellness goals.

Ketamine Therapy, Medication Management, and Psychotherapy in Chapel Hill, NC & Durham, NC

Your mind can feel spacious and calm again, and you can learn to relate to thoughts and urges in ways that give you your life back.

You Might Benefit From Our Approach If:

  • You spend hours each day caught in mental loops that feel impossible to break

  • Intrusive thoughts create intense anxiety, even though you know they don't reflect who you are

  • You feel compelled to perform rituals or seek reassurance, but the relief never lasts

  • You avoid certain places, activities, or situations because they trigger your OCD

  • Traditional treatments haven't provided the freedom you're seeking

  • You're ready for care that understands OCD's complexity and sees you as whole person beyond your symptoms

What Healing Can Look Like

OCD doesn’t have to control your story. With the right support, you can:

  • Reclaim hours of your day that were once consumed by compulsions

  • Experience your thoughts without being hijacked by them

  • Feel confident in your own perceptions and decisions again

  • Engage fully in relationships without OCD getting in the way

  • Trust yourself to handle uncertainty without elaborate rituals

  • Rediscover activities and experiences that OCD made feel off-limits

  • Find genuine peace in your own mind, even when intrusive thoughts arise

Dr. Sarah S. Tatko, DMSc, PA-C

About Canto Integrative Psychiatry’s Owner & your Provider

Welcome, I’m Sarah.

Welcome to Canto Integrative Psychiatry. If you've found your way here, you're likely looking for something different—mental health care that feels genuine, accessible, and deeply supportive. I’ve created this practice because I believe healing happens best in spaces that feel safe, warm, and authentically human.

Whether you're struggling with depression, anxiety, relationship challenges, or simply feeling stuck in patterns that no longer serve you, we're here to walk alongside you. Our approach combines evidence-based treatments like ketamine-assisted psychotherapy with the kind of compassionate, individualized care that honors your unique story and goals. You won't get lost in phone trees or feel rushed through appointments—instead, you'll find providers who respond promptly, take time to truly understand your experience, and surround you with the area's most trusted professionals when additional support is needed..

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