Binyomin  

It took Binyomin hours to daven Shacharis because he placed his tefillin over and over. Each time, he doubted that he had placed them properly. To relieve his obsessive thoughts about placing his tefillin wrong, he would remove them and place them again repeatedly. He didn’t want to have this compulsion, but he couldn’t stop it. Binyomin became chronically late to work because of the time it took him to daven Shacharis. His boss threatened him with termination though he was good at his job. His brother suggested that he go to Pesach Tikvah for help. A therapist and psychiatrist collaborated to create a treatment plan. After about two months of treatment, Binyomin was able to place his tefillin just once per morning.   

Esti  

Esti withdrew from her family and friends. She would never allow herself to be alone with another person. She obsessively feared that she would physically hurt her friends or family members, though she was a kind person who would never do so. Fear that she would harm others prevented her from sleeping for nights on end. She developed severe insomnia. Regardless of how hard she tried, she could not push away the intrusive thought that she would hurt others. Esti would sit on her hands to prevent herself from hurting someone, though in reality she had no inclination to hurt others. When Esti complained to her doctor about insomnia, he suggest that she go to Pesach Tikvah for therapy. Through a course of CBT and ERP, she was able to dismiss her intrusive thoughts and spend time with friends and family.  

Blima  

At age 7, Blima started exhibiting symptoms of contamination-themed OCD. She demonstrated behaviors that concerned her parents. Blima would not share toys with other children because she feared that the toys were contaminated. She would not allow other children to touch her, even her siblings. As her condition worsened, she would not tolerate being in an enclosed space, like a car, with her siblings. Blima insisted on washing her hands in a particular way. She would have tantrums when other children touched her toys or were in her space. Blima’s parents recognized that she could have OCD, so they brought her to Pesach Tikvah for therapy. They too enrolled in therapy to learn how to parent a child with OCD. With help, Blima’s parents learned how to parent a child with OCD so that her condition would not be so disruptive to their family. Blima’s symptoms reduced as she continued therapy.