Frequently Asked Questions
Find an answer to your question or ask me one below.
Are the sessions conducted in person, or long-distance?
Dr Sasha works globally via Skype and telephone. He also sees clients in person in his seaside office in Brighton & Hove, England.
Can I get in touch with Dr Sasha in between my sessions?
Dr Sasha offers his clients regular contact with him via email outside of your meetings. In case of emergency (getting highly triggered), a 10-15 min phone can be arranged on a short notice.
What techniques do you use to treat OCD?
I combine well-established methods such as Congnitive behavioural Therapy / Expose and response Prevention ERP (that is industry-standard) with cutting-edge modalities, such as Emotional Freedom techniques (EFT) and Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP).
Can we include my _ (spouse, partner, family, close friend) in treatment?
I can work with your family members to enable them to support you appropriately on your OCD recovery journey. The information you’d share with me would be kept confidential unless you give me a permision to share certain things. Likewise, I would treat your relatives in confidence.
What % of your practice involves treating OCD (or anxiety)?
Over 90% of my clients suffer from some kind of anxiety. However, I am not a psychiatrist to diagnose various disorders. The methods I use can be successfully applied whether or not the official diagnosis is given.
Are you a member of a recognised professional organisation? Are you insured to treat people?
Yes, I am a EFT practitioner registered with EFT International – the world largest professional body for EFT and UK-registered Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO). I have a professional indemnity insurance underwritten by Zurich. If you’d like to read more about EFT Intenrational, here’s the link:
So are you like a counsellor?
In brief, much more than that. A counsellor is trained to offer their clients witnessing and empathy, so that they can come to a more considerate and compassionate understanding of what had happened with them. While these skills are very important, and anyone who works in this field needs them, what I do goes MUCH further than that. That basis of empathy and witnessing is the starting point of releasing distress and the underlying structures and frameworks that make the unwanted feelings and behaviours compulsively repeat. So the vast difference between what the counsellor does and what I do is that I help to resolve the issue. I take a more concerted, direct, and technical action. Also I come from the assumption that people are unbroken, they just have some cognitive misrepresentations about themselves that stand in the way of their wholeness. The specific techniques that I use are based in the body. Research shows that traumatic events get encoded in the body, and can result in deeply unconscious and seemingly intractable unwanted behaviours and feelings. There are effective evidence-based techniques, that I use, that work directly with the mind-body interface and allow a complete release of various deep-seated issues with immense rapidity when compared to talking therapies.
Would you leave the office to do the behavioural work?
Yes, I would. Within reason, of course. If this means travelling far away from my office, related expenses are to be negotiated. In many cases, however, a phone call could suffice while you are doing a behavioral exercise.
When should I have a sense that treatment is starting to work?
Within the first month of treatment you would normally get a sense that the treatment is progressing towards reduction in the OCD symptoms as well as see your levels of anxiety going down, in specific contexts.
I would like to explore working with Dr Sasha. Where do I start?
The next step is to get in touch via the contact form below to schedule an initial, low-cost 35 min assessment & strategy session.
I am on anti-anxiety medication. How would your treatment work in this case?
I’ve had many cases of my clients being on anti-anxiety or anti-depression medication. My job as a practitioner is to work on underlying causes of anxiety plus, of course, OCD itself. You may find that your need for medication will reduce overtime. The decision on reducing the dose or going off medication altogether is something you’ll need to discuss with your GP / Psychiatrist.
How much do you charge per session?
As OCD / Anxiety are serious issues, they cannot be treated in a couple of sessions even with the most effective treatment. The minimum increment for treatment is therefore a month. Usually, the clients who are truly committed to a full recovery (not merely coping, or somewhat reducing their symptoms) pay me in 6-months blocks, that come at a 20% discount compared to monthly rates, making the treatment more sustained and affordable. The exact price will depend on your circumstances and this is something we discuss during the free 30-min “Freedom From Anxiety” Consultation.
How long does the treatment take?
Many anxiety / OCD issues that would take many years to resolve via traditional “talking therapies”, or they are deemed as untreatable life conditions by some professionals. If you have mild anxiety / OCD, the treatment might only take a month. In case your symptoms are moderate (according to YBOCS scale), then it would likely take 6 months to gain 60-80% reduction in theri intensity. If you have a severe OCD / anxiety condition, compounded by childhood trauma, addiction, and related anxiety disorders, then be prepared for your full treatment to take two years or more to the point of being free (or nearly free) from the majority of symptoms. Successful and complete resolution of most longstanding issues is assured as long as the client maintains their commitment to the process of the work.
I have a SEVERE anxiety / OCD. Can you help me?
I work with teenagers and adults, many of whom have already tried other therapists, coaches or counsellors, but not found the help they need. My approach, skills and knowledge enable me to work safely and effectively with seemingly intractable anxiety and OCD. In over 80% of the cases, I am able to facilite genuine and lasting relief to clients who have struggled to cope with the debilitating consequences of severe OCD / anxiety, and who have been discouraged by other practitioners’ well-intentioned but ineffective attempts to assist them.