OCD
OCD
OCD or Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is more common that you think and is invariably linked to worrying. Most people I meet with OCD also worry a lot. They play what I call “whatifery“ about other things too. Things that can be about absolutely anything and tend to vary from day to day.
I treat the many forms of OCD including:
- Fear of contamination, it may be germs, harmful chemicals, touch of an animal or insect
- Safety fears, checking doors, windows, taps, heating elements
- Harm to others, knocking people over, accidently hitting them, saying a hurtful thing, hearing of a horrific event or illness
Common safety behaviours also known as compulsions:
- Hand washing, use of anti-bac, excessive showering and in a routines in a particular order
- Counting, making sure things are done a particular amount of times and or are symmetrical or even.
- Touching other objects to neutralise the effect, counting or having pleasant thoughts to neutralise unwanted ones.
Also there are preventative and avoidant behaviours such as:
Wearing gloves, using cuffs or sleeves to open doors and touch things, not eating certain foods, avoiding places and people, or avoiding ill people. The list is endless.
They all make perfect sense to the person who’s brain is wired to go into terror and anxiety at these triggers but it can be confusing for those close to them, I totally get it. It is very difficult for those who are experiencing the anxiety and those close to them,
One of the most disturbing form of OCD is intrusive thoughts OCD. I deal with this frequently. It can be anything from automatic thoughts of suicide, to sexual thoughts, paedophilic thoughts, gay thoughts, murder or harm or thoughts about other embarrassing deeds. THE GOOD NEWS IS IF IT UPSETS YOU THEN YOU ARE A NICE PERSON AND WOULD NEVER DO OR BEHAVE THAT WAY. I explain why this is the case in sessions. By feeding, fighting or engaging with the thoughts you are supplying them with more energy that just keeps then popping back in your head. So you start believing that the thought is a part of you or what you really want. This is absolute rubbish.
To rewire the brain from these thoughts I use a number of gentle but powerful techniques which include exposure in hypnosis, gentle consistent real exposure and cognitive restructuring . I have a very high success rate with over 95% of people not meeting the diagnosis for OCD after we finish working together. Some people respond quickly in about six sessions some people take a bit longer, this can depend on levels and complexity of the OCD and other issues and also how self-motivated a person is. Sessions can be weekly or bi-monthly.
I have never encountered an intrusive thought, obsession, or compulsion that I thought was weird. Neither have I come across an OCD that I haven’t understood or seen before.
How we can help:
- Learn to relax and gain control over your OCD
- Identify the key cause of the OCD
- Get your life back on track and make OCD a thing of the past