Types of OCD

• Washers are afraid of contamination. They usually have cleaning or hand-washing compulsions.

• Checkers repeatedly check things (oven turned off, door locked, etc.) that they associate with harm or danger.

• Doubters and sinners are afraid that if everything isn’t perfect or done just right something terrible will happen, or they will be punished.

• Counters and arrangers are obsessed with order and symmetry. They may have superstitions about certain numbers, colours, or arrangements.

• Hoarders fear that something bad will happen if they throw anything away. They compulsively hoard things that they don’t need or use.

Obsessive Thoughts

• Fear of being contaminated by germs or dirt or contaminating others

• Fear of losing control and harming yourself or others

• Intrusive sexually explicit or violent thoughts and images

• Excessive focus on religious or moral ideas

• Fear of losing or not having things you might need

• Order and symmetry: the idea that everything must line up “just right”

• Superstitions; excessive attention to something considered lucky or unlucky

Compulsive Behaviours

• Excessive double-checking of things, such as locks, appliances and switches

• Repeatedly checking in on loved ones to make sure they’re safe

• Counting, tapping, repeating certain words or doing other senseless things to reduce anxiety

• Spending a lot of time washing or cleaning

• Ordering or arranging things “just so”

• Praying excessively or engaging in rituals triggered by religious fear

• Accumulating “junk” such as old newspapers or empty food containers

Reprogramming your brain

It might seem smart to avoid the situations that trigger your obsessive thoughts, but the more you avoid them, the scarier they feel. Instead, hear your thoughts, write them down and delay the behaviour if you can. When possible count your behaviours, “how many times do you wash your hands?”. Next time, see if you can do one less, this will start to give you back some control.

Anticipating your compulsive urges before they arise, can help to ease them. Awareness is key here, by slowly acting out the behaviour, will give you less need to return to check again, and be mindful when participating in the behaviours. When the urge to check arises later, you will start to notice, the need is not so great.

Or, focus on one specific worry or obsession and record it on your phone.

• Recount the obsessive phrase, sentence, or story exactly as it comes into your mind.

• Play the recording back to yourself, over and over for a 45-minute period each day, until listening to the obsession no longer causes you to feel highly distressed and it loses its power.

Professional help for obsessional thoughts and actions

Reprogramming your brain to alter your thought processes can be achieved through Hypnotherapy and Counselling. It can take years for our problems, conditions and symptoms to get a hold on us. Something that starts out as a minor irritation gets worse until it causes us so much suffering that we eventually seek help to put it right.

The root cause will more than likely sit in your subconscious mind. By working with a professional, you will be able to understand the condition, realise where it has come from and be able to remove it from your life altogether.

How counselling or Hypnotherapy can help your OCD symptoms

Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy can also help with OCD and other issues. To find out more visit our dedicated website here.

There is strong evidence to suggest that hypnotherapy can be effective in the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). It may be used in combination with other forms of treatment, such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), and counselling to help a person with OCD change their thought patterns and behaviours.

During hypnotherapy for OCD, a person may be guided through visualisation and relaxation techniques to help them feel more in control of their thoughts and behaviours. The therapist may also use hypnosis to help the person identify the underlying causes of their obsessions and compulsions, and to develop strategies for coping with them. Call us today on 07946 641270 to discover how we can help you.