Obsessive-compulsive disorder or OCD) is a common, chronic, and long-lasting disorder in which a person has uncontrollable, reoccurring thoughts, which we call obsessions or reoccurring behaviours , which we call compulsions. The sufferer feels the urge to repeat something over and over and so that makes a normal daily routine impossible.. These recurrent and persistent thoughts, impulses, or images can cause distressing emotions such as anxiety or fear. While people with OCD may recognize that these thoughts or impulses are unreasonable, the distress caused by them is difficult to resolve and leads to people trying to ease the distress of the obsessions with compulsions.
Even though we don’t fully understand what causes OCD, there are some good indicators that point to:
- Painful childhood experience or suffered trauma, abuse or bullying that can lead obsessions and compulsions
- A way to cope with an ongoing stress and anxiety
- The parents had similar anxieties and showed similar kinds of compulsive behaviour, you may have learned OCD behaviours as a coping technique.
- Being part of a stressful event like a car accident or starting a new job, could trigger OCD or make it worse.
- Pregnancy or giving birth can sometimes trigger perinatal OCD.
| Common symptoms of OCD |
- Cleaning and hand washing
- Constant checking – such as checking doors are locked or that the gas is off
- Counting
- Ordering and arranging
- Hoarding collecting and not being able to dispose of anything
- Asking for a constant reassurance
- Repeating words in their head
- Thinking “neutralising” thoughts to counter the obsessive thoughts
| How can Hypnotherapy help with OCD |
Despite the lack of clarity as what is the cause, it can still be successfully treated.
Hypnotherapy for OCD is a way to help those with OCD get to the root of what is causing it, change their mindsets so that their obsessions and compulsions have less control over their daily lives, and learn techniques and skills to use to live a more confident life. It also greatly reduces the accumulated anxiety and than, it is possible to reframe and alter your behaviour patterns.
It works by focusing not on changing the obsessive thoughts but by helping a person reduce their level of reactivity to those thoughts. By doing this, it’s possible to reduce the stress and anxiety which is what leads to the compulsive behaviour, and with the anxiety of not performing compulsive behaviour gone, you can break free of the vicious circle and get control of your life again.
Hypnosis also offers a blissful experience of deep relaxation which works to address the underlying causes of your OCD on subconscious level.