[et_pb_section bb_built="1" specialty="off" next_background_color="#ffffff" _builder_version="3.21.4" background_color="#50235c" z_index_tablet="500" custom_padding="10px||10px|"][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type="4_4"][et_pb_text _builder_version="3.21.4" background_layout="dark" z_index_tablet="500"]

OCD Obsessive Compulsive Disorder –  How can Counselling help?

[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section bb_built="1" prev_background_color="#50235c"][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type="1_2"][et_pb_text _builder_version="3.0.101" background_layout="light"]It’s normal, on occasion, to go back and double-check you’ve locked the front door, or check you turned the oven off. But if you suffer from (OCD), obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviors become so consuming they interfere with your daily life.OCD is an anxiety disorder characterized by uncontrollable, unwanted thoughts and repetitive behaviors. If you have OCD, you probably recognize that your obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviors are irrational, but you feel unable to resist them and be free from them.The OCD Cycle

  • Obsessive thoughts
  • Anxiety
  • Compulsive Behavior
  • Temporarily relief

And then it starts all over again.[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type="1_2"][et_pb_image _builder_version="3.0.101" src="https://farehamcounsellingcentre.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/OCD-Obsessive-Compulsive-Disorder-Fareham.jpg" show_in_lightbox="off" url_new_window="off" use_overlay="off" always_center_on_mobile="on" force_fullwidth="off" show_bottom_space="on" /][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type="4_4"][et_pb_text _builder_version="3.0.101" background_layout="light"]

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, colors, 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 Behaviors

  • 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

[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version="3.0.101" background_layout="light"]Reprogramming your brainIt 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, delay the behavior if you can. When possible count your behaviors, “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 behavior, will give you less need to return to check again, be mindful when participating in the behaviors. 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.

[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version="3.0.101" background_layout="light"]Professional helpReprograming 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, realize where it has come from and be able to remove it from your life altogether.

CAN HYPNOTHERAPY HELP YOUR OCD?

Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy can also help with OCD and other issues. To find out more visit our dedicated website here.[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]