OCD Anxiety Disorder
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder – OCD – is a mental health condition characterized by disruptions to the lives of those who suffer from it. An anxiety disorder causes intrusive or insistent thoughts which then translate into repetitive behavioural traits which can range from mild to extreme.
Common behaviours can include intrusive and recurrent thoughts, ideas or impulses and they can be worrying, repulsive, obscene or blasphemous. Compulsions are actions an individual feels compelled to perform to reduce the anxiety they feel from an obsession. They are repeated continuously and often carried out without conscious thought. Examples of compulsions include excessive washing and cleaning, counting and touching things, hoarding, incessant rechecking, repeating certain words or phrases and performing ritualistic behaviour. The cause may not be a single or specific event – it could be something as general as a perception that the environment or world isn’t safe in some way – and because the subconscious mind is our inner protector, it creates anxiety – in this case, OCD – to keep us safe.
OCD behaviours may include:
Constantly checking items are in order
Fear of germs or contamination
Constant hand washing
Sticking to a specific order in activities (e.g. when getting dressed/ undressed)
Patterns of touching objects or counting, or word sequences that have to be followed
Fear of consequences happening if particular routines or rituals are not followed
Sometimes the symptoms of OCD can worsen when an individual is feeling overwhelmed or stressed. For others, the symptoms can seem to fade but often resurface at a later date if not properly treated. Fortunately, treatment can help to reduce the impact of OCD symptoms.
WHAT CAUSES OCD?
It is not yet clear where the origin of OCD lies. Research has suggested genetics may be implicated whilst other studies have suggested brain differences, significant life events or personality traits may predispose some people to onset.
Hypnotherapy - OCD Treatment
Hypnotherapy for OCD works by effectively re-setting your anxiety level to ‘healthy’. It clears your subconscious of the negative and unhealthy beliefs that drive your OCD. With our tailored Hypnotherapy sessions, you will learn to respond to life without becoming anxious. You'll regulate your emotions more effectively so that you remain relaxed in situations that would typically trigger your OCD attacks. Hypnotherapy helps your mind to relax and will help you to regain confidence, enthusiasm, and motivation in your daily life.
This experience helps the client to reflect calmly and positively and to help you to understand the belief structures that support the OCD message. We access these beliefs by using hypnosis to weaken the intensity of OCD to enable them to free themselves from the condition by finding a healthy, balanced approach that allows them to live their life free from anxiety.
Beverley Sinclair
Clinical Hypnotherapist
info@bsinclairhpno.co.uk
