Obsessions and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
We can all fall prey to worries and concerns at some point in our lives and some of us will ease these worries and doubts with superstitious rituals from time to time. For those with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), however, these rituals can become so ingrained and important that they take over their lives.
What causes OCD?
OCD can start at any age; one in three cases start in childhood, although it usually begins before middle age. Even though the exact cause is not fully understood, it is thought that there is a genetic or inherited tendency. Research suggests that in OCD, communication between the front part of the brain and its deeper structures is faulty. Serotonin is the major chemical messenger involved in this area, and insufficient levels are thought to play an important part in OCD.
Treating OCD with the help of hypnotherapy
An initial consultation with your GP is the first course of action, so that your condition can be correctly diagnosed. OCD is generally diagnosed if the following conditions apply:
• Your ideas, impulse or images are considered senseless and intrusive and are not excessive worries about actual situations or problems.
• You attempt to neutralise these thoughts with rituals or actions.
• You recognise that these thoughts are a product of your mind and not imposed from without.
• Your symptoms are not accounted for by another mental disorder, i.e. brought on by depression or substance abuse.
• Your behaviour is causing distress, is time consuming (takes up at least an hour a day) or significantly interferes with your every-day routine, work or relationships.
Medical diagnosis should always be obtained before seeking hypnotherapy treatment. From there on hypnotherapy can effectively ease OCD behaviours.
Hypnoanalysis can help to determine the root of OCD, whether that be anxiety or psychological. When these problems are dealt with, the OCD behaviours fuelled by them are also dealt with. Hypnotherapy also aims to teach you to take control of your mind so that you believe you are in control of your OCD and it is not controlling you. It can help OCD sufferers clearly distinguish what their behaviour is telling them is true (such as the door is not locked) and what actually is true (the door is locked). Hypnotherapy can either help your conscious mind to work differently or change your thoughts and feelings on an unconscious level. |
