Hypnosis for OCD, Clarion PA

This article focuses on some of the main characteristics of OCD and how effective hypnosis for OCD can be.

Hypnosis for treating OCD – What is OCD?

OCD stands for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.  OCD has been labeled by mainstream medicine as a type of mental illness.  People who have OCD typically have either obsessive thoughts and urges, or compulsive repetitive behaviors.  Many OCD sufferers exhibit both obsessions and compulsions.

OCD is not about simple habits like biting your nails or thinking “bad” thoughts.  This disorder can affect your employment, school and even your relationships.  It can prevent you from living a normal life.  For OCD sufferers, their thoughts and actions are literally beyond their ability to control.

For example, a person with OCD may think that someone will break into their home if they don’t check their door locks at least 3-5 times (or more).  They don’t feel comfortable until they’ve gone through their “ritual” for ensuring safety.  A compulsion on the other hand may be something like mopping the kitchen floor repeatedly.  As an OCD sufferer, you may not want to do or think these things, but you feel completely helpless and unable to stop.

Common Symptoms

A lot of people with OCD are aware that their thoughts and habits may be a bit irrational, but they can’t quit.  And when they try to stop their obsessive-compulsive behaviors, they can’t because they feel so bad.  So they start again.  Obsessions and compulsions may involve a variety different things.  Things like an overwhelming need for order or cleanness in their world, hoarding, or never-ending thoughts about sex, religion, violence, and bodily parts.

Obsessive thoughts can include:

  • An overwhelming fear of germs and/or getting dirty
  • Excessive worries about getting hurt or about others getting hurt
  • A strong need for things to always be placed in an specific order
  • A belief that certain colors or numbers are “good” or “bad”
  • Always being aware of blinking, breathing, or some other physical sensation
  • Irrational suspicion that their partner is being unfaithful to them

Compulsive habits can include:

  • Washing hands over and over again
  • Doing things in a very specific order every time, or for a specific number of times
  • Repeatedly making sure a door is locked, a light switch is on or off, etc.
  • A strong “need” to count things like stairs and possessions
  • Making sure things are in the “proper” order and in the “right” place
  • Fear of shaking hands, touching public doorknobs etc.
Treating OCD With Hypnosis

It’s always advisable to consult with your physician or therapist about your OCD.  This will rule out any physical or neurological causes for your problem.  If you’ve already gone that route and nothing has helped, hypnosis for OCD can be highly beneficial.

Hypnosis works with people’s thoughts, perceptions, feelings and beliefs.  As a hypnotherapist I do not consider OCD to be a physical problem… nor is it caused by a physical problem.  It’s a problem that is caused by an “if/then” belief system that was probably put into place at an early age.  It’s a “cause and effect” thought pattern.  For example, someone with OCD might believe something like, “IF I check the door lock 5 times, THEN I’ll know it’s safe.”  The feeling of insecurity or uncertainty is the Cause.  The act of checking the lock is the remedy.  And the feeling of safety is the Effect.  And whether it’s obsessive or not, it does work!

But is it reasonable?  Not really.  The door is just as secure with one or two checks as it is with 5.  Anything beyond once or twice is obsessive.  Double-checking something is not unreasonable at all.  So the key is to learn how to alter your thoughts so that you get the same feeling of safety by only checking the door lock once or twice.  When you alter your thoughts, you alter your feelings.  OCD can also indicate a self-confidence or self-trust issue that needs to be addressed.

I believe that those who suffer from OCD are really looking for a feeling.  That feeling can be one of security, safety, comfort, or almost any feeling that satisfies that inner longing.  It’s not the feeling that’s an issue, it’s the amount of repetitions needed to achieve that feeling that is problematic.  So the goal is to learn how to achieve the desired feeling in a more reasonable amount of time.  In addition, identifying the desired feeling and understanding why it’s so important can be the key to eliminating OCD.   

Hypnosis For treating OCD – It Does Work

I use a variety of hypnosis and NLP techniques to help you stop your OCD.  Obsessive-compulsive behaviors are often linked to some belief that you adopted at an earlier time in your life.  It’s a sort of “magical” thinking that says:  “If I do this everything will be okay”, or “If I don’t do this, something bad will happen.”

I’m not convinced that OCD is a type of “mental illness”.  I see it more as the expression of beliefs and  thoughts that are outdated and out of control.  Changing a belief is not difficult.  You learned it quickly, and you can un-learn it just as quickly with the proper guidance.