Hypnotherapy for OCD

25.11.22

People with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) have repetitive and intrusive behaviours that permeate all aspects of their lives and can often be disruptive to personal relationships.

In some cases, OCD sufferers also have physical tics. Many of the condition’s symptoms can come and go over time, may ease for a while or become worse.

Medication, such as serotonin reuptake inhibitors or antipsychotics, and even treatments such as deep brain stimulation can be prescribed for patients.

However, using hypnosis and hypnotherapy for OCD has also been an extremely helpful treatment for many people, reducing stress or anxiety levels associated with the condition.

Obsessive compulsive disorder

The National Institute of Mental Health defines obsessive compulsive disorder – or OCD – as:

“a common, chronic, and long-lasting disorder in which a person has uncontrollable, reoccurring thoughts (obsessions) and/or behaviors (compulsions) that he or she feels the urge to repeat over and over.”

In the UK, around 12 people in every 1,000 have OCD, with symptoms appearing in most cases before the age of 25.

There is no clear, single cause behind the condition, though genetics, specific life events and brain differences are believed to be considerable contributory factors.

To date, there is no cure for OCD. However, many ways have been developed to help people live with the condition, including hypnosis and hypnotherapy.

OCD symptoms

What are the key symptoms of obsessive compulsive disorder?

Obsession

OCD symptoms, as the name suggests, break down into two key areas. The first are uncontrollable, persistent ‘obsessive’ thoughts that dominate the patient’s mind.

They can include:

an excessive attention to order and neatness
fear of germs or dirt
fear of harm or loss of control
violent or extreme thoughts/images
superstitions

Compulsion

This second key area covers behaviours carried out by an OCD sufferer. They can include:

excessive cleaning/washing
repeated checking of locks or switches
tapping, counting or repeating words
concern-based rituals

Anxiety/stress

Some people with OCD also struggle with other mental health problems, such as depression or body dysmorphic disorder.

Many of the symptoms associated with OCD are heightened during times of high anxiety and stress, creating a vicious circle that is difficult to break without the help of a therapist.

Different forms of OCD treatment

Depending on the severity of symptoms, medication can help alleviate and manage OCD symptoms.

Among the most widely used are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, antidepressants which alter the balance of chemicals in the brain.

It can be a long process, however. Whether prescribed a short or longer course of drug treatments, several weeks could pass before the patient feels their mental health improve.

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and OCD

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is among the most widely used alternative therapies to help manage many mental health issues, including anxiety disorders.

CBT focuses on the conscious mind, which makes up around 10% of the human mind. For those with OCD, it aims to change the thought processes behind the obsessive compulsive behaviour.

Therapists practising cognitive behavioural therapy believe that, by desensitising someone to the distressing triggers which make them anxious and prompt obsessive compulsive actions, such as hand washing, they can reduce and possibly even eliminate them.

Treating OCD with hypnotherapy and hypnosis

There are other therapies and alternative treatment options that can help overcome such thoughts.

Research has shown using hypnotherapy for OCD can be a highly effective therapy for many patients. Unlike CBT or other approaches, a hypnotherapist uses this treatment to focus on the subconscious mind – the other 90% of the human mind.

Deep relaxation therapy

Hypnotherapy uses hypnosis to help people enter a calmer, more relaxed state of body and mind.

There are several ways a hypnotherapist can achieve this level of relaxation, including progressive muscle tension release, the use of anchors or associations to a memory, or metaphors.

Once a patient has achieved a trance-like state under hypnosis, they are encouraged by the hypnotherapist to search for and visualise their OCD triggers in more depth via their unconscious mind.

This happens because the hypnotherapist creates a separation between the patient’s thoughts and their ‘OCD’ thoughts.

Under hypnosis, the body remains calm and composed, while the hypnotherapist helps them to confront the issue or event that led to the unwanted thoughts or obsessions, without causing shame or anxiety.

For someone whose OCD behaviour includes obsessively washing their hands, hypnotherapy and the subconscious mind enables them to examine the root cause of that behaviour.

For a patient who compulsively checks door locks, hypnosis and hypnotherapy can help them connect with their inner child and trace the OCD behaviour back to a traumatic event from their youth.

Under this hypnotic state, a qualified therapist like myself can use the person’s unconscious mind to explore in more depth any anxiety connected to a distressing family history, potentially ending inner conflicts or negative intrusive thoughts.

Under OCD hypnotherapy treatment, a patient makes sense of moments or events in the past affecting them in the present, potentially enabling them to move on from their obsessions and compulsions.

Changing behaviour with OCD treatment

Hypnosis and hypnotherapy can enable a person to alter the self-destructive, unhealthy, or psychologically damaging behaviours that are blighting their life.

It can help patients confront and manage the events compelling them to act in a particular way, enabling them to work toward positive changes that could have a lasting impact on their obsessive thoughts.

Hypnotherapy for OCD and hypnosis can also lay the foundations for improved self help, enabling a person to take control of and reduce their anxiety and negative feelings by arming them with better tools to cope with life.

Relaxation techniques similar to hypnotherapy that can help you cope with an anxiety disorder include:

Practising mindfulness

OCD sufferers can feel as if they are under siege from intrusive thoughts and feelings. Employing mindfulness techniques to aid relaxation can help a person identify any negative patterns and work to rethink them.

Keep a diary

Writing about your OCD feelings can help cut a particular fear down to size. It can also be useful to discover and discuss any rituals and OCD compulsions associated with it or any other triggering external stimuli outside hypnotherapy sessions.

Self-talk

The power of positive affirmations for people with OCD should never be underestimated. Use them as a form of hypnotherapy. Being kinder and more compassionate to yourself can be very effective at keeping anxiety under control.

Get good sleep

A consistent sleep routine and being able to develop a peaceful sleep environment not only boosts a person’s overall health, it can also reduce levels of stress.

Exercise

Of course, most people know the benefits of taking regular exercise, but it can do more than help avoid developing physical health conditions. It can boost your mental health too.

If you are able, search out and spend time in green spaces to ease anxiety linked to OCD.

You can also use the breathing techniques from OCD hypnotherapy sessions to relax your conscious mind as well as the subconscious mind.

Hypnosis and hypnotherapy: helping OCD and more

I believe we all possess an inner strength and resource to achieve our goals, but sometimes we just need a little help or guidance.

Hypnosis and hypnotherapy are powerful ways to help people access their subconscious mind and bring about meaningful change.

OCD is one of several conditions, issues and unwanted behaviours that can be alleviated or resolved with these treatments.

I recently used hypnosis and hypnotherapy to help a young woman struggling with anxiety and panic attacks, giving her tools that “she will be able to use for the rest of her life”.

Book your free initial hypnotherapy consultation

If you want advice on hypnotherapy for OCD or to discuss any other issue, you can phone 07359 188625 or email: sevarin@lifeflowhypnotherapy.co.uk to book a free initial consultation. Alternatively, fill in this contact form and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.