Obsessive compulsive disorder treatment
at the Huddersfield and Manchester Hypnotherapy Clinic

Whilst many people have heard of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), there is a great deal of confusion over what are obsessions and what are compulsions.

The quick reference to the diagnostic criteria from DSM-IV-TR (2000) describes obsessions and compulsions as described below.

Obsessive behaviours (typical symptoms of ocd)

• Recurrent and persistent thoughts, impulses, or images that are experienced, at some time during the disturbance, as intrusive and inappropriate and that cause marked anxiety or distress.
  
  
• The thoughts, impulses, or images are not simply excessive worries about real-life problems.
  
  
• The person attempts to ignore or suppress such thoughts, impulses, or images, or to neutralise them with some other thought or action.
  
  
• The person recognises that the obsessional thoughts, impulses, or images are a product of his or her own mind.

Compulsive behaviours (typical symptoms of ocd)

• Repetitive behaviours or mental acts that the person feels driven to perform in response to an obsession, or according to rules that must be applied rigidly.
  
  
• The behaviours or mental acts are aimed at preventing or reducing distress or preventing some dreaded event or situation; however, these behaviours or mental acts either are not connected in a realistic way with what they are designed to neutralise or prevent or are clearly excessive.
  

In addition to these criteria, at some point during the course of the disorder, the sufferer must realise that his or her obsessions or compulsions are unreasonable or excessive.

Moreover, the obsessions or compulsions must be time-consuming (taking up more than one hour per day), cause distress, or cause impairment in social, occupational, or school functioning.

Do many people have obsessions and/or compulsions?

These conditions are quite common. It is estimated that 1 in every 50 adolescents and adults have some form of disorder relating to obsessions and compulsions.

Real-life obsessional behaviours

Obsessions are thoughts, ideas, or impulses that the sufferer cannot stop thinking about. No matter how hard he or she tries, the mind seems to be constantly invaded by such ideas; it's as though his or her mind is being invaded by thoughts without knowing where they come from. These thoughts may be constantly worrying about being hurt or attacked, constantly worrying about hygiene in the home in case he or she may become diseased, persistent thoughts about hurting someone, or just not being able to let go of negative feelings such as jealousy.

Obsessional behaviours include:

• Repeated hand-washing or actions (e.g., checking windows are locked).
• Avoiding cracks in pavements.
• Over-working (at the expense of family and health).
• Doing anything to avoid interacting on an emotional level (being very materialistic).
• Worrying about catching disease from normal levels of dirt.
• Constantly thinking about negative things.
• Fears of flooding the house, causing a fire, or being burgled.
  
• Aggressive thoughts about physically harming a loved one.
  
• Concerns about exactness or symmetry.
  
• Intrusive sexual thoughts or urges.

Real-life compulsive behaviours

Compulsions refer to actions that the person performs, usually repeatedly in response to an obsessional thought. People with compulsions feel 'driven' to carry out an activity remorselessly, at any cost. People who have compulsions often feel guilty for carrying out such a task, but cannot find a way to end the feeling that the task needs to be done.

For example, someone who is compulsive about cleaning the home will feel a sense of reduced anxiety whilst carrying out the task, which is carried out in response to obsessional thoughts about cleanliness and, perhaps, fear of catching a disease if the home isn't clean enough. If the action of carrying out the task is interrupted – for example, because a child needs feeding – then a high level of anxiety will be experienced because the task has not been carried out to a perceived satisfactory conclusion. Once the compulsive action has been carried out, however, a cycle beings again; there is a sense of rising anxiety that needs to be lowered by repeating the same activity again (despite the house still being immaculate) or indeed beginning another compulsive activity. In extreme cases of compulsive behaviour, the sufferer cannot see when a task has actually been completed. In such cases sufferers may find themeselves condemned to repeatedly washing their hands, for example, for hours and hours on end.

Compulsive behaviours include:

• Gambling addictions.
• Drug addictions (including smoking cigarettes/joints).
• Eating inappropriate amounts of food.
• Compulsive itching.
• Compulsive scratching.
• Cleaning (repeatedly washing hands or wiping household surfaces for hours on end).
  
• Checking (repeatedly questioning whether lights switches are turned off etc.).
  
• Counting strings of numbers for hours on end.
  
• Arranging (needing cutlery or furniture ordered in a certain way).
  
• Repeating words or sentences.
  
• Completing (performing a task in exact order again and again, until it is done. perfectly – if interrupted, they often need to start all over again).
  
• Hoarding (collecting useless objects).

What is Obsessive Compulsive Disorder?

People suffering from OCD usually carry out repeated tasks in response to their obsessional impulses/ thoughts/ or ideas and OCD really defines a complex that involves the two. For people with OCD, life can be absolute torture and the sufferer may feel they are imprisoned within their own minds. OCD presents a prime example of how "we are own own worst enemies" and how the human brain can cause itself so much suffering.

Some OCD sufferers are so afraid of being misunderstood by others that they become very skilful at hiding their symptoms, to the extent that they can appear entirely normal to an outside observer. In other cases symptoms can be so severe that sufferers are completely unable to function in everyday life.

Treatment and help for OCD - Overcoming OCD with Pure Hypnoanalysis

At the Huddersfield and Manchester Hypnotherapy Clinic (UK) I offer the worlds best form of hypnotherapy for the treatment of OCD. Symptoms of obsessive and compulsive disorders are a way for the psyche to give form to the underlying feeling of anxiety and bottle up emotions.

By permanently releasing the cause of the symptoms, the symptoms themselves are permanently cured. Pure Hypnoanalysis is a fast, non-directive, and totally natural way of permanently releasing anxiety that it trapped deep within, and in doing so, permanently curing symptoms resulting from that anxiety. You are welcome to get in contact with me at any time and arrange to meet me at the Huddersfield Hypnotherapy Clinic or the Manchester Hypnotherapy Clinic for a no obligation free consultation. We will then be able to discuss your needs further and find out how I can help you.