We all know someone who’s “a bit OCD”, that person who insists on having a very tidy house or who likes their desk excessively neat and orderly, but for many, OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) is an exhausting and debilitating condition that leaves sufferers in a constant state of high anxiety and worry, consumed by the need to act out ritualistic behaviours to avoid danger or catastrophe and tormented by intrusive thoughts.
Layla is just one of the many people I’ve worked with with this condition. A lively mum in her early thirties, married with two young children. Layla described to me how although she’s always been tidy and a “bit OCD”, that in the last year things had just got out of control. She told me how she’d become consumed by the thought that her home was dirty and contaminated in some way. This led her to believe that if she did not obsessively clean her home, particularly her kitchen then her family were going to become terribly ill. To cope with these intrusive thoughts Layla would obsessively wipe down kitchen surfaces and wash cooking equipment and even wipe down her kitchen cupboards for hours on end or until it felt right. Only then would she be able to rest. Her belief in these thoughts was so great that she wouldn’t allow others into the family home because of the perceived risk of them bringing in germs and causing further contamination. This belief was not only causing unimaginable anguish to Layla but also to her family who barely dared go into their kitchen for fear of making things worse! Her children could never have friends over and her husband was at a loss as to what to do to help her.
I explained to Layla that having obsessive thoughts, beliefs and feeling the overwhelming need to act out extreme ritualistic behaviours is extremely common amongst OCD sufferers. And that although she believed that cleaning obsessively was helping to relieve her anxiety, in reality this practice was only reinforcing her fears and increasing her anxiety.
Layla like many OCD sufferers held the misconception that to overcome her OCD that she must learn to stop or to ignore her intrusive thoughts. So I explained to Layla that this is never the focus of therapy. In fact the very act of trying to ignore or block an intrusive thought only increases our awareness of it. Known as the law of reversed effect, the reality is that the harder we try to avoid thinking about something the more likely we are to obsess upon it. Often referred to as the classic elephant in the room! I explained to Layla that the focus of therapy is always to be able to coexist with intrusive thoughts without feeling compelled to act out compulsive behaviours, this ultimately reduces the anxiety and eliminates the need to act out the compulsive behaviour.
During our therapy together Layla learnt to do just this, she was able to let go of the belief that she needed to push those unwanted thoughts out of her mind and simply to accept them. In addition to this we used cognitive behavioural hypnotherapeutic strategies to help Layla to challenge the belief that her home was contaminated and this meant that she no longer felt any need to clean obsessively. We used a form of imaginal exposure therapy to repetitively expose Layla to her intrusive thoughts while in a calm state of hypnosis where she imagined having the repetitive thought and not acting out the compulsive behaviour. This enabled Layla to gradually reduce her anxiety and so she no longer felt the need to act out the compulsive behaviours.
Layla then continued her work at home by doing controlled exposure exercises. This enabled her to see that even though she did not clean obsessively that her fears of contamination were unfounded as her family did not become ill. And it was this combined process that ultimately freed Layla from the clutches of OCD and gave her her life back!
It’s been 18 months since Layla finished her treatment and she recently contacted me to tell me how she’s still “OCD free” and offered to share her story.
If you would like to work with me Louise Phillips, to overcome OCD, then please get in touch on 07930 423633
http://www.louisephillipshypnotherapy.co.uk/
Article by Louise Phillips Cognitive Behavioural Hypnotherapist
