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For Obsessions, Compulsions & Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).

Obsessions, compulsions and OCD are all successfully treated by Alice The Maldon Hypnotherapy Clinic, Essex with Hypnoanalysis - a unique and highly effective form of Hypnotherapy.

"Hi Alice thanks so much for all your help, between our sessions and the "revive" [Thrive] book you suggested I feel much better and have a much better perspective on things! I'm so glad I came to see you as it helped to resolve things I thought I may have been stuck with! It also gave me the knowledge to deal with other problems that tend to come along!" D, Essex Obsessive thoughts , fear of flying and general Anxiety) Feb 2013

"I would just like to say you have completely changed my life for the better and without your help my path to destruction does not bear thinking about."

Anon, Hertfordshire (Obsessional & self esteem problems etc. Hypnoanalysis)

See MSN lifestyles' Why men have moments of madness, Antony Worral Thompson - January 2012  

Obsessions, Compulsions and OCD:

The main difference between an obsession and a compulsion is there's no relief gained from repeatedly performing the obsessional action or thoughts, so in fact anxiety and stress is produced by the very behaviours that were being done to relieve the sufferers symptoms. Compulsions on the other hand offer at least short term relief from symptoms, like a mini reward that makes you feel a bit better (e.g. smoking, over-eating, nail biting are all oral compulsions). Within and between individuals there's a wide range of intensity of the initial obsession or intrusive thought. A more mild obsession may cause a general sense of tension but at the other end of the spectrum there could be a profound belief that life can't carry on whilst the imbalance remains.

OCD or Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is characterised by recurrent intrusive thoughts that produce anxiety, coupled with compulsive repetitive behaviours that are aimed at reducing this anxiety. Obsessional thoughts that persistently enter the persons mind come as ideas, images or impulses that are frequently frightening or disgusting - even to person thinking them - but their frustration is they have no control over them. Sufferers rely on their specific compulsions to escape from their time-consuming, distressing or interfering obsessive thoughts, even thought they know that the relief is only temporary and intrusive thoughts will soon come back. Some people also use their compulsions to avoid situations that may trigger their obsessions. OCD is a fairly common neurobiological disorder that about 1 in 40 of us in the western world suffer from.

There are various common obsessions and ritual compulsive behaviours that plague the OCD sufferer, including:

• Contamination obsessions - including but not exclusively repeated frequent thorough hand washing
• Symmetry obsessions - lining up, ordering by size, or piling things up
• Repeating actions - checking taps, switches, doors, cookers, locks etc. - often a certain number of times
• Touching obsessions - touching an object a certain number of times before leaving a room for example.
• Tidying obsession - ultra neatness, deep cleaning, rearranging objects
• Counting obsessions - e.g. problems with odd numbers, doing, saying or thinking something in multiples of 7 for example
• Hoarding obsessions - never throwing anything away (including household waste)
• Preoccupation with sexual, religious or aggressive impulses
• Counting footsteps, or walking only on certain coloured tiles
• Repeated throat clearing etc.

Although OCD sufferers can appear somewhat paranoid they DO recognise their behaviours as irrational, silly or over the top and this just serves to frustrate them even more. It's an extremely common problem with as many as 1 in 50 reported to suffer according to figures from the US. Symptoms can be socially isolating and at best time consuming, often resulting in severe emotional loss and limitations on relationships, career and social development.

Everybody has moments of displaying what can be confused with obsessions, such as being a perfectionist, meticulous or being fixated on someone, etc. However, people with OCD may attach extraordinary significance to the thoughts and really can't stop them no matter how much they try.

Secondary Symptoms develop as obsessive thoughts drive a need to relieve tension and the constant effort to control these intrusive urges and thoughts. Compulsive actions act as a way of controlling or blocking these thoughts and the person may become dependent upon doing the rituals that develop and take over as a way of life.

Common compulsive actions include :

• Hair pulling (trichotillomania) - often leading to baldness
• Eyelash and/or eyebrow plucking
• Face and/or hand picking
• Scratching, biting, head banging - all forms of self harming
• Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) - sufferers repeatedly check a perceived defect in their appearance or camouflage the body part via clothes, piercings, tattoos etc.
• Compulsive Stealing (kleptomania) - failure to resist impulses to steal objects that aren't needed
• Compulsive sexual behaviour - uncontrollable sexual thoughts or behaviour
• Compulsive shopping - excessive and unnecessary shopping for items often not even opened
• Pathological gambling - out of control  gambling
• Pathological lying - lying for no reason or for attention
• Intermittent Explosive Disorder - violent outbursts of rage that can result in serious assaults and destruction to property
• Pyromania - the uncontrollable urge to start fires, often to release tension

Accompanying problems and symptoms can often develop:

• Low self esteem, low confidence
• Depression
• Severe long term Insomnia
• Problems with ones sex life
• Anxiety, panic attacks etc
• Social Phobia, lack of confidence
• Psychosomatic symptoms - migraines, IBS etc.

Many of my clients have often sought for years to manage their obsessions or, compulsive behaviours and related symptoms via other routes, including anti-depressants, counseling, other talking therapies etc. But their problems still persist.

Luckily Hypnoanalysis offers an effective, refreshing and altogether very different approach by actually getting to the genuine source of the problem rather than just damping down symptoms - and there always is a source stemming from the dire need to be in control of something that's worryingly out of control.

Just imagine not carrying all that baggage around with you for the rest of your life? In the entirely understanding and non-judgemental atmosphere of Alice's highly professional consulting room you will work together with her using Pure Hypnoanalysis to allow those bottled up emotions which reside deep within your unconscious mind to naturally surface and be cathartically released - leaving you feeling lighter, better, free from all those symptoms.

Support, understanding and empathy are all integral when working with Alice and you'll soon see it is not like that of other talking therapies or counseling. Instead of just raking over the past and trying to intellectually come to terms with issues, Hypnosis and Free Association allow clean excision of the unconscious reasons for your obsessive or compulsive behaviour and then those pent up emotions finally resolve and are truly released. In doing so any directly and often many indirectly related symptoms disappear for good and you can just simply get on with happily living that life you've always wanted and be the person you've always wanted to be. No brainwashing involved, no more management of stresses just to get by - quite simply you will have the choices as the same person you were but crucially without all the unconscious baggage holding you back in life.

 

The DREAM Technique: Symptoms of obsessions and compulsions can sometimes be managed effectively with Changing Limiting Beliefs work. Suggestion Therapy sessions and self hypnosis play a fundamental part in the powerful DREAM Technique that Alice teaches. Working on changing limiting belief systems helps YOU to take control of your own depression and effectively manage and overcome it.

Sound interesting? Why not call up for an informal chat or to arrange a no pressure face to face free initial consultation at the Maldon Hypnotherapy clinic, Essexwhere you can confidentially and thoroughly discuss your problems. Just call Alice on 07906 059022 or email alice@alicepinion.com

To avoid a 50% cancellation fee please give 48 hours notice - Thank you.

Alice also successfully helps with other related problems including (but certainly not exclusively):

• Anorexia Nervosa
• Anxiety
• Bulimia Nervosa
• Changing Limiting beliefs - The DREAM technique
• Depression
• Eating Disorders
• Emetophobia
• Exam Test Nerves
• Fear of Flying
• Hypno-band - virtual gastric band hypnotherapy
• Lack of confidence
• Panic Attacks
• Presentation nerves
• Sexual abuse
• Sexual Problems
• Shy Bladder/bowel
• Sleep Disorders
• Slimming
• Social Anxiety/Social Phobia
• Sports performance
• Toilet problems
• Vaginismus
• Weight loss