OCD Therapy in Hove, East Sussex and online

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) therapy can help you manage your symptoms & improve your quality of life

At times we all experience upsetting thoughts, feelings and negative behaviours which can feel overwhelming.

If you find yourself ruminating (thinking about it all the time), feel consumed and unable to let them go, then this could be tipping into OCD territory.

Clients describe feeling anxious and upset when this happens and unable to deal with it alone; this where OCD therapy can help.

Let’s Go!

The OCD Cycle;
obsessions &
compulsions

OCD goes against our personal values such as being a kind, caring person.

OCD wants you to buy into the opposite, i.e. that you could be violent, responsible for harm, illness or sexually inappropriate.

What are Obsessions ?

OCD obsessions are unwanted and distressing thoughts, images or sensations. These can be about someone close to you or about values that are important to you. They may be linked to ‘something bad happening’, a violent or sexually inappropriate action, questioning a relationship, your sexual identity, contamination or seeking that ‘just right feeling’.

What are Compulsions ?

Compulsions are things you do to cope with the anxiety or distress that often goes along with obsessive thoughts. You may find yourself wanting to ruminate (go over and over the issue in your mind), unpick past events, avoid certain situations, take extra precautions such as checking/cleaning, seek reassurance by asking someone or endless internet searches.

Short lived relief
and feeling stuck?

Sadly any relief you feel from the compulsions is short lived as our brain tends to say “What if?”, “Are you sure?”.

This uncertainty or thoughts/sensations associated with them, sets off more anxiety and the OCD cycle continues.

This can leave you feeling ‘stuck’, wanting to hide or withdraw, unable to let go and get on with your life.

Let me
help you

We work together to help you achieve your goals.

The end gain is for you to leave therapy with a toolkit of techniques and strategies with which to move forward.

Ready? Lets go!

Examples of
OCD Themes

OCD makes an individual feel as if they can’t trust their own mind.

Someone without OCD could have a violent thought and recognise that it is simply just a thought. However, a person with OCD who has a ‘Harm OCD’ theme, can worry that just having the thought means they could be violent.

Themes can change or remain the same for a long time.

Here are some examples of OCD themes.

Fear of contamination or dirt

Obsessive thoughts and images often accompanied by extensive cleaning rituals including the home and hand washing.

Contamination can also be mental contamination, that some perceived risk can jump to an object which may be associated with the thought or a stressful experience.

Need for order and symmetry

The need for everything to be in its place or ‘Just Right’ otherwise the person feels extremely anxious or convinced something bad will happen.

Harm thoughts or images about harming yourself/others

Obsessive thoughts, images and impulses about causing harm to someone close to you.

Example: seeing a knife and having an image of stabbing .

Doubting and need to check for certainty

Obsessive thoughts, images and impulses about checking and the need for absolute certainty.

Example: is the door locked, have I turned the cooker off? Are you sure ?

Unwanted intrusive thoughts – about sexual, moral, past incident or religious subjects

Obsessive thoughts or images about strong views that are against your held beliefs and values.

Example: sexuality and religion, or being ‘stuck’ on some past incident which most people would have moved on from long ago.

Unwanted intrusive thoughts about paedophilia

Unwanted sexual thoughts or images about being sexually inappropriate with children.

This is absolutely the last thing the person would ever want to do, and therefore understandably extremely distressing and difficult to tell anyone about.

FAQs

If you have any questions that I haven’t answered below, please do contact me.

What is OCD?

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is an anxiety disorder which affects 1 in 50 of people in the UK.

It is characterised by the person experiencing thoughts, images or sensations that are distressing. OCD affects all ages, ethnicities, genders and backgrounds. It often takes years for the person to seek help, recieve a correct diagnosis and proper treatment.

As the nature of the thoughts can feel shameful as well as upsetting it can be difficult for someone to tell their partner, family, or doctor what they are experiencing.

I am here to help you.

Obsessions & compulsions – what’s the difference?

It’s normal to have unwanted thoughts which can be upsetting; such as hurting someone or a burglar breaking in. However, if thoughts become obsessive, they are persistent, and dominate your thinking) to the exclusion of other thoughts, which interfere with your daily life.

A compulsion is a behaviour which you do to temporarily relieve the anxiety or distress caused by the obsessive thought. This could be cleaning, checking, ruminating (over-thinking), seeking reassurance and avoidance.

Common obsessions that affect people with OCD

– Fear of deliberately harming yourself or others e.g. fear you may attack someone else, such as your children.
– Fear of harming yourself or others by mistake e.g. you may set the house on fire by leaving the cooker on; feeling responsible.
– Fear of contamination by disease, infection or an unpleasant substance
-a need for symmetry or orderliness e.g. the need to line up tins in the cupboard facing forward at exactly the same angle.
– Fears related to your sexuality or relationship.
– Fears that question a pre-held religious belief.
– Obsessive thoughts of a violent or sexual nature relating to someone close to you that you find repulsive or frightening. But they’re just thoughts and having them does not mean you’ll act on them.

Common compulsions that affect people with OCD

If something is upsetting, we want it to go away, right? This results in compulsions; behaviours that we use, to try and relieve the distress we experience by the thought we have.

– Cleaning and hand washing
– Checking; such as checking doors are locked or that the gas is off/plugs are out
counting, and using multiples of certain numbers
– Ordering and arranging
– Asking for reassurance, endless ‘Googling’
repeating words in your head.
– Thinking “neutralising” thoughts to counter the obsessive thoughts
– Avoiding places and situations that could trigger obsessive thoughts.
– Carrying something that offers protection or safety.

..and here’s the catch…
Although the compulsion may reduce the anxiety or distress, the relief is short lived; with the return of the thoughts, comes more distress and the need to repeat the compulsive behaviour again and again. This is a bear trap!

What techniques do you use to treat OCD?

I work collaboratively with you targeting the symptoms you want to address. We review progress throughout therapy and work at your own pace;
– Helping you understand the vicious cycle of your OCD and the difference between obsessions and compulsions.
– Identify what your compulsive behaviours are, how they maintain the problem.
– CBT and ERP
– Mindfulness/ACT
– Relabelling your thoughts to ‘dial down’ the volume and frequency.
– ‘Homework’ between sessions.
– Leave therapy sessions with a toolkit of strategies to use for any future OCD type thoughts.

Tell me about Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT)

Cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying the thoughts and behaviours related to OCD. You may know they are irrational yet when triggered your ‘fight and flight’ response interprets this as a psychological threat; hence the anxiety and distress.

Tell me about Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)

Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is one of the main techniques I use. This involves gradual exposure to feared situations; accepting the uncertainty while learning how to resist the urge to perform compulsive behaviours.

Examples are;
– letting go of avoidance
– rituals or exposure to a recording of the thoughts.

The style of exposure work is dependant on the individual issue and can involve going out of the therapy room for some live exposure.

Tell me more about Mindfulness-based techniques

Mindfulness-based techniques (part of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy – ACT) help you to learn how to observe your thoughts and emotions without judgment, or engaging in the content. Taking a more ‘observer role’ of your thoughts can reduce anxiety and the urge to perform compulsive behaviours.

Where can I find further information about OCD?

OCKUK and OCDAction are good sources of information and support.