Do you wash your hands constantly and avoid any kind of touch that you feel could contaminate you? Are you constantly cleaning objects and surfaces to remove dust? Do you have a nagging thought that you can’t get out of your head? Do all the things around you have to be perfectly symmetrical in shape and color in order for you to concentrate?
Then there are many chances that you suffer from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder or OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder).
This is not OCD
We’ll start a little backwards. Let’s talk about what it isn’t OCD, before we look at what OCD is, because in this day and age, we all too often hear people claiming the disorder when they don’t actually suffer from it. They say e.g. often “I’m a bit OCD about my stuff”, but this phrase is used in exaggeration rather than reality.
- You don’t have OCD when you just want your stuff in an order.
- You don’t have OCD if you have some rituals for waking up in the morning and if you do certain things before you go to sleep.
- You don’t have OCD if you’ve suffered some kind of physical abuse and feel the normal need to periodically wash your hands and body to “wash the dirt” off you.
- You don’t have OCD if a thought crosses your mind during a period of intense stress.
- You don’t have OCD if you feel like you “compulsively” go to the gym.
What is OCD
Obsessive-compulsive disorder is an anxiety disorder that belongs to the broader group of neuroses and includes two parts: obsessions and compulsions. The first concerns irrational, repetitive thoughts that create intense anxiety and doubt in the person who thinks them. These thoughts lead the person with OCD to create specific rituals that they perform compulsively, because only in this way can their intense anxiety and doubt be calmed.
This cycle of obsessive thoughts and compulsive actions is vicious and takes a lot of time out of the daily life of the person with OCD, making it essentially dysfunctional.
The diagnosis for OCD is made by a specialist clinical psychologist or psychiatrist. Medication is given, which has a long-term effect only if complemented by parallel psychotherapy, with an emphasis on cognitive behavioral therapy.
For a first diagnosis, however, you can enter to see how much these images turn you on at:
or answer these questions at:
https://adaa.org/screening-obsessive-compulsive-disorder-ocd
What neurosis is
We said that obsessive-compulsive disorder is an anxiety disorder, which belongs to the wider group of neuroses.
It is important, then, to see what neurosis is.
In neurosis, the person is unable to deal with the conflict between Superego and unconscious thoughts, so he suffers from a severe intrapsychic conflict, which causes him unbearable anxiety, constant doubt and compulsions.
The first to mention the term “neurosis” was the doctor William Kullen in 1789, but special, systematic research and reference to it was made by Freud and Jung at the beginning of the 20th century.
Neurosis is reflected by some irrational physical, psychological and brain reactions, which is the person’s unconscious way of managing the conflict within himself.
Statistics – info
Obsessive-compulsive disorder usually appears during childhood or adolescence.
It accounts for 2.5% of the general population.
It affects the female gender to a greater extent.
35-50% of people with Tourette syndrome (syndrome with multiple tics, physical and vocal) suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder.
What Causes Obsessive Compulsive Disorder?
It manifests as a result of:
- biological factors (associated with the dysfunction of some hormones, such as serotonin and dopamine)
- psycho-emotional development of the person’s personality
- heredity, since there is usually a family history with OCD symptoms
- social factors
- stressful events, which trigger the predisposition
Therefore, to be treated, it should be considered in a broader context and not as isolated symptoms of a behavior.
What are the main obsessions?
Obsessions are persistent, obsessive thoughts that haunt the person to such an excruciating degree that they force him to constantly struggle to escape from them, to avoid them, to banish them from his mind.
They fall into three main categories, although the person with OCD may suffer from a combination of them:
- Fearful obsessions
Although they are similar to phobias, the person with phobic obsessions does not even have to face the object of their fear or phobia to feel all this intense stress, because they carry it all the time in their mind, e.g. if he has microbiophobia, wherever he is he will feel the danger of contamination, and therefore he will feel both the need to wash his hands and to protect himself from all relevant agents that may contaminate him, such as people or objects.
- Obsessive thoughts
In this category of obsessions, a thought, an idea, a number can take over the entire thinking of the person with OCD, causing them to feel constant doubt and stress e.g. if he turned off the water heater or if he did something wrong at work. In the need for confirmation, the person with OCD constantly repeats some checks or certain repetitive ritual, so that nothing goes wrong.
- Obsessions about sexuality and religion
This category of obsessions has a lot to do with guilt, because the person with OCD is afraid of engaging in blatantly shameful behavior, such as cursing in a church or hurting a loved one. Usually, these obsessive thoughts are related to sexual and religious content, which completely contradict the person’s overall personality and moral principles, which is why they create such a strong sense of guilt.
What are the main compulsions?
The person with OCD in order to relieve himself of his obsession is driven to compulsive movements, which he repeats over and over. The main compulsions are about:
- cleanliness
too frequent hand washing, in a relatively violent, rigid manner. The same extravagance usually characterizes the person’s general grooming. Also, excessively frequent cleaning of objects and surfaces, avoiding touching the wider “unknown” environment and other people.
- control
constant control of devices, especially those that can cause a disaster, such as a fire. There is constant need for confirmation and checking that he has done everything right, as he should, at home, at work, everywhere.
- symmetry
obsessive need for symmetry in the placement of objects, in colors, in everything the person with OCD sees. A thread hanging from a jacket or a frame that is hung crooked literally shakes him, and he must immediately correct them in order to feel calm again.
- repetition of movements or thoughts
how many times he has to enter or exit a door, the non-stop counting to the lucky number, clapping his fingers three times or opening and closing his eyelids five times, continuously praying for the “dirty” sexual thoughts to go away. There is no limit to how many times a person with OCD can repeat a movement or a thought to “exorcise evil”, to prevent a disaster, to save themselves and others, to make everything go well.
Accompanying diseases – disorders
If you have OCD, you may also suffer from: depression, bipolar disorder, appetite disorders, tic disorders, other anxiety disorders, body dysmorphic disorder (excessive obsession with an appearance “flaw”), trichotillomania (the need to pull and chew hair from your hair or other parts of your body).
Psychology of a person with OCD
Still, even in the rare case that you don’t have any of the above co-occurring disorders, you’re already suffering a lot.
Although you understand deep down that your thoughts are irrational, you cannot avoid the need to do something to “exorcise” them. It is impossible for you to calm down without resorting to a compulsive movement.
Even simple activities for others, such as getting on a bus or eating at a restaurant, can be especially difficult and painful for you.
You have a need for constant confirmation and control, worry all the time, get upset easily. It takes you an inordinate amount of time to complete a task that requires meticulousness because you almost always have to go over it from the beginning, especially if someone interrupts you.
Your behavior may seem excessive in the eyes of others. So often you tend to avoid contact with the world, not only if you have microbiophobia, but also in other cases, for fear of being judged as “crazy” or “ridiculous”. You feel helpless, in a vicious cycle of obsession, which makes your life absurdly difficult and prevents your spontaneous, natural interaction with others.
If you feel like you are alone with these unpleasant feelings, read how Jeanne Croteau experiences her own life with OCD symptoms at https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeannecroteau/2018/06/21/living-with -ocd-a-day-in-my-life/
Ways of treatment
The person with OCD in order to be cured needs to feel the complete acceptance without criticism and to have the fully active listening of the clinical psychologist or psychiatrist.
Beyond the recommended medication, the recommended psychotherapeutic approach is cognitive behavioral therapy.
One of its basic techniques is: Exposure with Inhibition of Reaction. After in the first stage the person with OCD is exposed to the situation that causes him anxiety, in the second stage and with the guidance of the specialist, he is prevented from to make his usual reaction.
Over time the person will learn to expose himself, without being driven to compulsive movements. Even if he is not fully cured, he will learn how to better manage his OCD in his daily life.
In this treatment, it is important that the support of the friendly and family environment is substantial, that is, it shows acceptance, but not tolerance.
Continually facilitating a person with OCD, e.g. constantly buying him detergents does not help him resolve to get rid of his severe symptoms, which make him suffer in life.
Energy
Continuous, obsessive thoughts, leading to compulsive movements naturally block the natural flow of energy in the chakras.
With your constant doubt and need for control, you do not feel free in your mind, soul, or body.
To better manage your OCD on a day-to-day basis, it is valuable to implement stress management tactics that will relax you.
Incorporate meditation into your daily life, using healing crystals, which will calm the overactive due to OCD chakra.
OCD symptoms are associated with blockages in more than one chakra: the third eye, which is the center of control, the throat chakra, which is associated with communication, the sacral chakra, which is associated with emotions, and the root, related to security. So it is important to take deep, relaxing breaths and send your most positive energy to each chakra so that the energy flows through your body naturally and brightly.
Use the power of positive affirmations. Repeat the positive statement out loud several times to reinforce the feeling of safety and confidence:
- I clear my thinking, I brighten my energy
- I trust in the flow of life
- I release stress, I release fear
- All is well, all will be well
Relax in that certainty.
Energy Healing – Your Growth Guide
Obsessive compulsive disorder is caused by many factors, which we will look at together in their entirety, to make the energy treatment that is right for you and that harmoniously complements both the medication you are taking and the psychotherapeutic approach you are following. No medications are provided.
Without any doubt or second thought, come, because, you deserve to take back control of your life and feel free!
https://iocdf.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Greek-Translation-What-You-Need-To-Know-About-OCD.pdf