‘Use it – or be used by it.’   Anon

The ability to concentrate on one theme and also to remember complicated sequences of action are both vital human faculties. Yet, these natural skills can easily become distorted. This is one vital aspect of the variety of conditions collectively known as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD): they are in part distortions of natural ‘givens’ of human nature, abilities that can be liberated and used in better ways.

Common factors in the condition are:

Obsessions:   repeating, automatic thoughts and feelings, generally unwanted by the sufferers and often unpleasant and disturbing to them.  Sufferers often complain that they do not know how to stop them and are unable to do so.

Compulsions:  the carrying out of various kinds of actions that ‘must be done’. often developing into complicated. time-consuming rituals.

Examples of compulsions include hand-washing, obsessive checking, various forms of repetitious counting/ calculating etc. and some specific self-harming behaviours such as hair pulling. There are many more possibilities – sufferers can  be very inventive!

Links to other conditions:    OCD is often (though not always) linked to other conditions such as phobias, high anxiety, panic attacks, depression, confidence problems and other conditions, sometimes including eating disorders such as bulimia and anorexia nervosa.

Myths about the condition:    Myths about the  condition include that notion that it is somehow genetically programmed and that sufferers are stuck with it for life. Whilst some may be temperamentally more prone to developing the condition, it is fundamentally a temporary state in which natural responses very many people leading normal lives take for granted become exaggerated, especially through heightened emotional states and stress. It’s hence essential to avoid therapy and other interventions that perpetuate the condition.

Effective therapy for OCD

• does not encourage sufferers to introspect and become more emotional about their condition
• does not assume that the answer lies in an examination of past events
• will, however, deal with any troubling past experiences in effective ways
• will also deal with specific fears
• will develop new competence and confidence, liberating skills that can be used better
• will make positive use of the imaginative mind as part of treatment
• teaches effective relaxation skills as well as cognitive techniques
• encourages clients to become aware of how their own OCD patterns have worked
• encourages clients recognize choice to make changes at a pace that suits them.
• may employ humour, stories and metaphor to help the client to think creatively
• will not take a long time

Counsellors will encourage clients to develop new confidence skills in dealing with their condition and to measure progress realistically.