What does OCD look like? How to deal with it? Find an individual therapist in Bangalore?

What are obsessions?

Obsessional thoughts are ideas, images or instincts that enter the individual's mind again & again. They are almost invariably painful (because they are brutal or obscene, or simply because they are perceived as senseless) & the sufferer often tries, unsuccessfully, to resist them.

What are compulsions?

Compulsive acts or rituals are behaviours that are repeated time & again. It is performed in order to neutralize the anxiety caused by the obsession. The basic assumption here is that one should not have such a thought & bad will occur as a consequence. To avoid the unfavourable from happening, a compulsion is executed. This behaviour is often recognized by the individual as pointless & repeated attempts are made to resist it; in long-standing cases, resistance may be minimal.

The obsessions or compulsions are time-consuming & interfere significantly with the person's usual routine, occupational functioning, usual social activities, or relationships. A sufferer with OCD (Obsessive-compulsive disorder) may have an obsession, a compulsion, or both.

- Kaplan and Sadock; ICD

How to manage OCD effectively?

OCD is a very difficult and debilitating disorder. The more one tries to end the obsessions or refrain from acting on it, the harder it gets to actually do so. Trying to do away with it only ends up making it worse. Therefore, the approach has to be that of graceful defense rather than a violent fight with it. Here are some pointers:

• Mindset:
  
  Remember that the more you try to stop, the harder it will persist. There is already a surface of intense anxiety when one is suffering with an obsession. We only add another layer when we try to end it from happening. Therefore, instead of trying to stop it, remember that the only way out of it is ‘through it’.
• Understanding the nature of obsessions and related anxiety:
  
  Emotions, anxiety in this case; build, peak, and subside like waves. When we learn to allow the anxiety to take its course, it often passes within a short time (often within a few minutes). Which means, that the thought by itself isn’t the worry, but our interaction with it is. Instead of promoting the ineffective thinking at that time, if we focus on observation of ourselves, the thinking gradually decreases.
• Grounding:
  
  In order to turn inwards &increase the skill of observation, one has to learn to ground him or herself. The two categories of skills of riding the wave gracefully are:
  1. Grounding in your body & breath: Some of the exercises that can be used are simple deep breathing, box breathing, tuning into the body and figuring out which part is affected and stretching or giving it a massage.
  2. Processing emotions:
  Notice – be aware that you are being affected.
  Name – tune into yourself & name the feelings that are alive right now.
  Surrender – accept the fact that these feelings are what is true for you right now.
  Feel – allow yourself to experience the feelings moving throughout your body.
  Express – write, journal, draw, talk with a good listener, walk in anger, hit pillows.

It may take lot many attempts to avoid yielding to the obsession by using the above mentioned steps. However, one needs to remember that whether we are surrendering to the obsession and carrying out compulsive behaviours which can be time consuming & interfering with tasks OR we are turning inwards & learning to ground ourselves, the discomfort remains at a similar level. Which one of the above is a wiser option is a question I will let you all answer!

If things become more than you can handle, always make sure to work with a psychiatrist & a therapist. It is always good to have an accountability partner that can help amplify your quality of life!

Listing down one of the best organizations/institutions for individual therapy in Bengaluru:

Mpower-The Center, Indiranagar

For contact details, please visit- https://mpowerminds.com/contact

Also read, Benefits of Individual therapy and best individual therapist in Bangalore

https://mpowerminds.com/blog/Benefits-of-Individual-Therapy-and-best-individual-therapist-in-bangalore

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