Obsessions and compulsions can plague a sufferer’s life and at its mildest, the condition regularly raises feelings of annoyance and distress.
If you suffer through your own intrusive thoughts and behaviours then its likely you are most often in a state of extreme anxiety. You possibly also live in fear that those you love may be hurt and in danger.
These fears can feel impossibly overwhelming. Experiencing impossible overwhelm leads to the extreme powerlessness and anxiety that cause your overriding need/compulsion to include obsessions and rituals into your life. Your rationale for these may be aimed at both protecting yourself and those you love.
These obsessions and rituals are your ‘coping strategies’, and even though they can quite quickly become a huge intrusion on your life, they can also feel like the only bridge between you and overwhelm. You may even perform your obsessions and rituals in a sort of trance ie. not really acknowledging that you’ve done ‘it’, until you’ve done ‘it!
Obsessions can include: hand-washing, counting, checking, skin picking and cutting. However, relief is short lived and the performance of these (often secret) compulsive obsessions, rituals and other repeated behaviours doesn’t stem the consumption of automatic negative thoughts, low self esteem, high levels of fear, hopelessness and self dislike.
Within the therapeutic relationship I will help you to look at how to increase your self esteem, lower your feelings of hopelessness and increase your confidence to reduce your obstructive behaviours.
I will encourage, challenge and support your progress so you can make the changes you need to live your life in a more satisfactory and routine way.
