Treating Obsessive Compulsive Disorder as a Condition that shares Emotional Dysregulation Traits with Addiction
After spending years in and out of different therapies from the age of 17 with little to no improvement I concluded that I was meant to feel anxious constantly, having experienced anxiety since the age of 14. Within the last two years things felt like they were going from bad to worse. OCD started affecting me detrimentally, which seemingly came out of the blue, though in reality I was struggling with it for a lot longer than I had previously realised, that paired with the increasing anxiety was becoming relentless. I was both mentally and physically broken at this point, running on two hours sleep courtesy of OCD and I hadn’t left my home in over three months. I was aware that the OCD wasn’t helpful and was causing more problems than it solved yet I couldn’t stop the compulsions and they were taking over my life. I was confused, scared, upset, and frustrated with what my life (or lack of) had become.
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The last five months of counselling sessions I have had the opportunity to transform as a person. I don’t want to put it lightly in the sense that just talking has magically made the anxiety and OCD disappear – it’s not that simple. I have put hard work in to get to the position I am in today and had the guidance and support I have needed to safely and effectively to become my true self. I have been provided with activities such as keeping a journal for my thoughts as well as been given theory to further research such as ‘The Chimp Paradox’. The entire counselling process was explained to me a step at a time with the appropriate science and theory behind it at each relevant stage, having this further level of understanding allowed me to see that I wasn’t ‘broken’ and gave me the clarity needed to make change where necessary - this is where previous therapies had faltered, giving people activities or exposure exercises to complete isn’t helpful if they are not in the correct mind state to do so and do not understand the reason behind it comprehensively.
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Working with the method of combining activities with the knowledge of science and theory allowed for changes to be made and overall was a more flexible process - if things were not working for me particularly well, I had the opportunity to approach it from a different angle and do what seemed best for me at that time. Therapy shouldn’t be a one size fits all – everyone is different and has different experiences. Whilst the core principles of therapy remain, having the opportunity to mould the process to fit the individual is more forward thinking and ultimately shows the best results. The counselling process allowed for incremental changes at a steady pace. Any teething problems along the way were always followed by discussions and further clarity which let me continue to make progress. Having small changes happen over a period provided the opportunity to appreciate and fully understand the process and the person I was uncovering.
When I started this process, I did not know what to expect or if it would even benefit myself, but the last few months has provided me with more knowledge about the human mind and how it works, allowing me to implement it into my life, than years of previous therapy ever did. I’m now a more confident person, who gets a lot more sleep and has a ‘normal’ functioning life. My only regret is that I wish I knew all the information I now know years ago so that I didn’t have to suffer for as long as I did. Nevertheless, I am grateful for my journey and the things I have learnt about myself and continue to learn to keep growing as a person.