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Hypnosis ocd treatment


Can Hypnotherapy Help OCD Symptoms?

Hypnotherapy is a therapeutic method that aims to induce a state of hypnosis. Some people say it helps with symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), although evidence is limited.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental health condition characterized by persistent and unwanted thoughts and compulsions. These symptoms can be extremely debilitating and distressing.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is considered the most effective treatment for OCD.

Still, about 30 to 60% of people may not respond to this therapy. This may lead some individuals to search for alternative therapies, such as hypnotherapy.

Hypnotherapy has been successfully used to treat some cases of anxiety disorders, such as phobias, but can it help OCD?

Hypnotherapy is a therapeutic method to induce an altered “trance-like” state of mind in which you may be able to temporarily block out external stimuli while remaining highly focused.

Though the terms hypnosis and hypnotherapy are often used interchangeably, there’s a distinct difference between them.

While hypnosis is a state of mind, hypnotherapy is a therapeutic treatment that uses hypnosis to manage a variety of mental and physical health conditions or everyday challenges.

While under hypnosis, deep relaxation is possible and some people may be more open to suggestion.

Hypnosis may sometimes be experienced similarly to being immersed in a good movie or book or even driving a familiar route (when you don’t remember the drive). It’s a bit like being half-awake and half-asleep.

Hypnotherapy has been used to treat the following conditions:

  • substance use disorder
  • behavioral changes
  • chronic pain
  • depression
  • eating disorders
  • grief and loss
  • phobias
  • post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
  • sleep disorders

Hypnotherapy for mental health and medical conditions can only be practiced by a hypnotherapist – a licensed or certified professional.

There is very limited scientific research on the long-term effects of hypnotherapy for OCD. A few case studies may discuss hypnotherapeutic strategies for OCD but it’s unclear if hypnotherapy has any lasting healing effects on the condition.

Proponents of hypnotherapy say that, theoretically, during the relaxed state of hypnosis, a person could safely address some of their OCD intrusive thoughts or obsessions.

For instance, a person with an intense fear of germs can consider these thoughts under hypnosis without experiencing the anxiety that usually accompanies them.

Then any insights achieved during the hypnosis state may be brought back to the conscious mind. This could allow you to discuss them with your therapist and work on coping skills to reduce the distress these thoughts cause.

There’s not much recent research that confirms if this is possible for most people with OCD.

A hypnotherapeutic approach – hypnotically induced dissociation (HID) – has been used to identify and address the dissociative symptoms of OCD with psychotic features.

Dissociation is the feeling of being disconnected from your emotions, thoughts, memories, actions, and sense of self. Some people with OCD experience dissociation, and research shows that dissociative symptoms are often present in people who don’t respond well to standard OCD treatments.

Researchers have found that HID may complement traditional OCD interventions such as CBT and EMDR. However, more studies are needed.

Based on 4 decades of research, CBT is considered the go-to and most effective treatment for OCD symptoms.

Of all types of CBT, exposure-based treatments have the largest evidence base for OCD.

In fact, the first breakthrough for OCD occurred with the development of exposure and response (ritual) prevention (ERP) in 1966.

ERP gradually exposes you to your fears until you’re no longer reactive to that stimuli. It’s estimated that about 80% of people with OCD respond well to ERP, and it’s still recommended as the first-line treatment for the disorder.

Other treatment options for OCD include the following:

  • medication (typically selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors)
  • combo treatment of CBT and medication
  • deep brain stimulation (DBS)
  • transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)

Though research on hypnotherapy for OCD is minimal, it doesn’t necessarily rule it out. There are testimonies of people finding success with this type of therapy.

Hypnotherapy may be a complementary option for some people already receiving treatment for OCD symptoms.

If you do decide to try it, it’s highly advisable that you consider a licensed hypnotherapist with experience with OCD.

Can Hypnotherapy Help OCD Symptoms?

Hypnotherapy is a therapeutic method that aims to induce a state of hypnosis. Some people say it helps with symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), although evidence is limited.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental health condition characterized by persistent and unwanted thoughts and compulsions. These symptoms can be extremely debilitating and distressing.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is considered the most effective treatment for OCD.

Still, about 30 to 60% of people may not respond to this therapy. This may lead some individuals to search for alternative therapies, such as hypnotherapy.

Hypnotherapy has been successfully used to treat some cases of anxiety disorders, such as phobias, but can it help OCD?

Hypnotherapy is a therapeutic method to induce an altered “trance-like” state of mind in which you may be able to temporarily block out external stimuli while remaining highly focused.

Though the terms hypnosis and hypnotherapy are often used interchangeably, there’s a distinct difference between them.

While hypnosis is a state of mind, hypnotherapy is a therapeutic treatment that uses hypnosis to manage a variety of mental and physical health conditions or everyday challenges.

While under hypnosis, deep relaxation is possible and some people may be more open to suggestion.

Hypnosis may sometimes be experienced similarly to being immersed in a good movie or book or even driving a familiar route (when you don’t remember the drive). It’s a bit like being half-awake and half-asleep.

Hypnotherapy has been used to treat the following conditions:

  • substance use disorder
  • behavioral changes
  • chronic pain
  • depression
  • eating disorders
  • grief and loss
  • phobias
  • post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
  • sleep disorders

Hypnotherapy for mental health and medical conditions can only be practiced by a hypnotherapist – a licensed or certified professional.

There is very limited scientific research on the long-term effects of hypnotherapy for OCD. A few case studies may discuss hypnotherapeutic strategies for OCD but it’s unclear if hypnotherapy has any lasting healing effects on the condition.

Proponents of hypnotherapy say that, theoretically, during the relaxed state of hypnosis, a person could safely address some of their OCD intrusive thoughts or obsessions.

For instance, a person with an intense fear of germs can consider these thoughts under hypnosis without experiencing the anxiety that usually accompanies them.

Then any insights achieved during the hypnosis state may be brought back to the conscious mind. This could allow you to discuss them with your therapist and work on coping skills to reduce the distress these thoughts cause.

There’s not much recent research that confirms if this is possible for most people with OCD.

A hypnotherapeutic approach – hypnotically induced dissociation (HID) – has been used to identify and address the dissociative symptoms of OCD with psychotic features.

Dissociation is the feeling of being disconnected from your emotions, thoughts, memories, actions, and sense of self. Some people with OCD experience dissociation, and research shows that dissociative symptoms are often present in people who don’t respond well to standard OCD treatments.

Researchers have found that HID may complement traditional OCD interventions such as CBT and EMDR. However, more studies are needed.

Based on 4 decades of research, CBT is considered the go-to and most effective treatment for OCD symptoms.

Of all types of CBT, exposure-based treatments have the largest evidence base for OCD.

In fact, the first breakthrough for OCD occurred with the development of exposure and response (ritual) prevention (ERP) in 1966.

ERP gradually exposes you to your fears until you’re no longer reactive to that stimuli. It’s estimated that about 80% of people with OCD respond well to ERP, and it’s still recommended as the first-line treatment for the disorder.

Other treatment options for OCD include the following:

  • medication (typically selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors)
  • combo treatment of CBT and medication
  • deep brain stimulation (DBS)
  • transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)

Though research on hypnotherapy for OCD is minimal, it doesn’t necessarily rule it out. There are testimonies of people finding success with this type of therapy.

Hypnotherapy may be a complementary option for some people already receiving treatment for OCD symptoms.

If you do decide to try it, it’s highly advisable that you consider a licensed hypnotherapist with experience with OCD.

Hypnosis for OCD

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Hypnosis - Treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and related anxiety disorders

During the last decade, it has been discovered that Hypno-suggestive psychotherapy (hypnosis and suggestion) is extremely effective treatment of people diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). The effectiveness of treating people with OCD using hypnosis is extremely high and, in some cases, exceeds that of CBT. But for a greater effect, better consolidation of the results, a combination of these methods will be used.

Hypnosis - several definitions

Hypnosis - a temporary state of consciousness, characterized by a narrowing of its volume and a sharp focus on the content of suggestion, which is associated with a change in the function of individual control and self-awareness.

Hypnosis is a complex of methods of purposeful verbal-sound influence on the human psyche through the consciousness inhibited in a certain way, leading to the unconscious execution of various commands and reactions, while being in an artificially induced state of body inhibition - drowsiness or pseudosleep.

Hypnosis - treatment of OCD

Hypno-suggestive psychotherapy (hypnosis and suggestion) has developed a large number of techniques that are used in the hypnotic state.

Method of direct (directive) change of beliefs - a person in a state of hypnotic trance (hypnosis) is directly instilled with new beliefs and behaviors. This allows people diagnosed with OCD, as well as other disorders on the OCD Spectrum, to be more quickly built in, new, more adaptive, thought process options that allow the person, more calmly, to be in situations and places that previously caused anxiety and fear. Also, the person is instilled with new behaviors that he has not previously used, which allows him to more easily replace obsessive behaviors and avoidance behaviors with new behaviors that do not cause an Obsessive-Compulsive Cycle, but direct the person to a new direction of recovery.

Method of indirect (non-directive) change of beliefs - a person is put into hypnosis and instilled with new thought patterns, beliefs, and new behaviors, using non-directive influence for this. Thus, mind control is even more bypassed, and the suggestions received are even more deeply anchored, both at the conscious level and at the level of the unconscious. A person diagnosed with OCD and comorbid anxiety disorders learns to more calmly experience situations and places that previously caused anxiety, anxiety, fear. Compulsions and avoidance behaviors are replaced by new, more adaptive behaviors that do not lead the person into the Obsessive Compulsive Cycle.

Methods of working with time (regression, progression, confusion) - allow a person to take the resources he needs for changes or create them and give them to a person at the place and time when he needs them most. Hypnosis allows, temporarily, to distort a person's subjective perception of time and embed the right suggestions in that subjective place and time that will allow the person to most quickly cope with the symptoms of OCD and related anxiety disorders. This makes the healing process even faster and more efficient.

Hypnosis - treatment of OCD and anxiety

Kiev OCD Center offers individual psychotherapy as a treatment for OCD and related anxiety disorders. List of disorders we treat:

  • Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
  • pure ROC
  • Perinatal/Postpartum OCD
  • OCD in children and adolescents
  • Dysmorphophobia
  • Hypochondria (fear/fear of getting sick)
  • Social phobia
  • Panic disorder
  • Phobias
  • Trichotillomania (compulsive hair pulling)
  • Dermatillomania (compulsive plucking/skin picking)
  • Olfactory syndrome - fear / fear of becoming a source of unpleasant odor

Author of the article

Mamitko Vitaly Andreevich
psychologist - psychotherapist
hypnologist - hypnotherapist

Last edit: 14. 03.2018

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Treatment of OCD with hypnosis - technique algorithm, features

The disorder is expressed in obsessive actions or movements caused by equally obsessive thoughts, pathological fears and various phobias.

According to various estimates, the number of people affected by the syndrome varies between 1-3%. The disease can be: episodic, progressive or chronic.

OCD begins to develop between the ages of 10-30. Despite the fact that the initial visit to the doctor occurs 5-8 years later, on average, about 26-36 years.

Those suffering from disorder are very suspicious people, with unexpected-decisive manifestations against the background of prevailing equanimity. The picture of the disease is characterized by repetitive dreary obsessive mental images or inclinations, which are perceived as meaningless and cause attempts of resistance in a person, however, unsuccessful.

Typical themes of obsessions:

  • aggressive or sexually promiscuous images and thoughts
  • fear of pollution and infection
  • moral-religious phobias
  • fear of being without necessary things or losing them
  • fear of hurting someone
  • increased attention to something that is perceived as the cause of bad luck or good luck
  • the idea of ​​​​fixing the symmetry and "correctness" of the entire environment

Obsessions provoke compulsions - repetitive rituals designed to protect the patient from imaginary danger, which he assesses as real.

A classic example is washing hands after every touch. Moreover, often the patient understands the meaninglessness of his behavior, but is not able to fight it. After the ritual, he experiences short-term relief, then the cycle repeats again and again.

Hypnotherapy - diagnostics and algorithm of treatment

Treatment precedes diagnostics, during which psychopathy, organic disorders are excluded and the prevailing emotion in the development of the disorder is established: fear, guilt, resentment or something else.

There is a misconception that hypnotherapy works almost against the will of the patient. In fact, and every honest specialist will confirm this, an effective complete cure is always the result of the joint work of the doctor and the client.

Therefore, when seeking professional advice, one should not relax and think: “I paid, and then it's not my concern. She is a doctor - so let her treat! It is necessary to tune in to composure and fruitful cooperation with the hypnologist.

Complete trust is very important when you allow a person into your subconscious to detect and correct violations. Therefore, after establishing the nature of the disorder, it is necessary, together with the doctor, to determine the goals and algorithm of treatment.

The desired result will determine the scope and specifics of the services provided. Often, the treatment includes 3-5 sessions (in some happy cases one is enough) and involves, if necessary, the involvement of other specialists.

At the same time, the person who asked for help should be aware that the hypnologist will not inspire him with some new superpowers, but will restore the normal functioning of his own nervous system, eliminating the underlying causes of the disorder.

Rules for hypnosis therapy

  • Hypnotherapy does not treat psychiatric disorders and disorders that have an organic basis.
  • Treatment of children and adolescents is carried out with the permission of the parents. But adults should not be present directly at the sessions.

My competencies

As a hypnotherapist, I help my patients get rid of idiosyncrasies, manias, phobias, tics, panic attacks and other manifestations of psychosomatic diseases, such as: