Assist Therapy

The perpetuating cycle of OCD causes intense anxiety and consumes an inordinate amount of the person’s time. Without support, the fixation can become progressively more demanding, which in turn, increases the individual’s anxiety. In extreme cases, the condition can have severe and debilitating consequences, which prohibits the accomplishment of basic tasks and the fulfilment of responsibilities.

People struggling with OCD become entirely fixated on whatever tasks are being executed at any given time. This serves as a means of distraction or escape from more complicated issues and other problematic situations in life. When tasks are completed, it can bring a sense of accomplishment, particularly if the person is not succeeding in other areas. This provides a misplaced feel-good factor, which temporarily decreases the underlying feelings of anxiety. On the other hand, the fears of negative repercussions amplify for the individual during times of emotional and psychological stress, especially when the compulsive ideology is not taken to completion.

What Causes OCD?

Among the various psychological theories relating to the cause of OCD, it has been proposed that the condition relates to stressful life events, which cause distressing thoughts and subsequent emotions. From a psychodynamic perspective, OCD is the effect of deeper underlying unconscious factors, which manifest by way of habitual behaviours. OCD can be seen as an extremely creative and purposeful behaviour, which serves to overcompensate for one’s primary loss of control and personal power. In an attempt to transmute the negative effects of feeling disempowered, the loss of control in one area of a person’s life is often counter-balanced by the need to control in other areas. The individual, in this instance, is so out of control that the only way they can maintain some form of control is through rigid routines, creating order, building structure, and compartmentalisation. It’s ironic that in such cases that the OCD in turn, controls the ones who suffer.

With our psychodynamic approach, our psychotherapists are highly trained to explore areas of the psyche where source anxieties reside and to assess past experiences which contribute to the condition taking hold. We also promote mindfulness programs and physical exercise as natural methods for treating OCD. Many of our clients report positive outcomes and a reduction in symptoms soon after therapy commences and when new coping skills are adopted by the client.