Mindfulness and ocd ?

[frankie]

I have tried CBT and ERP to limited success ...........can someone explain to me how mindfulness works in OCD? Is it a case of having deep periods of breathing relaxation and letting the distressing intrusive thoughts come in and out like the tide ?

[lostinme]

Hi frankie,

Im really sorry to hear you’ve had little success with CBT or ERP. I’m not a great believer of ERP, however CBT is the best treatment for OCD. There could be a number of contributing factors to why it was unsuccessful. It could be that you didn’t have the correct rapport with the therapist, the therapist might be trained in CBT but needs to be a specialist in CBT for OCD. You didn’t put everything into the CBT perhaps a little apprehensive and holding back a little maybe? there could be numerous reasons to why it didn’t work. However don’t give up on trying it again. 

Mindfulness is a great tool to have but it’s by no means a treatment for OCD, but at a later stage after doing CBT it can run along nicely together and become a good tool to have. 

Firstly I would look into finding a new therapist especially CBT trained for OCD,  just because it didn’t work the first time doesn’t mean it won’t work this time. 

Lost 

[taurean]

Hi frankie. 

There is a good book for this which you can download :

The mindfulness workbook for OCD - a guide to overcoming obsessive compulsive disorder using mindfulness and CBT 

It's by Tom Corboy and Jon Herschfield. 

Lost is right - mindfulness works in addition to CBT, it's not a treatment on its own for OCD - we need to understand how OCD works - the C - and the behavioural changes we must make - the B.

The mindfulness takes us to another place in our mind - the benign "just being"  place where we can learn to live just in the present in the moment; away from the active "doing"  part of the brain, where all the unhelpful obsessing and compulsing takes place. 

 

Edited July 29, 2018 by taurean

[frankie]

Thank you very much you of you 

[BigDave]

On 29/07/2018 at 20:27, taurean said:

Hi frankie. 

There is a good book for this which you can download :

The mindfulness workbook for OCD - a guide to overcoming obsessive compulsive disorder using mindfulness and CBT 

It's by Tom Corboy and Jon Herschfield. 

Lost is right - mindfulness works in addition to CBT, it's not a treatment on its own for OCD - we need to understand how OCD works - the C - and the behavioural changes we must make - the B.

The mindfulness takes us to another place in our mind - the benign "just being"  place where we can learn to live just in the present in the moment; away from the active "doing"  part of the brain, where all the unhelpful obsessing and compulsing takes place. 

 

I would also like to suggest the audiobook I’m listening too called Mindfullness: the eight week meditation program for a frantic world by Mark Williams and Danny Penman. 

[taurean]

For a quicker entry into the concept, I like "Mindfulness on the go: Peace in your pocket"  by Padraig O'Morain. 

[dksea]

One of the fundamental parts of mindfulness is to experience without judgment.  In contrast OCD results in placing massive judgment on what we experience.  Through practicing mindfulness you can reduce anxiety and break the cycle of placing meaning and judgment on the thoughts and other sensations you experience that OCD sufferers will (usually falsely) connect with fears and anxieties.  Mindfulness isn't a miracle cure, but it can be a very helpful tool to improve your overall mental health and help you better handle OCD.

[taurean]

We must be careful to see mindfulness for what it is. 

CBT is essential to understand the way OCD operates and tackle that. Untackled the OCD recurs. 

The mindfulness works beyond CBT,  shifting our focus away from obsessing and compulsing, and into the present, in the moment - and as Dksea says, non-judgementally. 

And as our mind, and as a result our body, is calm and relaxed, in mindfulness we experience more concentration and power. 

I now watch TV mindfully - I am totally absorbed in the programme - so as well as educating and entertaining, the TV is also a focus for relaxation. 

But it is important to see mindfulness for what it is, and the benefits it delivers. 

In OCD treatment it supplements the very necessary CBT. 

 

Edited September 14, 2018 by taurean

[Lynz]

On 29/07/2018 at 20:27, taurean said:

Hi frankie. 

There is a good book for this which you can download :

The mindfulness workbook for OCD - a guide to overcoming obsessive compulsive disorder using mindfulness and CBT 

It's by Tom Corboy and Jon Herschfield. 

Lost is right - mindfulness works in addition to CBT, it's not a treatment on its own for OCD - we need to understand how OCD works - the C - and the behavioural changes we must make - the B.

The mindfulness takes us to another place in our mind - the benign "just being"  place where we can learn to live just in the present in the moment; away from the active "doing"  part of the brain, where all the unhelpful obsessing and compulsing takes place. 

 

This book is great. I have it. I highly recommend it.