OCD

…For the LORD sees every heart and knows every plan and thought. If you seek him, you will find him… – 1 Chronicles 28:9

Hopeless and desperate feelings are natural responses to situations that seem out of our control. It’s easy to forget that God is in control and knows every anxious thought, feeling, and behavior. Bellevue Christian counselors work from a faith-based understanding help you find freedom from OCD through best practice therapies and the ultimate source of healing – the promises of God.

How Do I Know if I Have OCD?

Many sufferers of OCD may rule themselves out as having this condition, since it is typical for us to imagine obsessive-compulsive behavior in its most extreme forms. However, OCD is more common than people suppose, with nearly 3% of adults diagnosed with OCD in 2015. Moreover, many adults diagnosed with OCD are able to live productive, independent lives.

Consider whether you or a loved one suffer from OCD with this list of common symptoms:

• You have recurring and persistent anxious thoughts.
• You have a fear of dirt, germs, or sickness, causing you to wash your hands excessively.
• You repeatedly keep track of or count things, needing the arrangement of items to be perfect.
• You have irrational obsessions that seem unnecessary, such as relationship issues that are not considered problems by others.
• You fear the possibility that you will harm yourself or someone else.

Obsessive behaviors or thoughts are triggered differently in people for various reasons, ranging from silent anxieties to severe issues that keep you from functioning well in your daily life. Christian OCD counseling, no matter how you experience OCD, can guide you to solutions that are compassionate and effective.

Obsessions and Compulsions Defined

Put simply, obsessions are unwanted thoughts and compulsions are out of control behaviors. People who suffer from OCD use compulsive behaviors to ease their obsessions, the intrusive thoughts and anxieties they experience. From this general definition, we get many variations of OCD symptoms.

Obsessions

Those who suffer from OCD typically describe a trapped feeling because of racing thoughts, such as intrusive ideas or impulses that cause worry or fear, hindering normal daily functionality.

Obsessive thoughts may include:

• Strong desires for perfection
• Being afraid of the typical ways people interact with dirt, germs, or sickness
• Being suspicious about the motives of others
• The fear that you will harm someone or even yourself
• Thinking too often and too anxiously about relationship issues

Compulsions

People who suffer from OCD often seek to quiet their obsessions with highly structured or ritualistic behaviors.

Compulsive behaviors may include:

• Repeated washing, cleaning, or excessive checking that a task has been done correctly
• Hoarding items that can easily be discarded
• Rearranging or reorganizing unnecessarily and frequently
• Frequently moving or organizing items to keep them in perfect order

A person’s social, emotional, spiritual, and mental well-being can be seriously affected by obsessive-compulsive behaviors, even if the person’s symptoms are considered to be less serious. Many people who need help do not get it, either out of shame or the opinion that their symptoms are not extreme.

The best thing to do, however, is to start the conversation with a professional therapist at Bellevue Christian Counseling. We will work with anyone at any pace they need to address questions, figure out the severity of a condition, and guide people to lasting freedom from OCD.

Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. – James 5:16

Faith-based OCD counseling provides you a safe environment of compassion where we can work through your questions and guide you to healing and freedom from OCD. Great things have happened to countless people who seek Christ with and open heart and a desire to work on lasting solutions.

Does Counseling Cure OCD?

It is common to hear that there is no “cure” for OCD, but in reality, there are many lasting treatments for OCD, particularly when combined with faith in God and a life of seeking Christ. Christian counseling is unique in that utilizes and goes beyond evidence-based treatment, guiding each person in his or her unique situation to seek God in a way that will address the root of the symptoms.

Christian Counseling for OCD is beneficial in a myriad of ways, helping you:

• better understand your OCD symptoms
• find support in an understanding, non-judgmental environment to sort out your thoughts and feelings
• strategize ways to manage symptoms of your OCD so as to maximize your life functionality
• understand how to explain OCD to loved ones and gain insight into how your relationships may be affected by symptoms
• find the peace that surpasses understanding which only flows forth from Christ

Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. – Colossians 3:1

Christian Counseling for OCD does not all look the same, varying by the unique needs of each client. In most cases, however, you will come out of the counseling process with a strategic plan developed with the help of your counselor for dealing with the unwanted thoughts and behaviors associated with OCD.

The goal of implementing this plan is always to lessen the harmful effects of OCD symptoms on your life, loved ones, and functionality. Treating conditions associated with OCD, such as depression or chemical dependency, may also be necessary for complete recovery.

Christian counseling will utilize a professional counseling method called exposure and response prevention, which is aimed at helping you identify obsessive behavior, understand the intensity level of each obsession, and unearth the faulty beliefs of underlying obsessions through systematic exposure to them. The counseling process for OCD is gradual and sometimes difficult, but Bellevue Christian OCD counselors will patiently guide you through the process to lasting results.

If you suspect that your child or teen suffers from OCD, the professionals at Bellevue Christian Counseling can help. In addition to the typical treatment methods utilized for OCD sufferers, your child will benefit from a method we use specifically for children, called “cognitive restructuring,” which relies on a storytelling method that helps lessen the recurrence of OCD symptoms.

It is important to seek the help of a professional if your child is suffering from OCD, since a counselor qualified to help children uses results-driven methods aimed specifically at the younger ages. Moreover, since children usually have a more difficult time explaining symptoms and understanding the fears behind compulsive behavior, it is important that you have the expertise of a trained Christian counselor for help in freeing your child or teen from OCD.

Not only will Bellevue Christian counselors guide your child through understanding and conquering OCD symptoms, but throughout the process, he or she will be guided to Christ as the chief help and source of spiritual vitality and fellowship with God, along with freedom from OCD.

Find the change you’re looking for with Christian Counseling for OCD.

Learn to break free from the confines of OCD by calling us today at 425-939-6856 or by visiting our online directory.