I know that relationships may be challenging, but what if your worries about your relationship start to interfere with your everyday activities? What if you find yourself preoccupied with doubts and fears about your relationship, despite reassurances from your partner? What if all the reassurance you are getting from your partner isn’t enough to satisfy you? If this resonates with you, you might be dealing with Relationship OCD (ROCD), something I know firsthand after suffering from it for years. If you want to know more about relationship OCD, you have come to the right place, read on for more info.
What is relationship OCD?
In short, it’s a form of OCD in which people get fixated on uncertainties and anxieties around their romantic relationships. It can be crippling to be uncertain, which makes it hard to enjoy the relationship or concentrate on anything else. While confusion and doubts are common among people with ROCD, they can become overwhelming and lead to anxiety or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). A person feels forced to engage in routines like ruminating or seeking reassurance in order to get rid of the worry, but these actions ultimately just make OCD worse.
What causes relationship OCD?
Regretfully, there is still much to learn about the reasons for ROCD. Research indicates that a mix of environmental, psychological, and genetic variables might be the culprit, though. For instance, those who have endured trauma or abuse, have a family history of OCD, or both may be at a higher risk of developing ROCD. Cultural values may also influence what is expected of romantic relationships. The effects of ROCD on a person’s life can be significant, regardless of the underlying reason. I should know because I had severe symptoms of it once!
How to treat relationship OCD
Acknowledging that these thoughts are intrusive type OCD thoughts and that they require attention through treatment with therapists who specialise in OCD is crucial to beginning the process of recovering from relationship OCD. Telling your partner that you suffer from this kind of OCD and educating them about the behaviours that work and don’t work for you is also beneficial. For example, if you have a relationship with OCD seeking and are receiving reassurance from your partner this is a big no no and they should be made aware of this so they don’t give reassurance and make OCD worse.
I’m often asked, “how do stop relationship OCD”. As is the case with other forms of OCD, there are strategies to help treat relationship OCD and break free from the disorder’s tight hold. Some of my former relationships did end because of relationship OCD when it was taking over my life, but after having treatment for my OCD, it hardly ever affects them.
In order to help my clients with their OCD, I combine hypnosis with exposure and response prevention (ERP) treatments. ERP is facing the feared events head-on and learning to sit with the anxiety without giving in to compulsions, while hypnosis involves communicating with the subconscious mind and removing fears the fears that created the OCD in the first place whilst reducing the repetitive thought patterns like intrusive thoughts.
Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is also crucial, which includes getting enough sleep, eating balanced food, and exercising frequently. Well-being can be further improved by taking part in fun activities and creating self-care routines. As you go through your ROCD, it’s also critical to talk to your partner or other loved ones and ask for their support.
To sum up, although relationship OCD is difficult to live with, it can be treated and, for the most part, significantly lessened. You’re not alone if you’re dealing with ROCD, and getting treatment shouldn’t be seen as a sign of weakness. Keep in mind that while treatment may require patience and time, you can overcome ROCD and lead a happy life in relationships that are healthy with the correct support system and commitment.
Last words…
If you need further assistance on on how to deal with relationship OCD – check out my “Hypnosis for OCD Relief” service during which I can help you to feel calmer, and reduce intrusive ROCD thoughts and the urge to perform compulsions. To find out more – click this link www.alexsaxton.com/hypnosis-for-ocd-relief/
I’m a clinical hypnotherapist with over 15 years of experience, and to date, I have helped over 100 clients from London, Poole, Bournemouth, Southampton, Bath, Bristol, the United States, and as far afield as New Zealand to overcome anxiety. Regardless of where you reside, I am fully equipped to assist you in the same manner so do get in touch if you need my hypnosis help too. Here is the link to my website www.alexsaxton.com and here is the link to my calendar if you would like to book a consultation wwww.alexsaxtoncalendar.as.me
