OCD

…the Lord searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you… – 1 Chronicles 28:9

Desperation or hopelessness are feelings that we naturally feel when we force ourselves to control everything even if we know it’s impossible to do so. Your emotions, behavior, and intrusive thoughts are struggles that God can see. We thank you for giving us the opportunity to help you out with your battle with OCD.

Here at Los Angeles Christian Counseling, our mission is to help out people like you in resolving and overcoming OCD symptoms. We believe that the most effective way to overcome OCD is through a combination of proven therapies and the healing promises of Jesus Christ.

Find Out If You Have OCD

Believe it or not, there were about 1 in 40 adults diagnosed with OCD in 2015. It’s actually more common that everyone thinks it is. Most people think people with OCD are the ones who have severe obsessive-compulsive behaviors but the truth is, this number is just a small portion of those who really suffer from OCD.

Many of those struggling are still able to function above than average every day. If you want to find out whether or not you or your loved one suffers from OCD, here are some questions you should answer:

• Do you constantly have intrusive thoughts that just won’t stop?
• Are your things always organized in a specific way or do you always keep your hands clean?
• Do you check and count things over and over again?
• Are you obsessed with some things that just don’t make any sense?

The cause of every obsessive thoughts or action is different for every person. Things like your hair, dust on the windows, or an unorganized wall can trigger your OCD. Constant worrying that won’t go away is also another thing that can trigger it. Keeping the struggle to yourself will only prevent you from correctly performing your daily responsibilities in life. Regardless of how extreme your struggle may be, you will find both compassion and healing through Christian OCD counseling.

Understanding Obsessions and Compulsions

Unwanted thoughts (obsessions) and the behaviors needed to temporarily eliminate those thoughts (compulsions) are the common struggles that people with OCD are going through. When these two occurs, it results in the signs and symptoms of OCD.

Here are the following symptoms of OCD:

Obsessions – If you feel like you’re stuck by constant or “running” thoughts, you may have OCD. Having thoughts like unwanted ideas or impulses which usually result in severe anxiety or fear and can prevent you from thinking normally and performing your daily responsibilities. If you have thoughts related to the following, you are having obsessions:

• A strong desire to do things perfectly
• Obsessively contemplating over things such as relationship
• Fear of hurting yourself or others
• Obsessively contemplating over things such as relationship problems

Compulsions – In order to eliminate or silence the obsessive thoughts, a person suffering from OCD may engage in ritualistic behaviors. It may stay the same for a long period of time while there are those that are a bit more complicated and change from time to time. Here are examples of compulsive behaviors:

• Washing, or checking to ensure that something was correctly done
• Counting usually while doing something related to the action
• Constantly moving or organizing things to perfectly put them in order
• Hoarding

OCD has a serious effect on the person’s emotional, mental, social, and spiritual well-being regardless of how severe or fairly minor the symptoms are. Unfortunately, a person with OCD often feels ashamed or scared of admitting they’re struggling so they avoid reaching out to other people for help. Los Angeles Christian Counseling is a place where it is free of judgment and there is respect for people who want to recover from their OCD symptoms at their own pace.

You can be yourself in Christian OCD counseling because it is a place full of compassion and trust. We are here to help you heal at a pace that’s suitable for you. A lot of amazing things happen when we seek Christ and listen to his words with an open heart. In order to focus on your situation, we have a Christian Counselor who will be with you in your journey towards healing. You will be participating in evidence-based therapies, Bible study, and prayer.

Will Your OCD Be Cured Through Therapy?

Therefore, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. – James 5:16

You may have heard about the many effective treatments for dealing with the symptoms of OCD. People around you may tell you there is no real “cure” for OCD, but as Christians, we strongly believe that all things are made possible through faith. We are human beings just like Elijah.

He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. – James 5:17

Christian Counseling is different from other types of counseling because of this. We do not just rely on evidence-based treatments, we go above and beyond by reaching out to the author and finisher of our faith for healing that only He, can make possible.

Here are the advantages of Christian counseling for OCD:

• A better understanding of your OCD symptoms
• A place full of support, free of judgment with the space to explore your thoughts and emotions
• Helping you deal with your OCD symptoms to prevent them from negatively affecting your daily life so that you will be able to live the life you want
• Learning to communicate with your loved ones to better explain OCD, as well as providing support, making sure your relationships aren’t affected by your symptoms

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. – Colossians 3:1

What You Can Expect From Christian Ocd Counseling In LA

At Los Angeles Christian Counseling, we have experienced Christian counselors who have been helping people overcome all types of OCD symptoms even those whose obsessions relates to the issues of the faith.

You may be obsessively worrying about God’s punishments for not being able to do specific things such as praying and performing certain rituals, or you constantly fear that your spirit is being attacked. You may take these symptoms as things from God but there’s a huge possibility that your thoughts and behaviors aren’t beneficial to your faith.

It’s important to go over your journey of recovery along with the people of faith. We are here to help you understand what is of God and what are the possible reasons why you are not growing spiritually. You may have heard of secular groups giving you complete assurance for recovery but Christian counseling will work with you by encouraging your faith instead of downplaying it especially when all you really want more than anything else is to seek God.

OCD Counseling Process

Depending on what you need, Christian counseling will approach you in a way that works specifically for you. Generally, your counselor will create an individualized plan of treatment that will help you control intrusive thoughts and behaviors. It is our goal to lessen your symptoms and turn the negative effects of OCD in your life and relationships around. Usually, it is necessary to treat other co-occurring conditions such as depression and dependency on chemicals to achieve full recovery.

Our approach, on the other hand, uses the most effective and common form of therapy in Christian counseling for OCD. It is a type of cognitive-behavioral therapy called exposure and response prevention. Here is how it works:

• Recognizing your obsessions and rituals (compulsions) the things you avoid
• Measuring the amount of anxiety every obsession causes by rank from highest to lowest
• Constant exposure to the obsession while ignoring the compulsive act, starting with those that lead to minor anxiety
• Slowly but surely working towards exposure to obsessions that lead to more anxiety as a rational pace
• Conquering wrong beliefs causing OCD behaviors

We are aware that Christian counseling for OCD can be very hard but that’s why we have counselors to support you through results-driven Christian counseling and faith in Christ. Once you’re ready to cut the chain of OCD in your life, we are more than happy to help you make it happen.

Don’t hesitate to ask for our help if you feel that your child is suffering from OCD. Although there is a similarity between counseling for OCD in children and treatment for adults, it will depend on the age and specific needs of your child. Your child may have to go through cognitive-behavioral therapy similar to that indicated above. We also use a technique that is only suitable for your child called “cognitive restructuring”. This method involves your children telling a story related to his or her obsession which will then help lessen the frequency and severity of the symptoms.

Professionals expert in dealing with special challenges related to OCD at a young age are the ones that children and teens with OCD must check into. Oftentimes, young children find it hard to express their symptoms and do know how to describe their irrational fears and compulsive behaviors. Older children and teens, on the other hand, might feel embarrassed to share their symptoms. The Christian child and adolescent counselors at our office offer a place full of compassion, encouraging young people to be more expressive with their emotions as well as encourage them to connect with Christ.

We know how hard it can be for you and for your child who has obsessive-compulsive disorder. The experienced counselors at Los Angeles Christian Counseling will help you and your child feel better as we work through Christian counseling for children and teens together.

You can find hope and healing through Christian counseling for OCD in Los Angeles. Choose us to be your partner in your journey toward recovery today.