Insights for a clearer mind

When considering Attachment-Focused EMDR in the treatment of OCD the link between early attachment style and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is important to consider.

I stumbled upon an enlightening passage in Bessel van der Kolk's landmark book 'The Body Keeps the Score' that resonated deeply with me. On page 212, van der Kolk powerfully states, "There is no one 'treatment of choice' for trauma, and any therapist who believes that his or her particular method is the only answer to your problems is suspect of being ideologue rather than somebody who is interested in making sure that you get well." This passage struck a chord because it captures the essence of what effective psychological treatment should be: tailored to the individual needs of the client, compassionate, personalised, collaborative, and open-minded.

Healing From Hurt: Embracing Care Over Fixing

Gabor Maté, a renowned physician and author, explores the intersection of authenticity and attachment—two vital but sometimes conflicting needs—in his work on trauma and personal development. Understanding this interplay can be transformative for both personal growth and relationships.

Ego-dystonic thoughts refer to thoughts, impulses, or ideas that are inconsistent or in conflict with a person's fundamental beliefs, attitudes, values, and self-image. They are unwanted and when meaning is attached to the occurrence of these thoughts, they cause significant distress and discomfort for the individual and can result in what feels like an internal tug of war. This internal struggle and resultant difficult emotions and distress is exhausting because it's like a battle between your true self, values, intent, desire, and beliefs, and how our very complex thinking machine can be very creative and inventive with the random thoughts it produces. When you really think about it, we need the ability to have spontaneous thoughts in order to be creative and solve problems because this is how we can imagine new ideas and invent. Without this capacity we would have no movies or fiction writing portraying terrifying stories etc. The brain needs to generate thousands of thoughts every day and not all of those thoughts will even come into our awareness or be aligned with our values, intentions, or desires.

Theory A / Theory B (TA/TB) is a common CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) approach that is well established as a supportive cognitive technique. With OCD-EMDR we integrate helpful techniques from other models of therapy, that fit nicely within the eight phases of EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing). TA/TB integrates well with EMDR at phase two and can be seen as a resourcing technique which also begins to light up connections to the adaptive neural pathways that we want to move towards in the present and future prong. 

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is often misunderstood, viewed merely as an anxiety disorder focused on excessive checking or cleaning. However, at its core, it frequently involves a deeply rooted struggle with shame. For therapists working with OCD, understanding this connection and approaching it with compassion is critical for healing.