High levels of anxiety linked to physical
sensations such as breathing, swallowing, eye-floaters, heartbeat and physical posture or balance can be symptoms of
Sensorimotor Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.
In
our experience, Sensorimotor OCD can be effectively treated using a special
form of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy in as few as eight CBT sessions. To book
a free initial telephone call with a CBT expert, email or text your contact
details to
Sensorimotor OCD, also known as Somatic OCD, involves a preoccupation with body sensations or feelings, obsessional worry about not feeling normal and compulsive self-monitoring to check, test and compare the sensations.
This creates a vicious cycle of self-surveillance
and checking, disrupting personal and professional responsibilities and leading to high levels of anxiety and depressed mood.
Common Sensorimotor Preoccupations include:
Whilst the sensations in themselves are typically within the normal range, Sensorimotor OCD increases attention and amplifies the distress associated with the physiological preoccupation. This causes normal bodily sensations and functions to feel distracting and overwhelming.
like all other OCD subtypes, sensorimotor OCD involves the three connected processes of the trigger, the obsession and the compulsion.
The Trigger
This can be an internal preoccupation or an
urge to check if something feels “normal”. The trigger itself is typically a normal
sensory experience, however in Sensorimotor OCD this leads to a primary doubt. The primary OCD doubt or irrational inference is that the sensation will
feel wrong or abnormal. In this sense, the trigger is a "loaded trigger", as it becomes automatically associated with the primary OCD doubt that the feeling is wrong.
The Obsession
Once the individual is hooked by the initial
trigger and OCD doubt that something feels wrong, this leads to a high level of
obsessional worry, rumination and catastrophic thinking about losing control of the feeling and never feeling normal again. This
involves worry, over-thinking and doubt
about the sensation itself as well as a secondary form of meta-worry about the
impacts of obsessional worry and anxiety itself. (Worry about the effects of worry). This super-charges and escalates sensorimotor obsessions, leading to higher levels of
anxiety and feelings of helplessness.
The Compulsion
The compulsive response involves mental and
physical checking in an attempt to seek relief and see if the sensation feels normal again.
Compulsions include avoidance or
suppression; trying to not notice or push the sensation out of conscious
awareness. This triggers a rebound affect which increases surveillance, hypervigilance and
attention to the sensation.
Physical compulsions include checking or
self-monitoring to test or suppress the feeling. This also involves Googling,
over-researching the problem and seeking reassurance from others.
Far from providing relief and reassurance, the compulsion increases attention on the
feeling and reinforces the association between the trigger and the checking
behaviour. Over time, the checking behaviours become automatically associated or synonymous with the doubt that the sensations feel wrong or will never feel normal again. Sufferers become progressively caught up in a vicious cycle of selective attention, worry and checking / avoidance behaviours. This perpetuates a hypersensitivity to the bodily sensation and prevents the normalisation of the feelings.
Sensorimotor OCD becomes all-consuming and overwhelming, leading to significant disruption to the individual's relationships, professional and personal responsibilities.
The recommended treatment of choice for
Sensorimotor OCD is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. In particular, a combination
of Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) to to support extinction, habituation and inhibitory learning, a special form of Cognitive Reappraisal, to identify and correct faulty thinking patterns, as well as Acceptance and Defusion strategies, to learn how to reduce the struggle with and unhook from negative thoughts. The overall objective of therapy is to normalise feelings and make the shift from hyper-attention to general awareness.
Our Sensorimotor OCD treatment process involves:
Sensorimotor OCD can be treated in
approximately eight-ten specialist CBT sessions, depending on other factors and levels of
complexity. Sessions are normally delivered by video link which has been found
to be highly effective and works in exactly the same way as traditional
face-to-face therapy.
Specialist Sensorimotor OCD sessions are
charged at £125 per session. This includes a written assessment report,
treatment plan and relevant psychometric measures.
Whilst some therapists still offer counselling, relational, psychodynamic or psychoanalytical therapies for Sensorimotor OCD, these approaches are generally ineffective for OCD problems and can encourage further self-analysis, overthinking and introspection, that could make the problem worse. Always follow the published evidence for OCD and work with a qualified CBT specialist.
To
book an appointment with an experienced and qualified OCD specialist, complete
the contact form or email .We are professionally
registered with most of the major insurance providers.
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