Hypnotherapy for OCD in London and online

OCD is a mental health condition involving obsessions and compulsions. Obsessions are recurring unwanted thoughts, images, urges or doubts. Compulsions are behaviours or mental acts used to reduce distress or prevent a feared outcome. They can consume time and interfere with life; OCD is more than a preference for tidiness.

Everyday worry can be unpleasant, but OCD often involves a repeated cycle of distress, rituals and short-lived relief. Checking, mental reviewing, reassurance seeking or avoidance may feel difficult to resist. If this pattern takes time or disrupts your life, a professional assessment can help clarify what is happening.

Intrusive thoughts are unwanted thoughts, images or urges that enter awareness. Their content can be disturbing, particularly when it conflicts with what matters to someone. In OCD, repeatedly analysing, suppressing or neutralising a thought can keep the cycle going. Treatment focuses on the response to thoughts rather than answering each doubt.

No. Compulsions can take place mentally, including counting, repeating phrases, reviewing memories or trying to cancel one thought with another. Reassurance seeking and avoidance can also form part of the pattern. Someone may be struggling considerably even when others cannot see what they are doing.

Pure O is an informal term for OCD in which intrusive thoughts are prominent and compulsions may be less visible. It can be misleading because mental rituals, reassurance seeking and avoidance often remain present. Understanding those responses matters when choosing an appropriate treatment plan.

No. Perfectionism can occur with or without OCD. OCD may involve repeating tasks or arranging things to relieve distress or a persistent sense that something is not right. The wider pattern, its impact and a professional assessment help distinguish OCD from high standards or other difficulties.

A compulsion may reduce discomfort temporarily, making it feel necessary the next time doubt appears. This can reinforce the cycle even when the ritual becomes exhausting. OCD treatment helps people develop different responses to uncertainty and distress, rather than relying on repeated neutralising actions.

Yes, stressful periods can make symptoms more difficult to cope with, although OCD is not simply caused by stress. Sleep, workload and major changes can influence day-to-day wellbeing. Additional stress-management support can sit alongside treatment that directly addresses obsessions and compulsions.

In this practice, OCD hypnotherapy means additional support with anxiety, stress, confidence and coping through therapeutic conversation and hypnosis. Sessions are personalised and should fit with appropriate OCD care. CBT with exposure and response prevention is a recommended psychological treatment for OCD.

Hypnotherapy can be used to work on the stress, tension and self-criticism that accompany OCD. We agree practical goals and review how the work affects daily life. The aim is flexible coping, rather than promising the removal of every intrusive thought or using calmness as a condition for moving forward.

ERP is part of CBT for OCD. With a therapist, people gradually approach feared situations or thoughts while changing their response to compulsive urges. The work is planned collaboratively. Hypnotherapy sessions here should complement an agreed OCD treatment plan rather than replace ERP.

You can enquire about additional support while receiving CBT with ERP. We discuss your current plan and keep the approaches compatible. Relaxation, recordings or imagery should not be used as rituals to cancel thoughts or make exposure feel completely safe. Any coordination with another clinician would be with your consent.

You can enquire while taking prescribed medication. Tell me about your current care so we can consider suitability. Continue medication as directed and discuss any changes with your prescriber. Hypnotherapy is not a reason to stop, reduce or alter a prescription yourself.

No. You can ask about support if checking, perfectionism or intrusive thoughts are troubling you. An enquiry is not a diagnosis. If the pattern suggests OCD or significantly affects your life, a GP or qualified mental health professional can help with assessment and suitable treatment.

You can enquire about additional help with everyday stress and coping while waiting. Keep your referral and clinical appointments, and tell your GP if things worsen. We discuss what is appropriate for the waiting period without presenting hypnotherapy as a substitute for specialist OCD treatment.

No outcome can be guaranteed. The goal is a more manageable life and a different response to distress, rather than a promise of never having an unwanted thought. OCD can improve with suitable treatment. We review whether additional hypnotherapy support is useful for your individual goals.

We can discuss the stress and impact of repeated checking and support coping with uncertainty. This does not involve confirming that every lock, message or appliance is safe. Changes to checking rituals should fit with your OCD treatment plan, with progress measured by daily functioning rather than perfect certainty.

We recognise that repeated reassurance may bring brief relief while keeping doubt active. Sessions focus on support, understanding and more flexible responses, rather than supplying repeated guarantees. You can feel heard without needing the therapist to resolve every feared possibility.

Yes. We can discuss additional support with distress and everyday coping around contamination concerns. An OCD clinician can guide changes to washing, cleaning and avoidance through an appropriate treatment plan. If washing has damaged your skin, seek medical advice as well.

Sessions can support work on self-criticism, stress and coping when things feel unfinished or imperfect. We avoid suggesting that you must achieve a particular feeling before stopping a task. If repeating or arranging is part of OCD, this work should fit alongside your OCD treatment.

Yes. You can talk about their impact without describing every detail. These themes can occur in OCD and deserve a respectful assessment. We avoid treating the topic of a thought as proof of someone’s wishes or identity, and avoid repeated reassurance or attempts to recover hidden memories.

Yes. Relationship-focused OCD can involve repeated doubts, checking feelings or seeking certainty about a relationship. Sessions can support coping with the distress alongside OCD treatment. The work does not try to prove that a particular relationship is right or make personal decisions for you.

These can be compulsions when used repeatedly to reduce doubt or distress. It helps to notice their function, including when they appear to be ordinary problem-solving. We can discuss the impact and support your wider treatment goals without replacing one mental ritual with another.

Yes. A person may experience different themes at different times or several at once. The pattern of distress, compulsions and temporary relief can remain similar. Treatment aims to address this wider cycle rather than repeatedly solving the latest topic of worry.

We discuss how things affect you, your current care and what you would like support with. I explain the approach and we agree whether it is suitable. The first appointment includes hypnosis as well as consultation, with goals tailored to your needs and existing treatment.

Hypnosis involves focused attention and may feel relaxed or absorbed. Experiences vary, and you do not need to feel a particular sensation for a session to be worthwhile. You remain able to speak, move, keep your eyes open or stop, and exercises are agreed collaboratively.

No. You can begin with how the thoughts and responses affect your day. You do not need to provide a complete record or confess every thought. We discuss enough to consider appropriate support, and you can set limits on what you wish to share.

You do not need a quiet mind or perfect relaxation. Trying to monitor whether you are doing hypnosis correctly can add pressure. We adapt the pace and exercises, keeping the focus on useful support rather than achieving a flawless internal state.

Yes. You receive a personalised session recording for practice between appointments. We discuss a flexible routine so listening does not become a repeated attempt to cancel thoughts or prevent something bad. Listen only where it is safe to relax, never while driving or doing tasks that need attention.

It could if you feel driven to replay it until it feels right, neutralise a thought or prevent a feared event. Tell me if this happens. We can review or pause the practice and keep it consistent with your OCD treatment. Missing a recording is not a failure.

Yes. Sleep difficulties, stress and reduced confidence can be discussed as part of your goals. We keep the plan manageable and consider other care you may need. These concerns can be supported alongside work with an OCD clinician on obsessions and compulsions.

A helpful starting point is understanding the condition and asking the treating clinician how to support the agreed plan. Kindness does not have to mean joining rituals or supplying repeated reassurance. Changes to family involvement are best discussed collaboratively, without blame or abrupt pressure.

Susannah Saunders offers appointments at City Hypnotherapy Centre, Longcroft House, 2–8 Victoria Avenue, London EC2M 4NS. The practice is a short walk from Liverpool Street station in the City of London. You can also choose an online appointment by Zoom.

Yes. Online appointments are available by Zoom, subject to suitability. Choose a private place where you can hear clearly and will not be interrupted. We discuss your needs, current care and the practical arrangements before starting, just as we would for a London appointment.

Individual sessions cost £198 per session, including VAT. They last approximately 50 minutes, and your first appointment includes hypnosis as well as consultation. London and online appointments are available. The fees and appointments page gives further booking information.

The number depends on your aims, current care and response. We discuss a realistic plan and review progress rather than promising a fixed number or a cure. If additional hypnotherapy is not helping, we reconsider the plan and discuss suitable alternatives or specialist support.

Susannah holds a BSc (Hons) in Psychology, the Hypnotherapy Practitioner Diploma (HPD) and the Senior Qualification in Hypnotherapy Practice (SQHP). She is CNHC registered and a GHR registered member, and established City Hypnotherapy Centre in 2003. Her qualifications and experience page provides more information.

There is no single best practitioner for everyone. Look for recognised qualifications, clear boundaries and an approach that respects recommended OCD care. Rapport matters: you should feel able to ask questions and discuss concerns. Try my free relaxation audio to hear my voice, or contact me to discuss whether the approach suits you.

Yes. The free 30-minute relaxation recording lets you hear my voice and get a feel for my approach. It is general relaxation, not an OCD treatment programme. Use it flexibly and safely; if listening becomes a ritual or a way to neutralise thoughts, stop and discuss this with your clinician.

Use the contact page or call 07973 896907. Briefly describe what you would like support with, any current OCD care and whether you prefer London or Zoom. You can ask questions before booking without needing to provide a detailed account of every intrusive thought.