The subject for this freebie deals with how the RFA can help a person who is afflicted with one of these two different but related afflictions. One is OCD, which stands for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. It is estimated that about 5,000,000 Americans are struggling with this condition, which can totally prevent a normal, successful life. But then there is a much larger group who has Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder, called OCPD, which accounts for those quirks in our personality which usually do not bother us but do often bother other people who have to live with us. Most of us have some degree of this side of the affliction. So these two maladies are what we are going to discuss this month because we can usually do more with these problems in one RFA session than standard therapy can usually do in weeks, months or even years, whether it be by medication, psychological counseling, or both.

     The reason the RFA process is so effective on these disorders is that these obsessions and compulsions originate in the subconscious, the right brain, and are the result of earlier traumatic events which distorted the automatic processing system, i.e., the brain's software. In the RFA, we get individuals focused in their right brains to better understand the traumatic events, then bring healing to those experiences by seeing the trauma from the advantage of present time. When the healing is complete, the source of the compulsion or obsession is either greatly reduced or totally eliminated. It is at this point that the conscious mind, the left brain, can more easily take charge and become free of these problems. Whereas the left brain was powerless to change effectively before, it can now be supported by the right brain and life can just keep getting better and better. This same RFA healing system takes care of many other maladies, such as ADD (Attention Deficit Deficiency) and many other kinds of dyslexia. Allergies are also the result of old traumatic events and can often be taken care of in a single session. Phobias, which are irrational fears, also come from similar causes, are usually quickly and successfully handled. Many physical difficulties, such as migraines, back aches and other ailments which are caused by stress can be greatly relieved. So now we are ready to talk about OCD.

     Dr. Jeffry M. Schwartz, MD, of the UCLA Medical Center, in his book "Brain Lock," has this to say:

     Simply defined, OCD is a life-long disorder identified by two general groups of symptoms. Once thought of as a curious and rare disease, it, in fact, affects one person in forty in the general population, or more than five million Americans. It is a disorder that typically has its onset in adolescence or early adulthood. OCD is more common than asthma or diabetes. It is a devastating disease that often creates chaos in the lives of its victims¾and those who love them. The preoccupation with repetitive behaviors, such as washing, cleaning, counting or checking, causes trouble on the job and leads to marital strife and difficulty with social interaction. Family members may become impatient and angry, demanding, "Why don't you just stop!" Or they may aid and abet the performance of the silly rituals to buy an hour's peace (a very bad idea).

     As the name implies, OCD is made up of obsessions and compulsions which can be both independent and related. Let's take obsessions first. Obsessions are intrusive, unwelcome, distressing thoughts and mental images. The word obsession comes from the Latin word meaning "to besiege." And an obsessive thought is just that¾a thought that besieges you and annoys you almost, it would seem, to death. You can pray for it to go away, but it won't, at least not for long or in any controllable way. These thoughts always create distress and anxiety. Unlike other unpleasant thoughts, they do not fade away, but keep intruding into your mind over and over, against your will. These thoughts are, in fact, repugnant to you. When the brain gets stuck, it may tell you, "You must wash your hands again"¾and you'll wash, even though there is no real reason to do so. Or the brain may say, "You'd better check that lock again" ¾ and you'll check again and again, unable to shake off the gnawing feeling that the door may be unlocked. Or an intense urge to count things or to reread words may arise for no apparent reason.

     Compulsions are the behaviors that people with OCD perform in a vain attempt to erase the fears and anxieties caused by their obsessions. Although a person with OCD usually recognizes that the urge to wash, check, or touch things or to repeat numbers is ridiculous and senseless, the feeling is so strong that the mind becomes overwhelmed and the person with OCD gives in and performs the compulsive behavior.
     Unfortunately, performing the absurd behavior tends to set off a vicious cycle. Although it may bring momentary relief, as more compulsive behaviors are performed, the obsessive thoughts and feelings become stronger, more demanding, and more tenacious. The afflicted person ends up with both an obsession and an often embarrassing compulsive ritual to go with it. It is not surprising that many people with OCD come to see themselves as doomed and may even have suicidal thoughts by the time they seek professional help. In addition, Dr. Schwartz writes, "Years of traditional psychotherapy or counseling may have served only to confuse them further."
     In addition to rather weird rituals, there are many symptoms which look less ridiculous but are also compulsions. Here are a few:

uncontrolled eating or drinking nail biting
hair pulling
compulsive shopping and gambling
substance abuse
excessive concern about becoming ill
hoarding magazines, papers, trash or objects
impulsive sexual thoughts or behaviors
excessive ruminating about relationships, self-image, and self-esteem.

     Because of the similarity in names, people tend to confuse OCD with the far less disabling OCPD. What sets them apart?
     Simply stated, when your obsessions and compulsions are bad enough to cause significant functional impairment, you have OCD. In OCPD, these "obsessions" and "compulsions" are more like personality quirks or idiosyncrasies, however unpleasant. For example, a man with OCPD may hang on to many objects because he believes he may need them someday. But a man with an OCD-hoarding-compulsion may fill every square foot of his house with worthless trash he knows he'll never need.
     People with OCPD tend to have trouble "seeing the forest for the trees." Typically, they are list-makers who get so hung up on the details that they never get around to seeing the big picture. Their quest for perfection interferes with their getting things done. OCPD is a classic case of the "best" being the "enemy of the good." People with OCPD tend to mess up things that are good enough in their quest to make everything "perfect in every detail." They are often totally inflexible, unable to compromise. In their view, if a job is to be done right, it must be done their way. They are unwilling to delegate. It is interesting that this personality type is twice as common in males, whereas OCD does not discriminate between sexes.
     The other crucial difference between OCD and OCPD is that although people with OCPD are rigid and stubborn and let their ideas run their lives, they have no real desire to change their ways. Either they are not aware that their behavior annoys others or they simply don't care. The person with OCD washes and washes, even though it causes him great pain and gives him no pleasure. The person with OCPD enjoys washing and cleaning and thinks, "If everyone cleaned as much as I do, everything would be fine. My only problem is that those in my family are a bunch of slobs."
     The person with OCPD may look forward to going home at night and lining up all her pencils on her desktop like little soldiers. The person with OCD dreads going home, knowing she will give in to that false message telling her to vacuum twenty times. Unlike people with OCPD, those with OCD realize how inappropriate their behavior is, are ashamed and embarrassed by it, and are in the truest sense desperate to change their behavior.

     The medical approach to OCPD is to ignore it as much as possible. As for OCD, however, there are drugs which can reduce the stress created by OCD, and there is much of that being prescribed by doctors. The psychological profession has been making definite progress in helping people with OCD in the same way they help people with dyslexia, which is to help them learn how to control the symptoms. Dr. Schwartz, in his excellent book quoted above, "Brain Lock, Free Yourself from Obsessive-Compulsive Behavior," has a powerful four step method that has been very successful in their OCD Clinic at UCLA. These simple steps are:

Step 1. Relabel, giving the impulse a new name, that it really is just a false alarm.
Step 2. Reattribute, by acknowledging, "It's not me¾it's my OCD."
Step 3. Refocus, which is to consciously switch to another behavior.
Step 4. Revalue, choosing to place a much lower value on the OCD thoughts and urges.

     I enthusiastically support this approach, but it can be many times more effective if the sufferers can first heal the subconscious origin of the problem in the first place. That is the purpose of the RFA. We are able to find through simple muscle-resistance testing that each of these compulsions are the result of single traumatic experiences much earlier in their lives. Why would some of these traumas create OCD behavior?
     Let's remember that our right brain, unlike the left brain, the conscious mind, never forgets. Therefore, when we experienced some traumatic event, our survival mechanism in the right brain created a decision as to what the event meant and how those decisions are associated with stress in the future. We have a saying, that "once a decision is made with feeling (right brain), it becomes the rule of attitude and action from then on until it is recognized and altered." However, it is usually not enough to recognize the decision in the conscious side of the mind, for the healing must be done where it is creating the attitude and action, which is the right brain.
     In the RFA, we are able to get a client to become focused in the right brain. In that stage, a person can discover these disruptive decisions which were made with feeling at the time of the trauma, and then by bringing in adult information, can alter those decisions so that they no longer create the obsessions and compulsions common to both OCD and OCPD. When this takes place, a person's conscious willingness to set the obsessions and compulsions aside are much more easily fulfilled. The healing is done in the right brain, but the thinking habits must be handled in the left brain. The person must decide that, since these old habits can be corrected easily, it is now time to do so. As we say, there is no substitute for making up the mind, referring to the conscious mind. It is for this reason that Dr. Schwartz Four Step Method is so valuable in retraining our thinking habits now that the right brain will allow the changes to take place rapidly. For those interested, I highly recommend his book, published by ReganBooks, which is available in paperback in bookstores for $18.00.
     Just remember, OCPD is common, to some degree, in all of us. It usually does not bother us, just those who have to live with us. But OCD can be life shattering. The University of Hamburg in Germany has developed a self-test which can enable you to see whether this is a problem which should get professional attention. If you have OCD in any significant degree, I would recommend that you find a way to have an RFA and seek additional professional help. Here is the test.

Do you wash your hands after you feel you have come too close to an animal or dirty object?

Do you reposition tablecloths or rugs because you think they are not exactly right?

Are there days when you have to think about certain words or images so much that you are unable to do anything else?

Is it often impossible for you to stop repeating (if only to yourself) a sentence already spoken?

During the day do you think several times about work you have already finished?

Do you find that you cannot stop counting during certain activities?

Do you sometimes try to distract yourself from a thought about your partner doing something he or she would not want you to know about?

Are there any activities you cannot finish before having counted to a certain number?

Do you sometimes consciously distract yourself from the thought of hurting or killing yourself?

During the course of the day, do you often remember a certain word, picture, or sentence?

Do you check the cleanliness of public seats, such as those in buses or taxis, before you sit down?

Do you sometimes repeat aloud what has already been spoken, although you try to prevent yourself from doing it?

Having left your home, do you constantly have to think about whether everything is in order there?

Before starting to dress, do you think about exactly how to do it?

Did you ever find yourself counting for no reason?

Was there ever a day when you could not think about anything else except hurting or killing yourself?

Do you wash your hands after reading the newspaper?

Did you ever notice that you touch things several times before or after you have used them?

Have you ever touched switches on electric devices several times and counted despite trying not to?

Do you check books or magazines for dog-ears and straighten them immediately?

Do you fold newspapers back to the original way after reading them?

Does the thought often occur to you that you might get sick or go blind or crazy?

Are there days when you can think only about hurting or killing someone?

After going to bed, do you get up again to check all electrical devices?

Does counting the number of times you touch switches of electrical devices interfere with your everyday activities?

Do you rearrange objects on your desk, in your cupboard, or other places repeatedly, even though nothing's been touched since you last arranged them?

Do you check the return address immediately before you mail a letter?

A. Calculate the total number of answers circled true for questions: 3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10 - 13,14,15,16 - 22 and 23. These are obsessions.
     If the total number of true answers circled for these questions is not more than 2, you probably do not have clinically significant obsessions. If the total number is between 3 to 6, you probably have obsessions that are clinically significant. If your total number is above 7, you definitely have obsessions that are clinically significant.

B. Calculate the total number of answers circled true for questions: 1,2 - 11,12 - 17,18,19,20,21,24 - 25,26, and 27. These are compulsions.
     If the total number of true answers circled for these questions are no more than 3, you probably do not have clinically significant compulsions. If the total number of true answers circled are between 4 to 7, you probably have clinically significant compulsions. If the total number is 8 or more, you definitely have compulsions that are clinically significant.
Source: Dr. Iver Hand and Dr. Rudiger Klepsch, University of Hamburg, Germany.