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How You Can Retrain The Amygdala Gland To Cure Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is the name given to the condition that causes conscious or sub-conscious thought processes to control your actions compulsively. These actions are said to be obsessive because they usually involve a normal action that is repeated over and over again forming what is described as a ritual.

These compulsions commonly include rituals such as compulsive hand washing, counting, checking, (that you have not left the gas on, for example), cleaning and other exaggerations of normal activities. These compulsive rituals can seriously and quite destructively interfere with normal life and can sometimes be accompanied with other anxiety disorders such as agoraphobia and panic disorder.

The usual treatment for this condition is therapy based. When the patient understands that their actions are irrational, they can use the therapy exercises to retrain themselves to react more appropriately and eventually to re-learn normal behaviour.

The success of therapy-based treatment is dependent on the psychologists ability and the patient’s willingness to practice the therapeutic exercises that are prescribed. Using diversion tactics, it is possible to eliminate these compulsions from your life. The secret of ridding yourself of OCD is to learn to divert your mind away from inappropriate rituals in order to replace them with more appropriate ‘normal’ habits.

This can be achieved by retraining the Amygdala gland to respond differently to stress inputs.

The Amygdala is the body’s ‘Anxiety Switch’

The amygdala gland belongs to the limbic system and plays an important part in the development of emotions. It was only recently (1989, New York Medical University) that scientists discovered the role of the amygdala gland in storing and releasing emotional trauma. The amygdala gland is found about 1" into the forehead where your index fingers fall. A simple way to locate the amygdala gland is by placing your thumbs in your ears, and then place your middle fingers near the inside corners of your eyes.

Under normal circumstances, it remains in the ‘off’ position, only becoming activated when appropriate anxiety is required, in times of appropriate danger or threat for example. Repeated activation of this ’switch’, during times of stress, sadness, grief or anger for example, can cause it to become ’stuck’ in the ‘on’ position. This allows acute anxiety disorders, panic attacks and phobias to develop.

This happens when the Amygdala learns new behavior. Because it has been taught a new level of anxiety through your anxious behavior, it incorrectly resets itself to the new ‘benchmark’ or ‘normal’ anxiety level for your body.
Even though you consciously know that it feels wrong, you are unable to consciously alter it once it has become set.

This process of learning is called Operant Conditioning. Scientists have known for many years that this is responsible for the production of all anxiety disorders, including panic attacks and phobias. Under normal conditions, Operant Conditioning is used by the brain to acquire new knowledge, like learning to read, drive or play a musical instrument. Practicing (repeating) an action or group of actions, causes us to improve the skill.

This same process happens in every single anxiety disorder sufferer. It is what causes anxiety, panic attacks and phobias. It is this and nothing else, which needs to be addressed and reversed in order to quickly and permanently eliminate anxiety, panic attacks, OCD, PTSD and agoraphobia.
All of these conditions, regardless of how severe they are or how long you have had them, are a result of the very same mechanism and therefore require the very same treatment.

Traditional methods, such as Psychology and Psychiatry, use ‘talking therapy’ to identify the cause of your anxiety or panic attacks, then analyze it over and over again, giving you exercises to follow or even diaries to fill in.

However, the actual cause is the way the Amygdala responded to that event and continues to produce anxiety and panic attacks, long after the event (when the Amygdala ’switch’ gets stuck ‘on’.) By revisiting the perceived ’causes’ during therapy and analyzing your actions, you are actually reinforcing the anxiety, practicing it and making it habitual, because it is remains at the very forefront of your mind!

Sufferers need a means of retraining the Amygdala by themselves at home where they can relax - many patients find going out too stressful to gain any benefit from their treatment, so home self-help is more appropriate.

By: Brian Gold

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

The Amygdala gland can be easily re-programmed by the Linden Method (see www.worry.cjb.net) which very effectively cures all manner of anxiety, stress and panic attack problems. This also helps overweight people to diet easily and gain self-confidence. Find more details and benefits at www.worry.cjb.net.

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