Obsessive–Compulsive
Disorder
OCD is not about being tidy. It is a thought that will not leave and an action that relieves it for two minutes — and then calls it back stronger.
The cycle
Obsessive–compulsive disorder has two parts. The obsession is a thought, image or urge that intrudes uninvited and causes intense distress — often precisely because it runs against everything the person believes. The compulsion is whatever is done to neutralise it: checking, washing, counting, repeating, silent prayer, asking for reassurance.
The compulsion works — briefly. And because it works, the brain concludes that the danger was real and that you were saved because you performed it. So the next thought arrives more insistent. Therapy does not break the thought; it breaks that inference.
Common forms
- Checking: doors, hobs, lights, emails — and the doubt that returns two minutes after you checked.
- Contamination and cleaning: washing, avoiding contact, "clean" and "dirty" zones at home.
- Aggressive or blasphemous intrusive thoughts: images that frighten precisely because they are incompatible with who you are. Their presence says nothing about your character.
- Symmetry and order: needing something to be "right" before you can move on.
- Relationship obsessions: endless checking of whether you love enough or whether this is the right person.
- Reassurance seeking: the same question to the people close to you, again and again — the most invisible compulsion of all.
How we work: ERP
The technique with the strongest evidence base is exposure and response prevention. In practice: we approach, gradually, whatever triggers the obsession and we do not perform the compulsion — we stay with the distress until it subsides on its own. Each time that happens, the brain learns something no amount of rational argument can teach it.
The hierarchy is built together, from easiest to hardest, and no step is taken without your agreement. There are no surprises: you always know what we are about to try and why.
At a glance
- ForAdults with obsessive–compulsive symptoms
- Duration50 minutes per session
- SettingAt the practice in central Thessaloniki, or online
- ApproachCognitive behavioural (CBT) with EFT elements
- AppointmentsBy phone or through the contact form
- Main techniqueExposure and response prevention (ERP)
Frequently asked questions
Intrusive, unpleasant thoughts occur in almost everybody. The difference in OCD is not the thought but the meaning attached to it: once someone believes the thought says something about their character, they start trying to neutralise it — and that is where the cycle begins.
No. Exposure is collaborative and gradual: we set the hierarchy together and move on only when you are ready for the next step. The aim is not to endure as much as possible, but for your system to learn that no ritual is required for you to be safe.
In moderate to severe presentations, combining psychotherapy with medication is often what is indicated and well evidenced. Medication is prescribed by a psychiatrist; if I judge it necessary, I will say so and we will work together.
The goal is not for them to stop appearing — that happens to nobody. The goal is for them to lose their authority: to arrive, not frighten you, and leave, without your having to do anything about them.