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The Surrey Hypnotherapy Clinic
The Surrey Hypnotherapy Clinic  

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HOCD (Homosexual OCD) Gay Therapy Help & Hypnosis Treatment

Note: This page is suitable for men and women. For ease of reading I often use the terms ‘gay’ and refer to men, but if you are woman, this page is also for you.

HOCD - I can help you

HOCD stands for Homosexual Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and is a term that is used to describe having unwanted intrusive thoughts in relation to your sexual preference.

 

HOCD is:

  • Sometimes termed Sexual Orientation OCD
  • Not a diagnosis, but more of a ‘label’ to describe a set of symptoms. It is very different from thoughts about ‘coming out.’
  • Where you know that you are heterosexual but are having obsessive thoughts that you are homosexual.

HOCD is a very misunderstood and difficult problem. It can ruin lives. Doctors don't seem to understand. And very often the help that they offer is limited to medication, often anti-depressants.

 

But, if you are suffering from HOCD, you are not suffering from depression. (Although, at times, you may feel quite depressed due to your problem !) 

 

Many people suffering from HOCD are afraid or embarrassed to even talk about their problem, for fear of being ridiculed or labelled. And so the biggest problem in getting help with HOCD, is finding someone who actually understands the situation. Because most of the people offering treatment for HOCD don't actually know what it is, their solutions often fail and at best give you a means of living with your problem forever.

 

The good news is, that HOCD can be completely cured ! ( Link to HOCD Therapy Case Study Testimonial )

 

The first thing to realise is that Obsession and Compulsion are psychologically very different things and depend on your natural personality type. Without making this differentiation and knowing which you are suffering from, you cannot even begin to treat it.

 

At the root of both disorders is always some lost fear or thought, which is so deeply buried in the back of your mind that you have forgotten about it. But it is still having an effect on your feelings and behaviour. And in the case of HOCD this fear starts to focus on doubts about your sexuality.

 

I specialise in getting to the root causes of HOCD, removing them and thus removing the feelings which drive obsessive thinking and compulsive behaviour. This REMOVES the problem so that there is no further need for medication or any other coping mechanisms such as exercises, thought control, special routines, CBT or any other procedures.

 

I am very experienced in dealing with HOCD. (It is more common than you would think!)

 

There will be no labelling or judgement. I have heard it ALL before and I really do understand the symptoms and the suffering.

 

If you would like more information on this successful treatment please contact me to arrange a FREE confidential consultation (Click here), and get started on changing your life straight away.

 

YOUR NEXT STEP...

 

Either:

 

Contact Peter to make an appointment for a free initial consultation.

 

or

 

Read Peter's website welcome letter.

 

Alternatively, continue reading on down this page, past the following video, for more information on Homosexual OCD.

The Surrey Hypnotherapy Clinic TM

HOCD (Homosexual OCD) - Symptoms

HOCD stands for Homosexual Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

(Note. HOCD is sometimes called Sexual Orientation OCD (SO-OCD), and there is another 'companion page' on this web site that also talks about Sexual Orientation OCD (SO-OCD) and other, related, aspects of HOCD.)

HOCD is characterised by having unwanted thoughts about your sexual orientation. These unwanted ‘thoughts’ just will not go away and are known as ‘obsessions’.

 

People with HOCD constantly question their sexual preference and are troubled by thoughts that they might be gay. Before developing HOCD, you would not have given any thought to your sexual preference as it would have been a given.

 

It can take the form of purely an obsessive thought (intrusive thought), which can include thoughts and urges relating to your sexual preference, but there are also, usually hidden, compulsions – compulsions are things that you do, and think, to make yourself feel better, and to reassure yourself you are not gay. This could be watching porn to make sure you are straight, or, for men, looking at guys to maybe confirm that you are NOT attracted to them.

 

An important point to note is that ithe content of the thoughts is not the only problem. i.e. whether you are gay or not, almost as big is the problem of what it is you do as a result of the thoughts; e.g. the analysis, the checking, the need for certainty and reassurance is a huge part of the problem; in other words, the compulsions. These are all characteristics of OCD and can be treated.

 

If you have been heterosexual all your life, you will still be heterosexual, it's just that you are now heterosexual, but with HOCD - so you have a ''feeling' like you might really be gay but don't really know for sure.

 

Obsessions

The obsessions are the unwanted thoughts that you get in your head, for example.

  • Worrying that the thoughts you have in your head, or the feelings and sensations that you may get in your body, may mean that your sexual preferences have changed.  In other words, if you are heterosexual (straight), you may now be concerned that you are gay.
  • Worrying that things that may have occurred in your past or in your childhood, are some sort of proof that you are now gay.
  • Noticing something nice about members of the same sex, may make you see this as evidence that you are gay.
  • Worrying that you are indeed gay, and are somehow living in denial of your sexuality.
  • Worrying that if you cannot get an erection with a heterosexual partner, (or sexually aroused if you are female), that this could mean that you are gay.

Someone might have an understanding that concerns them, say, that stepping on a crack in the pavement will cause something bad to happen, and they might risk a tentative step on a crack in the pavement to see if something bad really does happen.

 

Similarly, when people with HOCD get these obsessions, i.e. the thoughts about your sexuality that you do not like, like many other people, you probably do some things to help you decide if you are gay or not, or to reassure yourself that you are still straight. The things you do are known as compulsions.

 

Even if you are convinced or have been told that you have Pure O (just the thoughts or obsessions), read on, as most people have compulsions, but they do not recognise them as compulsions.

 

Symptoms

The symptoms of HOCD can be split into five groups:

  • Common HOCD Obsessions
  • Common HOCD Compulsions
  • Avoidance
  • Self-checking
  • Self-questioning
  • Seeking reassurance

Common HOCD obsessions:

  • Fearing that you’re gay when you’re actually straight or vice versa.
  • Worrying that the thoughts you have in your head, or the feelings and sensations that you may get in your body, may mean that your sexual preferences have changed even though you haven’t doubted your sexual orientation in the past. In other words, if you are heterosexual (straight), you may now be concerned that you are gay.
  • Worrying that things that may have occurred in your past, or in your childhood, are some sort of proof that you are now gay.
  • Constantly questioning your sexuality.
  • Fearing sending out signals that make you seem gay.
  • Noticing something nice about members of the same sex may make you see this as evidence that you are gay.
  • Worrying that you are indeed gay, and are somehow living in denial of your sexuality.
  • Worrying that if you cannot get an erection with a heterosexual partner, (or sexually aroused if you are female), that this could mean that you are gay.
  • Worrying that homosexuality is “catching”.
  • Worrying that you somehow you have your own latent homosexual tendencies that you have no real control over and may be triggered by talking with a gay person.
  • Having recurring unwanted or intrusive thoughts about your own sexuality.
  • Constantly reassuring yourself that you are straight.
  • Worrying that you might, unconsciously, be sending out “signals” that will make others think you are gay.
  • Homosexual thoughts are repulsive to you, rather than arousing.
  • Reminding yourself that you feel no attraction to your same sex.

Common HOCD compulsions:
 

HOCD Compulsion - Avoidance:

  • You stop dating, attending events or going out into social settings.
  • Not being able to listen to  or see anything, that might make you think about being gay. This could be certain songs or artists  that you associate with being gay, types of TV programs, magazines or books, that you might associate more with same sex couples.
  • You might avoid going out or mixing with same sex couple, or showing support in any way for same sex couples. There are many things that you may avoid, fearing that they could ‘trigger’ your HOCD.
  • Avoiding men if your HOCD is concerned with being gay.
  • Avoiding women is your HOCD is related to feeling that you are lesbian.
  • Avoiding participating in things that you believe are too manly or too female.
  • Avoiding changing rooms where you will see members of your own sex dress and undress.
  • Not being able to make eye contact with members of the same sex, or avoid hanging out with them.
  • Any topics of conversation relating to sexual preference.
  • Avoiding movies where same sex actors may kiss or be romantically involved.
  • Avoiding people of your same gender due to anxiety or unwanted fears that you might be gay.

Self Checking:

  • Looking at  people and determining whether you have a sexual or emotional response.
  • Looking at  pictures of people and determining whether you have a sexual or emotional response.
  • Watching same sex porn to see if you get aroused.
  • Watching straight porn to see if you get aroused.
  • Going to gay bars to see if you are attracted to anyone.

Self Questioning:

  • Becoming confused when you see someone of the same sex and think that they’re attractive.
  • Going over in your mind, previous sexual encounters with members of the opposite sex, to reassure yourself that you are not gay.
  • Imagining, or fantasising, being with a member of the same sex, to check out your theory that you might be gay.
  • You might have remembered an event from your childhood that you now see as evidence that you are gay. Children can engage in a type of exploration play, you probably heard it called ‘doctors and nurses.’  If you recall this type of play, you may mentally go over it, and over it, matching it up with other pieces of ‘evidence’ to help you to make sense of what is happening to you.

Seeking Reassurance:

  • Looking at photos of the opposite sex to confirm that your sexual desires are aligned with what you know to be true.
  • Seeking reassurance.  This could be Googling HOCD Symptoms(!),  to get information to show you whether you are gay or not.
  • Asking current or previous partners questions to help you to decide about your sexuality.
  • Repeating an action because you worry that you might have done something in a way that makes others think you are gay (example: a man repeatedly gets up and sits down on a chair because he worries that he takes a seat in a way that looks too feminine). Repeating the action relieves the anxiety, but you need to continue repeating the action to continue anxiety relief.

* * * * *  * * *

The above HOCD characteristics contrast markedly with typical homosexual characteristics, which include:

  • Homosexual thoughts are enjoyable and/or arousing to the person, even if they hide their sexual orientation from others or are ashamed of it.
  • Having had past sexual experiences with those of their same gender.
  • Preferring to date or have sexual encounters with people of their same gender instead of with those of the opposite sex.
  • Often, people who are gay report having felt differently than their same-sex peers at an early age. Additionally, researchers have found they preferred to engage in activities associated with the opposite sex from early childhood onward.

People who are gay, know that they are gay, beyond a shadow of a doubt.  They do not spend hours analysing “how do I know.”  They just know.  Just the way I know I am a man, and a psychotherapist, I don’t have to give it a second thought.

 

You however, I am guessing (because you are reading this page), are plagued by that nagging doubt, which is a sure sign of HOCD.

The difference between HOCD and being gay

It’s very simple, HOCD is a form of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and being gay is enjoying and wanting romantic relationships with members of the same sex.

 

If you are gay your actions and your thoughts show that you are gay; you want, seek out and enjoy romantic relationships with the same sex.


If you have HOCD, your thought processes are concerned that you are, or might be, gay.

 

After reading that you could well be thinking, but how do I know, how can I be sure that I am not gay and don’t really know it ? This in itself is a symptom of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder – that need for certainty, which I shall talk to you about in the next section.

HOCD and the need to 'be sure'

“But how do I know for sure that I am not gay?”

 

This need for absolutes, reassurance and concrete evidence is a classic symptom of OCD. It’s what feeds the doubt, and leads you into the repetitive nature of carrying out compulsions.

 

This need to know 'for sure', is no different to someone with repetitive cleaning OCD needing to know 'for sure' that the surface they have just cleaned is absolutely clean; they always have doubt.

 

I am intentionally mentioning more familiar traits of OCD to help you to think that, what is happening to you is a symptom of HOCD .

 

This ‘needing to know for sure’ is a symptom of OCD, as opposed to being caused by a change in your sexual choices, and it is helpful if you can start to see it as a symptom.

 

Elsewhere in your life you do not have this need for absolute certainty. You do not need to know for sure what you are going to do next Tuesday, and you don't need to be absolutely sure about what something you did, or did not do, in the past really meant (unless associated with your HOCD).

 

Up until you started to think you might have HOCD, you would not have needed to know for sure what your sexual preference was. Now, you probably do not need to know for sure what your profession is – you take it for granted.

 

This ‘need for certainty’ is a symptom, but one that can cause you many hours of trying to find answers, and unfortunately it is this ‘need to know’ and the things you do that help to keep HOCD going.

What maintains HOCD?

It is the doubt that I mentioned above, and the need to know, for sure, that leads you into the cycle of looking for reassurance, analysing everything, and testing, and carrying out compulsions. This is what keeps it all going, it has nothing to do with your sexuality at all!

So what does this all mean?

If some of the things that I have written here makes sense to you, or you recognise yourself in it, it means that:

 

"whatever is happening to you is a symptom of HOCD, it does not mean that you are gay."

 

This doesn’t mean you are homophobic. It is, however, understandably alarming if you suddenly start to question your sexuality, which you will have been taking as a ‘given’ for all of your life.

HOCD or denial?

This is the question I get asked the most.  “How do I know that this is HOCD, and that I am not secretly gay and don’t know it.”  Trust me, you would know. I am going to explain to you what is happening, and it has a lot to do with ‘doubt.’

Doubt, HOCD and the denial question

Forget the denial question for a minute. HOCD is characterised by a nagging doubt. The doubt arises because:

  • The thoughts in your head are so foreign to who you are as a person, and because you attach some significance to the thoughts, you start to believe that they must mean something.
  • Being human, you have the capacity for thought; it’s both a gift and a curse. Without having a good understanding of how your brain works, you might not fully understand what is happening and therefore find it hard to dismiss thoughts relating to HOCD.
  • Your brain is wired to keep you out of harms way, which means that it swil pay more attention to the bad things than the good experiences in your life – your brain does not need to protect you from good things.

Now here’s the thing. Your brain does not differentiate between ‘bad things’ – threats. A threat could be real, such as approaching a poisonous snake, or threats that are specific to you – things that disturb you.

 

If you are anxious about the thoughts in your head relating to HOCD, your brain may pick up on this and very loosely speaking, mark them as a threat. Once that happens, your brain pays more attention to them, sort of, seeking them out to draw your attention to them.

 

Now that they are in your head more often, you can use your ability to think and try to analyse what is happening to you. You can start to question your sexuality, looking for evidence both in your life at the moment, and going into the past to see if you are somehow in denial and didn’t know it.

 

Initially I said to forget the denial question at the moment, and I did that for a reason. If you did my job (I’m a psychotherapist) you would see that this constant analysis and needing to know ‘the truth’ occurs in all forms of OCD and Intrusive Thoughts.

 

This is very important – the content of your thoughts are not important, it is what you do with your thought processes that are important.

 

For example, it doesn’t really matter if someone is seeking the ‘truth’ over

  • am I gay or in denial?
  • how do I know I won’t act on my thoughts?
  • how do I know something is clean and free from germs

Rather it is about recognising that this is something that happens – a pattern if you like – that occurs not only in HOCD, but in all forms of intrusive thoughts.

 

People who are gay, know that they are gay, beyond a shadow of a doubt.  They do not spend hours analysing “how do I know”.  They just know.  In the same way that I know that I am a man, and a psychotherapist, I don’t have to give it a second thought.

 

You however, because you are reading this page, I am guessing, are plagued by that nagging doubt, which is just a symptom of HOCD.

HOCD - Why ERP (Exposure and Response Prevention) Therapy doesn't help

Exposure and response prevention (also known as exposure and ritual prevention; ERP or EX/RP) is a technique recommended by some therapists for helping with HOCD (also known as Sexual Orientation OCD, or SO-OCD).
 

ERP is based on the idea that a therapeutic effect is achieved as subjects confront their fears, but refrain from engaging in the escape response or ritual that delays or eliminates distress.

In the case of individuals with OCD or an anxiety disorder, there is a thought or situation that causes distress. Individuals usually combat this distress through specific behaviors that include avoidance or rituals.

However, ERP involves purposefully evoking fear, anxiety, and or distress in the individual by exposing him/her to the feared stimulus. The response prevention then involves having the individual refrain from the ritualistic or otherwise compulsive behavior that functions to decrease distress.

The patient is then taught to tolerate distress until it fades away on its own, thereby learning that rituals are not always necessary to decrease distress or anxiety.

Over repeated practice of ERP, patients with OCD expect to find that they might still have obsessive thoughts and images but not have the need to engage in compulsive rituals to decrease distress.

 

For some fears the logic is understandable and can work. For example, a 18 year old person with a phobia of dogs (maybe as a result of being scared by a barking dog when they were 5 years old), may be placed in situations where they are progressively placed into situations where they are physically closer and closer to dogs that are benign, non-threatening, and well trained, And eventually the fear is reduced and the confidence increased such that the person is confidently stroking, petting and cuddling nice, friendly, dogs.

 

Such a course of treatment, for a fear of dogs, can be effective and helpful, and probably most people can relate to some such similar experience in their own life.

 

However most people with HOCD are not scared of (for example) gay people ! Many people with HOCD will volunteer that they have nothing against gay people, and if that's how that person has chosen to live their life then that is their choice, and their decision, and entirely up to them.

 

The obsessional fear that people with HOCD have is a fear that they might be gay, or might eventually turn gay. And the ERP therapy encouraged by some therapists usually involves extended viewing of gay material, gay images, and gay pornography ! I have seen many people who have been encouraged to try this form of ERP therapy, and it hasn't been successful - and in some cases the HOCD client has been traumatised by being subjected to this form of therapy.

 

To repeat. People with HOCD aren't 'scared' of gay people - they are, instead, scared, or fearful, that they might actually be gay, or might turn gay at some time in the future.

 

What Exposure Response Prevention (ERP) Therapy is trying to do is to make people feel more comfortable with their fear or phobia. E.g. if a person is bitten by a dog they might have a fear of dogs, a phobia, that can be treated by taking them closer and closer to dogs, such that they are petting them etc.
 

Such people don’t have a fear of turning into a dog or a fear of being a ‘closet dog’ – they have a fear of dogs and being near dogs because they have had an unpleasant experience with a dog in the past, when they were bitten, or scared, by a dog.
 

HOCD involves intrusive thoughts and a fear of being gay or of becoming gay.
 

Some people with HOCD experience ‘anxiety spikes’ when they might, for example, watch a same sex kissing scene in a film or see a same sex couple holding hands in a shopping centre. Those anxiety spikes can be examples of ‘cognitive dissonance’ where ‘something doesn’t seem right’ and seems to be in conflict with our beliefs.
 

It is ok to experience that cognitive dissonance – even though you might feel uncomfortable, it is evidence that you are straight !

If you were gay such experiences wouldn’t generate that 'anxiety spike of cognitive dissonance'.


Unfortunately many therapists don’t really fully understand what ERP is doing, and how it works, and what HOCD is. And I have had clients who have been traumatised and have broken down in tears as a result of their shame because they have been encouraged by their ERP therapist to enjoy watching gay porn !
 

What ERP Therapy is doing is trying to get straight people to be ok with gay relationships – to such an extent that, with some ERP therapists, it is more like they are trying to groom straight people into becoming gay !
 

In fact, HOCD is far more complex and maybe has more in common with PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) where the individual might have a number of ‘flashbacks’ of situations where they were shocked and surprised by a situation which seemed to indicate that they were gay, or might turn gay – and one reason that they are shocked and surprised is because they are, so very strongly, straight.
 

Situations that a straight individual might experience that might contribute to their doubts about their sexuality include, for example:
 

  • Being told that they are gay by a bully or ‘friend’.
     
  • Thinking that they themselves might be gay because of poor performance in the bedroom due to, say, erectile dysfunction (men), or anorgasmia (women) when having, or trying to have, sex.
     
  • Being propositioned, in a nightclub, say, by a gay person.
     
  • Not having a girlfriend in their teens due to lack of self-confidence, because of some physical impairment, or abusive upbringing, or some other reason.
     
  • Being sexually abused when young by a person of the same sex.
     

ERP will not address any of the above types of issue.

 

The therapy that I provide does not use ERP. And I don't encourage the use of ERP.

However my therapy does address, and resolve, any issues that might be similar to the above bullet points that might be contributing to the HOCD.

 

Anyway, to anyone reading this who might feel encouraged to try ERP therapy for HOCD, by themselves, by watching gay porn, I would say don’t do it – it won’t help, and will likely make matters worse for you.

HOCD - Why Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) doesn't help

HOCD, Homosexual OCD, is a particular form of OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder)

 

You will remember from the foregoing that every form of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) comprises two key elements:

  • Obsessional thoughts - originating and worrisome thoughts that are unsettling, unwanted and unwelcome and 'come out of nowhere'- and serve only to increase the anxiety level.
  • Compulsionscompulsive thoughts and/or compulsive behaviours (the symptoms) that the mind creates to reduce the heightened anxiety level created by the obsessional thoughts. 

 

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

CBT is a form of therapy that is directed towards 'symptom control' (i.e. effectively 'compulsion control'). i.e. it is directed towards reducing the severity of symptoms/compulsions in terms of their intensity, frequency and duration.

 

This can be done sometimes by the therapist 'challenging' the need to carry out the symptoms that create so much anxiety and worry and are taking up so much time, and are so exhausting, and so inconvenient for the sufferer and their family, friends, and work colleagues.

 

And sometimes the therapist can provide helpful strategies, (maybe in printed form as either a worksheet or a booklet of some kind), that the sufferer may be able to use in their life to make their life a little more bearable.

 

With CBT the therapist often also provides 'homework', in terms of requiring the client to maintain a diary, or daily record, of the intensity, frequency and duration of their symptoms - to use as the basis for the next 'challenging' discussion with their therapist at the next appointment.

 

What CBT doesn't do (at least, not effectively), is address, or resolve, the underlying obsession that is responsible for creating all of the anxiety related compulsions/symptoms.

 

So what happens with CBT is that therapy becomes a game of 'therapeutic whack-a-mole', where every time one compulsion/symptom is 'helped', another compulsion/symptom is either created or an existing compulsion/symptom(s) becomes worse.

 

* * * * * * *

Repetitive Cleaning OCD - Symptom Creation

Consider a person with some form of repetitive cleaning OCD, where the obsessional thought, which they may well be unaware of, is "I might die from the unknown diseases that lurk in the dust on the furniture" (this thought might arise as a result of actually knowing of someone who has died in exactly this way).

 

It is easy to see how that particular obsessional thought might be triggered in someone's mind simply as a result of seeing a tiny speck of dust on a shelf - thereby increasing their anxiety level. It is also easy to see how the associated compulsive activity, of cleaning shelves, furniture, carpets, floors would then be triggered and lots of cleaning might then take place in order to reduce their anxiety level down to the where it was  before that first tiny speck of dust was seen.

 

The situation for someone with a repetitive cleaning form of OCD is very very difficult - because wherever they go in their house they might easily see some dust - which will then trigger their obsession and, as a consequence, their compulsions/symptoms.

 

It is very very difficult for someone with a repetitive cleaning form of OCD to escape their obsession and the cause of their troublesome symptoms - short of maybe going to live in an industrial electronics dust free 'clean room' where silicon wafers are manufactured and processed !

 

Homosexual OCD - Symptom Creation

So now imagine, if you will, how much more difficult it is for the person with HOCD !

 

We are, all of us, effectively surrounded by people; men; women; some the same sex; some the opposite sex; some attractive; some not so attractive; at work; in the media; on the train; at the station; in the shops; on the news bulletins; presenting weather forecasts etc. And, dammit, even our own family is made up of people !

 

In this world, it is nigh on impossible to escape people ! (short of maybe becoming a recluse or going to live on a deserted island).

 

And you can now see how it is impossible for the person with HOCD to escape from their problem, because almost every single person that they see has the potential to trigger their obsession - and thence their compulsions/symptoms (that have been outlined previously on this page) !

 

HOCD must be one of the worst types of OCD for any human being to have - not least because it concerns such a personal and private area of you life - and is a concern that you can have that it is almost impossible to raise and discuss with other people in your life for fear of 'being laughed at', or maybe knowing that your friends simply wouldn't understand what is happening to you, or just how bad and isolated you feel as a result of your HOCD.

(Note. Homosexual OCD (HOCD) is sometimes called Sexual Orientation OCD (SO-OCD), and there is another 'companion page' on this web site that also talks about Sexual Orientation OCD and some other, related, aspects of HOCD.)

HOCD - I can help you

HOCD is a very misunderstood and difficult problem. It can ruin lives. Doctors don't seem to understand. And very often the help that they offer is limited to medication, often anti-depressants.

 

But if you are suffering from HOCD, you are not suffering from depression. (Although, at times, you may feel quite depressed due to your problem !) 

 

Many people suffering from HOCD are afraid or embarrassed to even talk about their problem, for fear of being ridiculed or labelled. And so the biggest problem in getting help with HOCD, is finding someone who actually understands the situation. Because most of the people offering treatment for HOCD don't actually know what it is, their solutions often fail and at best give you a means of living with your problem forever.

 

The good news is, that HOCD can be completely cured !  ( Link to HOCD Therapy Case Study Testimonial )

 

The first thing to realise is that Obsession and Compulsion are psychologically very different things and depend on your natural personality type. Without making this differentiation and knowing which you are suffering from, you cannot even begin to treat it.

 

At the root of both disorders is always some lost fear or thought, which is so deeply buried in the back of your mind that you have forgotten about it. But it is still having an effect on your feelings and behaviour. And in the case of HOCD this fear starts to focus on doubts about your sexuality.

 

These thoughts and ideas can be identified, and reversed where necessary, using specialised therapy in combination with Hypnosis.

 

I specialise in getting to the root causes of HOCD, removing them and thus removing the feelings which drive obsessive thinking and compulsive behaviour. This REMOVES the problem so that there is no further need for medication or any other coping mechanisms such as exercises, thought control, special routines, CBT or any other procedures.

 

I am very experienced in dealing with HOCD. (It is more common than you would think!) There will be no labelling or judgement. I have heard it ALL before and understand the symptoms and the suffering.
 

If you would like more information on this successful treatment please contact me to arrange a FREE confidential consultation (Click here), and get started on changing your life straight away.

 

YOUR NEXT STEP...

 

Either:

 

Contact Peter to make an appointment for therapy or a free initial consultation.

 

or

 

Read Peter's website welcome letter.

 

(Note. HOCD is sometimes called Sexual Orientation OCD (SO-OCD), and there is another 'companion page' on this web site that also talks about Sexual Orientation OCD (SO-OCD) and other, related, aspects of HOCD.)

The Surrey Hypnotherapy Clinic TM

Need an individual consultation?

For professional, caring and confidential help, advice, therapy or treatment for, or about, any of the above issues or topics, or similar, just contact Peter, preferably by e-mail, to arrange an appointment for your free initial consultation.

Gay Therapy (or Conversion therapy, Cure therapy or Reparative therapy)

Conversion therapy (or gay therapy, or cure therapy, or reparative therapy) refers to any form of treatment or psychotherapy which aims to change a person’s sexual orientation or to suppress a person’s gender identity. It is based on an assumption that being lesbian, gay, bi-sexual or transgender is a mental illness that can be ‘cured’. These therapies are considered to be both unethical and harmful.

 

Techniques used in conversion therapy prior to 1981 in the United States and Western Europe included ice-pick lobotomies; chemical castration  with hormonal treatment; aversive treatments, such as "the application of electric shock to the hands and/or genitals"; "nausea-inducing drugs ... administered simultaneously with the presentation of homoerotic stimuli"; and masturbatory reconditioning.

 

The highest-profile advocates of conversion therapy today tend to be fundamentalist Christian groups and other organizations which use a religious justification for the therapy rather than speaking of homosexuality as 'a disease'.

 

The main organization advocating secular forms of conversion therapy is the National Association for Research & Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH), which often partners with religious groups.

 

More recent clinical techniques used in the United States have been limited to counselling, visualisation, social skills training, psychoanalytic therapy, and spiritual interventions such as 'prayer and group support and pressure', though there are some reports of aversive treatments through unlicensed practice as late as the 1990s.

 

Following a meeting in April 2014 all the major psychological professional bodies in the UK have concluded that conversion therapy is unethical and potentially harmful. Statements to this effect have been disseminated among psychological professionals.

 

This official position also recognisess that clients with conflicted feelings around sexuality should not be discouraged from seeking help. Many psychotherapists routinely work with people who are struggling with inner conflict, although not so many are experienced in HOCD:

 

"For people who are unhappy about their sexual orientation – whether heterosexual, homosexual or bisexual – there may be grounds for exploring therapeutic options to help them live more comfortably with it, reduce their distress and reach a greater degree of acceptance of their sexual orientation."

 

Royal College of Psychiatrists (2014), ‘Royal College of Psychiatrists’ statement on sexual orientation’. London: Royal College of Psychiatrists http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/pdf/PS02_2014.pdf

 

Here at The Surrey Hypnotherapy Clinic we are supportive of anyone who is experiencing any kind of inner conflict regarding their sexuality, as is usually the case with those experiencing Homosexual Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (also known as Sexual Orientation OCD).

 

So if you believe that you are sexually oriented one way, and you are now having doubts, and think that your sexual orientation may have changed to another, just contact Peter at The Surrey Hypnotherapy Clinic and ask for a consultation to speak to Peter about your problem.

Directions to The Surrey Hypnotherapy Clinic

Select a town or district place name close to your location to see the route/direction of The Surrey Hypnotherapy Clinic from your selected town or district:

 

Towns & Districts/Boroughs in Surrey:

Addlestone Banstead Camberley Chertsey Dorking Egham

Elmbridge Epsom Ewell Farnham Godalming Guildford Knaphill

Leatherhead Mole Valley Reigate Runnymede Spelthorne

Staines Sunbury Surrey Surrey Heath Tandridge Waverley 

West Byfleet Weybridge Woking

 

Towns & Districts/Boroughs in Hampshire(Hants):

Aldershot East Hants Farnborough Hampshire Hart Rushmoor

 

Towns & Districts/Boroughs in Berkshire(Berks):

Berkshire (Berks) Bracknell Bracknell Forest Maidenhead

Reading Slough Windsor Wokingham 

Best help, advice, therapy & treatment for:

Addictions, Alcohol Abuse, Anger Management, Anorexia, Anxiety DisordersBinge Drinking, Binge Eating, Bulimia, Blushing, Bruxism, Childbirth, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Compulsions, Compulsive Behaviour, Depression, Drug Abuse, Eating Disorders, Emotional Problems (e.g. Anger, Rage, Sadness, Jealousy, Suspicion, Paranoia,Grief, Guilt, Shame, Trauma), Exam Stress, Fear of Flying, Food Addiction, Impulsive Problem Gambling Addiction, Gastric Band Hypnotherapy, Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Habits, Insomnia, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), Low Self Confidence, Low Self Esteem, Obsessions, OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder), Pain Management, Panic Disorder (Anxiety Attacks or Panic Attacks)Phobic Disorder (Phobias)PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), Public Speaking, Smoking or Vaping, Relationship Issues, Relaxation, Sadness, Sex Addiction, Sexual Issues, Sleep Disorders, Social Anxiety Disorder (Social Phobia), Sports Performance, Stress, Stuttering, Tinnitus,and Weight Loss

The Surrey Hypnotherapy Clinic serves the Surrey boroughs of Elmbridge, Epsom and Ewell, Guildford, Mole Valley, Reigate and Banstead, Runnymede, Spelthorne, Surrey Heath, Tandridge, Waverley and Woking.

For Hypnosis therapy and Hypnotherapy in Surrey, the Surrey towns of: Addlestone, Aldershot, Bracknell, Byfleet, Camberley, Epsom, Farnborough, Godalming, Guildford, Knaphill, Leatherhead, Runnymede, Staines, Sunbury, Walton, West Byfleet, Weybridge and Woking are all within a short 30 minute drive from Woking Hypnosis Hypnotherapist Peter Back at the Surrey Hypnotherapy Clinic,

 

If you would like to find out more about how Surrey Hypnotherapist Peter Back might be able to help you, or if you are simply looking for the best help, advice, therapy or treatment, from a highly qualified and experienced Psychoanalyst, Psychotherapist, Hypnotherapist or Hypnotist, just contact Peter by e-mail, at the Surrey Hypnotherapy Clinic, Woking, to arrange an appointment to learn more about Hypnosis and Peter's own unique form of specialist, evidence based, Hypnotherapy and Psychotherapy.

Make an Appointment

Situated in a quiet, discreet, setting with easy, and free, parking - you are assured that your consultations will be discreet, private and confidential.

 

All callers are by prior appointment, which is very easy to arrange - just select the button below to e-mail Peter first to arrange a convenient time for your appointment.

Treatments

Therapies that facilitate effortless and transformational change in thoughts, feelings and behaviour mean that a number of problems of psychological or emotional origin can be helped.

 

Select the button below for more information about symptoms and the therapies that may be able help you, or instead just e-mail Peter to arrange a convenient time for a consultation.

For the Best Help, Advice, Therapy & Treatment ...

...Speak to Peter !

Image of Surry Psychoanalyst and Hypnotherapist Peter Back at The Surrey Hypnotherapy Clinic Surrey Psychoanalyst and Hypnotherapist Peter Back at The Surrey Hypnotherapy Clinic

Welcome

Select the button below for a welcome letter from Peter, with more about the Surrey Hypnotherapy clinic, or instead just e-mail Peter to arrange a convenient time for a consultation.

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In order to visit

Our address is:

The Surrey Hypnotherapy Clinic

Sandcroft
Blackbridge Road

Woking

GU22 0DN

 

Note. All callers by prior appointment.

Guideline directions:

Directions from nearby towns and districts are given here: Directions.

 

Particularly convenient for:

Addlestone, Aldershot, Ashford, Bookham, Bracknell, Bracknell Forest, Brookwood, Caterham, Camberley, Chertsey, Chobham, DorkingEghamElmbridgeEpsom, Ewell, Farnborough, FarnhamGodalming, Guildford, Hampshire, Hart, Horley, Jacobs Well, Knaphill, Leatherhead, London, Ottershaw, Pirbright, Reading, Ripley,  Runnymede, Rushmoor, Sheerwater, Send, SpelthorneStaines, SunburySurrey, Surrey Heath, Sutton Green, Walton, WaverleyWest Byfleet, Weybridge, Woking, Wokingham, Worplesdon

Select the button below for a map, address & e-mail contact form:

Contact info

Please note, if you should 'phone it is quite likely that Peter will be busy with a client and unable to take your call.

 

E-mail tends to be the best way to contact Peter, to arrange or reschedule appointments.

 

However, If urgent, you might be able to reach Peter on the following 'phone number but please be prepared to leave a message... Thank you.

 

Phone:  08707 606765 08707 606765

Select the button below for a map, address & e-mail contact form:

" The measure of success is not whether you have a tough problem to deal with, but whether it's the same problem you had last year."

- John Foster Dulles

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