Health Anxiety (Hypochondria) OCD

Things to know about health anxiety OCD

So, let’s start by exploring what type of person is likely to fall foul of this type of extreme anxiety conditioning.

Firstly, they are almost always clever, dominant, stubborn, emotional, caring and creative (though they may shy away from realising that creativity). 

They usually dislike conflict (outside of their immediate family) and are holding down a lot of suppressed anger (whether they know it or not!)

Secondly, there is nearly always something that initiated the health anxiety – be it from – the death (or illness) of a loved one during childhood, spending lots of time in hospital, family break-ups, separations, relocations, or experiencing some form of event or abuse that disgusted or shamed them. 

Perhaps they had a parent who also had excessive health anxiety (or worked in the medical field) and imprinted those fears upon them during childhood.

Thirdly, they have usually had their natural dominance (or playfulness) repressed during childhood by parents, school, culture or religion, which leads to an over-developed sense of self where they try to be a nice or good person, which often leads to self-consciousness and the need to do things perfectly, or to avoid doing them.

Fourthly, they have an erroneously programmed amygdala that fires off fear responses associated with items that are not necessarily dangerous , like a kitchen bin – or are imagined – like feeling contaminated or thinking you might catch a disease.

This exhausting way of making their nervous system hyper-vigilant – and this MUST BE desensitised through ERP – Exposure and Response Prevention – but the right type of ERP – and done in the right way, – and I have many reservations about how ERP is conventionally taught as I discuss in my five-part ERP series at video 50 in my course.

And, finally, they tend to be highly conditioned left-brained, logical, and rules-oriented individuals who resist alternative (or seemingly unprovable) perspectives which challenge the perceived safety of mainstream science and medicine that they have been so conditioned by.

Further observations that I believe help recovery include:

• Recognising the harmful effects of constant worry, stress and fighting life – on disrupting their natural biological health.

• Needing to be right or perfect which often limits recovery, slows down personal growth and may sabotage relationships.

• Having repressed emotions and suppressed personality traits which may cause inner conflict, thus affecting health and clarity of decision-making

• Many people develop complex (and Seemingly Logical) Justifications for the limiting and restrictive behaviours they do which constrict their lives

• They need to explore ways to consider death less fearfully – so they can unclench a little, and enjoy being with loved ones now rather than fearing losing them. 

• They would benefit from learning how to love themselves more and how to receive love more openly.

• And finally, to consider the role a second person (or family and culture) plays through controlling or reassuring them – or allowing them to justify their life-limiting behaviours – because all that control, loneliness, anxiety and drama needs an audience (or at least another person to blame!)

And, if this video is already triggering you or unconsciously sabotaging you towards stopping it – then (before you do) – might you just consider that this is exactly the type of ‘victim strategy’ response that health anxiety employs?

It tries to unconsciously shut down or sabotage all paths that will lead to its own extinction – it cuts its nose off to spite its face – like the little unconscious eight-year-old that it is!

Everybody can see it – except the person unconsciously doing it – or you might say being run by it.

And even if you don’t have health anxiety, we all know people who do – so it might be beneficial to watch the whole video – as I try to put into words what I have seen to be true (though, once I again) I can’t prove to be true, but that shouldn’t make it any less relevant or valid.

Like I know love is true, but I can’t prove it to you! 

So, let’s continue to explore these types of anxiety so we have a better understanding of what we are dealing with – ready for the next video, where I’ll show you what you need to do to change – assuming you truly desire to be free.

Because it’s my experience that taking responsibility for your new life is probably just as scary as the very thing you are currently scared of which is holding you back.

Funny really when you look at it that way! What worked for me was to reframe the word anxiety into agitation.

To think that some person, event or thought has energised my atoms, thus agitating them ready for some sort of action – whatever that might be?

I wonder if ice had a panic attack the first time it was energised, became agitated and began transitioning into water? “Oh my God, I’m melting – how will I survive?

But then it discovered it could be more flexible and become more useful. Then, perhaps it might have freaked out again when it was further energised and agitated up into steam and discovered it could now fly!

You’ll never know who you’ll become unless you let that energy agitate you and move through you but not stop you from walking towards your dreams.

I like metaphors because I think that’s how the brain works, it just needs simple models that represent reality to roughly understand what’s happening – OK, let’s get back on topic.

The medical world suggests that about 20% of the Western population have health anxiety – and not surprisingly, that 20% consume about 80% of the available resources of doctors and health services through their need for reassurance, second opinions, extra tests, unnecessary medical procedures and their continued use of medications.

So, a common sense question that arises in my mind is…

What might the 20% who have this programmed condition, learn from the 80% (who we might call normal) who don’t have health anxiety issues? 

But, as we consider that point, I think it’s also important to recognise, often many of our family and friends may be in that first 20% too, (to some degree) as that was probably the environment we were initially conditioned within – so, maybe we need to look outside our primary (and ongoing) domestic environments to observe these different strategies.

I think this other group trusts themselves more and feels more comfortable taking responsibility for their lives and assuming they won’t get ill rather than expecting to get ill.

This is continued in this video…