As far as specific techniques, receptive music listening has been a commonality across multiple studies with patients with OCD. Studies have found that “receptive music therapy helped reduce obsessive symptoms with comorbid anxiety and depression” (Truong, et al., 2021, p. 3).
Fortunately, instrumental playing is not the only way music can help with OCD. Studies have found that melodic music can increase the release of serotonin in the brain (Moraes et al., 2018). In fact, SSRIs are the first line treatment for OCD (Kellner, 2010).
When I treat a person for phobias or OCD, I typically will incorporate some type of fast-paced, intense beat that can match a person's fast-paced and intense emotional state. Nothing compares to some of the music from the '90s. Especially the rap and R&B.
Earworms or musical obsessions (also known as stuck song syndrome [SSS]) are common in the general population, but can be more pronounced and debilitating in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
“Music engages the reward system in your brain; it aids focus and helps dissipate intrusive thoughts. It also facilitates entrainment,” Dr. Kauffman says. The process of entrainment is the foundation of music therapy.
Listening to OCD will relieve you for a little bit, but it will just keep tricking you. Then, you are stuck under the spell of it. It is important to show it who is boss. It is important to let it know only you can control what you do, not the OCD.
Symptoms generally worsen when you experience greater stress. OCD , usually considered a lifelong disorder, can have mild to moderate symptoms or be so severe and time-consuming that it becomes disabling.
The bulk of the problems occurring within your OCD come from you. The main reason that compulsions seem so hard to stop is because you have rehearsed them so often that they have become very automatic habits that are easy to do without thinking. You get good at things you rehearse a lot.
While medication and therapy are the first-line treatment options, there are strategies you can use on your own to manage OCD. Manage stress: High-stress levels can worsen OCD thoughts and behaviors. Relaxation strategies that relieve stress can help, such as mindfulness, meditation, and progressive muscle relaxation.
The most effective treatments for OCD are Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) and/or medication.
Music Triggers Pleasure
Excess cortisol fuels your stress levels, and music can help keep them in check. Research shows that cortisol production decreases when you listen to music, which Ringgold says can help take the edge off of that fight-or-flight response. Music also helps boost feel-good chemicals in your brain.
Music is one of many ways for coping with overthinking. The key is to distract ourselves with meaningful activities that would clear our mind. With this, we are less likely to be confined by the thoughts that have been bothering and wearing us down.
Stop interacting with OCD and start engaging with the life you want to live! Reassurance seeking is the final area that needs to change to help you take control over your OCD. Seeking less reassurance from others allows you to become stronger in managing your OCD head on, thus reducing the power of OCD.
Ongoing anxiety or stress, or being part of a stressful event like a car accident or starting a new job, could trigger OCD or make it worse. Pregnancy or giving birth can sometimes trigger perinatal OCD.
Trauma, stress, and abuse all can be a cause of OCD getting worse. OCD causes intense urges to complete a task or perform a ritual. For those who have the condition, obsessions and compulsions can begin to rule their life.
Obsessive-compulsive symptoms generally wax and wane over time. Because of this, many individuals diagnosed with OCD may suspect that their OCD comes and goes or even goes away—only to return. However, as mentioned above, obsessive-compulsive traits never truly go away. Instead, they require ongoing management.
One of the most common complaints from my patients was boredom. They just didn't have enough to do. When someone with OCD has too little stimulation in their lives, OCD typically spikes.
Your mind is sending you signals that you need to do something, even though there is no real risk. It is yelling at you that you need to take action. This is why OCD feels so real. There is a very real process taking place in your brain.
It's just another indication of elevated stress and/or fatigue. It's not an indication of serious mental illness. Most people experience stuck thoughts from time to time. It becomes more prevalent when stress and fatigue are factors.
Intrusive thoughts are often repetitive and won't go away. "The more you think about it, the more anxious you get and the worse the thoughts get," says Dr. Williams. Instead of fighting intrusive thoughts, it's better to learn to live with them.