My Quest Hub
How I healed my OCD
– and how you can do it as well.
by Christina McDonald
July 2020
My name is Christina McDonald, and I am a Quest Cognitive Hypnotherapist. My journey with Quest began in 2017 after I had been going through a period in my life when I felt lost and unfulfilled. I wanted to learn more about myself and who I had the potential to be.
I had no idea what Cognitive Hypnotherapy was about. When I researched more about ‘The Quest Institute’, they sounded fantastic, and I was not disappointed when I turned up for the first weekend of training. I was very impressed with how they approached therapy. I knew this could be a positive life-changing experience, and that is what it has been for me. I have never looked back.
At Quest, we see trance as an everyday occurrence, and that all behaviour has a positive intention. We see the client as having arrived at their problem in their unique way and we treat them as the unique individuals they are. We do not use scripts. The work we do for the client is bespoke. Working within these parameters means the client is treated according to their model of the world and therefore offers the client the best possible chance for success in their healing journey.
Quest is more than merely a training school. It’s a community of people who genuinely care and are devoted to working towards helping as many people as possible live the life that makes them happy. At that point in my life, I was ready to make a meaningful change, and even after qualifying as a Cognitive Hypnotherapist, the ongoing support I receive as a therapist and as an individual is unparalleled.
I suffered from chronic OCD anxiety since the young age of 14 years old. Since training with Quest, I have managed to heal around 90% of my obsessions and compulsions. This is something that I would never have thought possible. Still, after training with Quest, you realise that you are only as limited as your most limiting belief. Your inner world begins to expand with unlimited potential regarding what you believe you can achieve.
I now specialise in working with clients who have anxiety disorders but helping clients to recover from OCD is my primary focus. Clients seem to struggle most with being an ‘OCD sufferer’ which is what I would love to change. It seems to become such an enmeshed part of our identity that we begin fighting ourselves rather than seeing OCD for what it is, which is a biochemical imbalance in the brain. We are all so much more than the affliction we are experiencing. When we see OCD for what it is, we begin to recover the essence of who we truly are.
When we access our inner power and realise what’s happening to us doesn’t have to be worked through, as such, but realised for what it is, we begin to take meaningful steps towards recovery. I spent years of my life trying to ‘solve’ OCD, but that’s where I lost my power. I ended up in a vicious cycle of soul searching, which got me nowhere. What I needed was to be aware of what OCD is and to accept that I had the condition. That helped me to recover faster than 20 years of fighting against myself.
The most important lesson that I learned from living with OCD for over 20 years is never underestimate the ability to persevere and to realise what a big deal it is to be courageous in the face of OCD. Celebrate the little victories because they eventually create significant changes. When times are tough, as they often can be, remember just how far you have come and what you are capable of. On our bad days when anxiety seems to have the upper hand, that is when we have the greatest opportunity to move into growth. Don’t run from it but see it as a moment where you have the power to choose. We can always choose how to respond to the continual anxious jabs of OCD even if we feel powerless. That is where your strength lies. If you are struggling with OCD anxiety, please feel free to get in touch to see how I could help you begin to feel better. The gift is within you!
