OCD AND HYPERAWARENESS

Slide 1: OCD and Hyperawareness

Slide 2: Person 1: Hey! Did you know that people with OCD can also be hypervigilant and
hyperaware sometimes?
Person 2: No, I did not! Can you please tell me more about it?
Person 1: Sure! An individual with OCD who is hyperaware will constantly perform repetitive
compulsions to achieve certainty and lessen their anxiety. It can also lead to heightened
awareness of external sounds and visual sensitivity.
Person 2: Wow that sounds hard! Can you tell me more about it?
Slide 3: Person 1: Being hyperaware all the time can be extremely exhausting for an
individual and the compulsions involved can take up a lot of time.
Person 2: Can you give us a few examples of the compulsions.
Person 1: Sure! A few examples are:
● Checking if the door is locked.
● Checking if the oven is turned off.
● A person with OCD may repeatedly engage in mental pr physical compulsions to
check if they actually have OCD.
● Someone with just right themed OCD will perform compulsions till it feels just right.
● Constantly checking if they are breathing “normally”.
● “I had an intrusive thought while performing the compulsion so now I have to do it
all over again!”.
● Hyperawareness of sensations in the groin.
Please note that these are just a few examples and OCD can latch onto anything, so the
list of obsessions and compulsions are also endless.
Slide 4: Person 1: This increased sensitivity or hyperawareness will only lead to more worry,
self-doubt, and rumination.
Person 2: So, what advice do you have for someone who is going through this?
Person 1: Remember that the more you check the more uncertain you will get. So, the
answer lies in living with the uncertainty! Instead of trying to suppress or distract ourselves
from our thoughts we should try to let the thoughts come and go and sit with the
discomfort and resist performing any mental or physical checking compulsions. You can also
try to incorporate mindfulness in your treatment. Also, the treatment for this is Exposure
and Response Prevention (ERP) therapy. The Exposure in ERP refers to exposing yourself to
the thoughts, images, objects, and situations that make you anxious and/or start your
obsessions. While the Response Prevention part of ERP, refers to making a choice not to do
a compulsive behaviour once the anxiety or obsessions have been “triggered.” All of this is
done under the guidance of a therapist.
Slide 5: Person 1: If your OCD makes you hyperaware of your surroundings then we know
how hard it can be! You are not alone.
Person 2: Yes, that’s right! Thank you for educating me on this topic.

Caption: OCD and hyperawareness isn’t talked about enough. So here is a post about it. We
hope that you learned something new today!