The Amazing OCD recovery story
How to cure ocd
Recovered from Intrusive Thoughts of Harm OCD
My name is June Caswell. I’m 37 and I have had OCD intrusive thoughts since I’m 23. When I had a miscarriage and I got very depressed and started experiencing intrusive thoughts.
I tried everything to stop the thoughts. I went to psychotherapists, counseling, cognitive behavioral therapy, hypnosis, acupuncture, healers and anything that I thought might help.
For years I paid so much money trying so many different things and I was out of work as well that I fell behind on my mortgage payments.
The intrusive thoughts were 24 /7 even when I slept I would have them in the middle of the night and they scared the life out of me. I was constantly on the internet trying to find something to stop the intrusive thoughts and that is when I found Linda’s OCD course.
Since I completed the course I’m a different person. I no longer experience the reaction to the intrusive thoughts therefore I no longer have the intrusive thoughts.
I feel so much better so if there’s anyone that is going through what I went through there is help out there.
Recovered from OCD Intrusive Thoughts
I heard Linda discuss her condition on the radio just 2 months ago and was amazed to hear somebody with exactly the same problems I have suffered from for the past 40 years.
I thought I was the only person in the world with such bizarre intrusive thoughts and was surprised to hear she had used a breathing technique to heal herself.
I contacted her and have attended her classes for the past 8 weeks.
I was skeptical initially but after a very short time of regular practice, I noticed a significant improvement in my condition.
I found that some of the techniques brought an almost instant relief to the anxiety and played a major part in helping me get a good night’s sleep which was a problem for me previously.
As a result of the daily practice of these techniques, my OCD has completely disappeared. I have found the support of a group with similar problems to be very cathartic and also helpful to know you are not alone with this problem.
Recovered from OCD Intrusive Thoughts
I attended the OCD program and I found Linda to be a very knowledgeable and enthusiastic teacher. The structure of the program was helpful with a check in first and then into the breathing techniques specific for OCD. The actual breathing techniques are easy to do, a little strange at first with the different mouth and jaw positions but they come naturally soon.
Even regardless of having OCD these techniques bring a great sense of calm and balance to the mind and of course, this had a direct impact on your OCD. I found my OCD thoughts not sticking as much as they usually do. They were still there but my reaction to them was different and over time this builds with the exercises. It’s definitely a great tool to have in your OCD kitbag that you can do almost anywhere and all you need is you and your breath and a quiet place.
I was very attracted to the course knowing that Linda herself had experienced debilitating OCD with intrusive thoughts.This is the particular type of OCD that I have so I really wanted to try it out.I attended the classes in Rathmines Holistic Centre.The space is cosy, convenient and very welcoming. Thank you, Linda, for teaching me a great technique for my OCD that I will always have to hand.
Teenager Aged 13, Recovered from OCD Intrusive Thoughts
How Linda helped me!
You helped me by talking to you every week and telling you how I felt. I love art so I created a gratefulness jar and I wrote what I was grateful for and so did my mom. I also created a sheet of paper with what I love about myself and what I’m good at and I hung on my mirror and said it to myself everyday. I also did meditation which helped me very much and I did it every morning and night and whenever I felt anxious and stressed. I think Linda helped me very much and I feel so much better.
Ava's Mum
Ava came to me less than a year ago about having intrusive thoughts and feeling upset and anxious. I noticed before that she had certain routines such as rigid timetables etc but I didn’t know until then the extent of it. I contacted Linda and explained to her the situation. She asked for Ava to come in to see her and from the very first visit with Linda there has been a huge difference in her. We practised the exercises Linda asked for Ava to practice and the intrusive thoughts and strict regime on herself became less and less. It's been less than a year and Ava is like a completely different child. She is happy, calm , relaxed and has had no intrusive thoughts lately. Both Ava and I are very grateful for everything Linda has done.
Review from the Teenagers Mother.
My daughter was always an overthinker, and we first sought help by way of counselling about the age of 10. By her early teens it was causing her a lot of distress and it was very hard to try to explain exactly what the problem was. I found a video of Linda and one of her clients and they were practically describing my daughter while telling their own stories of OCD intrusive thoughts. From her very first meeting with Linda my daughter was so relieved that not only did someone understand but because Linda had been through exactly the same she didn't have to try to find the words to explain. They worked on breathing exercises together and that has given her the tools to help herself and she feels proactive in her recovery.
Linda has given my daughter hope and absolute belief that she can manage her OCD no matter what way it presents itself and for that we will be forever grateful.
Teenager aged 13, Recovered from OCD Intrusive Thoughts
My child was 13 when he looked for help. He was having intrusive thoughts which disturbed him terribly. He often came into me in the middle of the night and was very upset. We went to a child psychologist for CBT but found the exercises very difficult.
We then tried occupational therapy which was also CBT but thought in a different way. I worked hard at trying to educate myself about OCD when I came across Linda Culleton and Heal Within. We are now 90 percent through the program and I have my child back. He no longer gets disturbed and upset by his thoughts. He is much more focused in everything he does as before he had to do things in a certain way.
His siblings have noticed how much happier and content he is now. I found the program to be very professional and Linda has a great rapport with teenagers. I would highly recommend Linda’s course.
A Mother’s Testimonial
Recovered from Homosexual OCD
I have suffered from OCD for as long as I can remember, I've always had some level of intrusive thoughts throughout my life. I have tried CBT and counselling in the past but neither treatments worked for me. I have been on 40mg of antidepressants for the past 15 years, these have helped however they impacted my life in other ways, tiredness being the main thing.
In 2020 I hit a wall, my father passed away and then Covid hit, my intrusive thoughts spiralled massively even with the anti-depressants and I just felt helpless and resigned to the fact that this was my life. Then last August I found Linda, to say reaching out to her has been one of the best things I have ever done is an understatement. Through her teaching I can honestly say it changed my life, almost instantaneously I could feel the relief , it was like my brain was able to relax for the first time in a long time, if that even makes sense.
I have been able to cut my medication from 40mg daily to 10mg which has seen my energy levels increase dramatically as a result. Another positive impact I have had through Linda’s teaching is I'm no longer as irritable as I used to be and my level of tolerance has increased, mainly I believe due to the reduction in constant anxiety I was living in.
I cannot recommend Linda’s OCD course enough or thank her enough for changing my life.
Recovered from Sexual Intrusive Thoughts and Harm OCD
For 3 years I had suffered with OCD and I didn’t know what was happening to me or where to turn. My mind was not my own, racing with unpleasant thoughts which were completely out of character.
The day I saw Linda Culleton on the Vogue Williams programme “My Anxious Life” was the day my life changed for the better. Linda was speaking about her own personal experience with OCD and how through Kundalini Yoga breathing techniques she had healed herself from within and eradicated it from her life. The fact that this was a natural approach gave me great hope and comfort as I didn’t want to go down the road of medication and I was so determined to get my life back. I contacted Linda and arranged a meeting and it's been the best thing I’ve ever done. Linda put a Kundalini yoga programme in place for me and taught me the techniques involved. I will admit initially I was sceptical if these breathing techniques could eradicate these unpleasant thoughts but I had every faith in Linda and knowing she had been through the same experience and came through it successfully gave me so much hope. I was very committed to doing the programme practicing on a daily basis and as challenging at times the techniques were Linda was always there giving me amazing support and guidance and I no longer felt alone. She knew exactly what I was going through. Linda is an amazing person who has brought her own personal experience to light for the gain of others. I know my life could have gone down a very different road without her.
I feel so happy now with a new lust for life again and the me that was there all along has finally started coming to the fore and I can see a happy future ahead for me.
I can truly say Linda is my guardian angel and has brought me through such a challenging time in my life and I will be forever thankful to her.
Recovered from OCD Intrusive Thoughts
Having never experienced symptoms of anxiety in my childhood, it came as a surprise to me one night at the age of 22 to suffer a severe attack of anxiety and a belief I was having a nervous breakdown. The commonly held belief was that people in that situation were liable to attack or harm other more vulnerable individuals and so this led to the intrusive thoughts that I was liable to cause harm to other people. These thoughts convinced me that I was in fact losing my mind and triggered a vicious circle of anxiety and depression that persisted on and off for over 40 years. I initially sought help from my doctor and was referred to a psychiatrist who advised me I was suffering from depression. I was put on a course of antidepressants which relieved the severity of my symptoms but never really cured them. I suffered the debilitating effects of this condition for the best part of 40 years and totally understand how people in that situation are more than happy to find some relief by ending it all. I have suffered from all kinds of physical injuries and can safely say I would take 100 times the pain of those to one bout of OCD anxiety /depression which I have had. I have tried alcohol, prayer and meditation over the years, but the problem always regularly resurfaced.
I happened to be listening to the radio one day and heard Linda discussing her situation on air and was surprised to hear there was somebody else with the same condition as myself, she had tried Kundalini yoga meditation (specific for the treatment of OCD) and discovered it had been very successful for her. I subsequently contacted her and undertook a course of the OCD treatment to relieve my OCD.
The course consisted of 12 weeks one night per week of practice and building to 31 minutes of OCD breaths at 15 seconds intervals. As I progressed t I found a gradual but sustained improvement in my condition. I eventually completed the 90 days of 31 minutes of OCD breathing techniques. I am quite satisfied I have no symptoms of the problem now and am happy that it is finally resolved and healed. It has had a remarkable effect on my life. I now feel free to engage in any activity, e.g. holiday, work, sport, social, etc., without having to worry about an anxiety attack which crippled my life.
Teenager aged 17, Recovered from Homosexual OCD
My journey with OCD started from a very young age and it has been a weight I have carried around with me for as long as I can remember. However since receiving treatment from Linda I cannot explain the immense amount of relief I have gotten and that I finally feel happy again. The type of OCD that I mainly suffered with was intrusive thoughts. At the beginning, the intrusive thoughts were based around the thought that if I didn’t do something a certain amount of times then something bad would happen. This went on from a young age and I just brushed it off as a childish habit that I would get over eventually. I thought that this ‘childish habit’ had passed as it didn’t cross my mind for a while.
However the intrusive thoughts were triggered again and this time they were based around my sexuality. One day someone I know questioned my sexuality and this triggered a fear I didn’t know I had. I knew that I was heterosexual and not anything else but from that moment on I constantly worried that I ‘looked’ like a lesbian or that people thought I was one. The intrusive thoughts were constant and I felt I couldn’t go anywhere without thinking ‘oh do I fancy her’ or ‘what way do I feel about her’. I found myself forcing myself to imagine situations to see how I reacted even though they made me uncomfortable. These thoughts bothered me a lot because I knew that I was straight and I did not want these thoughts. As a result of these thoughts I felt a constant need of reassurance and would even take quizzes online to tell me that I was straight!
I felt so alone and I didn’t know how to tell anyone about how I was feeling and what I was thinking without them questioning my sexuality. I was afraid that they would think that I am questioning my sexuality because of my age and that I will probably admit that I am not heterosexual soon. I am very lucky to have amazing parents who supported me no matter what and tried to understand everything I was telling them. Talking about it helped me a lot at the time and it was great to be able to get reassurance that I was straight from my mam. However the intrusive thoughts didn’t go away and they only got stronger. This was very distressing for me as the only relief I was getting from the thoughts was going to sleep at night. I had a constant fear that I was ‘in denial’ and that I was just not admitting to myself that I wasn’t straight even though I knew I was.
My parents and I made a decision to go and talk to someone and the first treatment I received was talk therapy. Personally, talk therapy did not really work for me. Even though on the day of my sessions I would leave feeling great, the intrusive thoughts were still there and were only getting worse. We then heard about Linda and the treatments and we decided it was time to try something new. In my first session with Linda she explained to me that in order to get rid of the OCD completely, we must get to the root of the problem instead of just brushing over the surface. Linda explained to me about how the nervous system worked and how we can fix it. Understanding the cause of the problem and how we can fix it gave me immediate hope and made me excited to start the treatment. I practiced the treatment every day and had weekly sessions with Linda from that day on and I have never felt better.
I began to feel a difference about a week into the treatment and I cannot express how hopeful and happy that made me feel. I couldn’t believe that I had suffered for so long and that I was finally on the road to recovery. As much as speaking to my parents was great, talking to Linda helped me immensely as she truly understood how I felt and talking to someone who has experienced it makes such a difference. Things only got better and the intrusive thoughts lessened.
Some days are worse than others but I am now on 10 seconds for 31 minutes with my practice and I still have a bit to go. It makes me excited to know how much better I feel already and that I will be feeling even better as time goes on. I cannot recommend Linda enough and I owe her everything as I don’t know what I would do without her. I truly cannot thank Linda enough. She has changed my life and I will be forever grateful.
Recovered from Contamination OCD
My battle with OCD manifests itself around fear of contamination where I would constantly be avoiding situations that I would possibly pick up a disease such as HIV. I would be frightened of touching pedestrian crossing buttons or door handles etc. I was even scared of stepping in something red on the ground and thinking it was blood, that it would splash up and maybe get into a cut that I had on my leg. This caused me enormous distress and would even force me to carry out compulsions such as hand washing and even getting HIV tests in order to ease my anxiety but each time the anxiety was eased, in time it would come back again just as strong.
I knew I had to do something in order to stop this crippling anxiety but I didn’t know what.
I’d attended doctors and they had prescribed me anti-depressants but I hadn’t found they gave me much relief at all. Then one day I happened to be listening to the radio and I heard a man called Colm talking about his history with OCD. I instantly related to him and when he went on to talk about a form of breathing techniques which is specifically targeted in helping to stop OCD.
Linda was also speaking on the radio and was talking about an OCD program. I immediately knew I had to try it.
I was nervous starting out as OCD had made me lose a lot of my confidence and I thought it would be difficult to socialize with people on the program but Linda totally put me at my ease. I’ve just finished the program and I feel a lot better. I’m not worrying so much about contamination and feel in a much better place.The breathing exercises are actually very relaxing and allow me to take time out for myself from my busy family life. During the course, Linda also advises us on our lifestyles such as sleep, diet and alcohol consumption and how it can all affect OCD.I found this to be very useful. I would highly recommend anyone who is struggling with OCD to consider going on the program as it certainly has given me back a lot of my life and has allowed me to enjoy it more fully!
