Harm OCD
Therapy for the fear of hurting someone — the OCD theme people find hardest to tell anyone about.
Does this sound familiar?
What if I snap? What if I hurt my child, my partner, a stranger — what if I already did and don't remember? You hide the knives, avoid being alone with people you love, replay moments looking for proof of what you might be. The thoughts disgust you — which is precisely the point.
People with harm OCD are tormented by these thoughts because they are the opposite of what they want. Fearing you could be dangerous, and being dangerous, are not the same thing — and OCD exploits the gap.
How I treat harm OCD
The treatment is CBT with Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), recommended by NICE for OCD. We work out how the fear is maintained — the avoidance, the mental reviewing, the reassurance-seeking — and dismantle it step by careful step, at a pace you set.
I've worked with these themes many times. Nothing you say will be met with alarm — this is a recognised, treatable presentation of OCD, not a warning sign.
What to expect
A typical course runs 12–16 weekly sessions, starting with assessment and a shared map of how your OCD operates. Progress is reviewed openly, and the exposures are always agreed together — never sprung on you.
Preguntas frecuentes
Should I be worried that I could act on these thoughts? Harm OCD is defined by how much the thoughts horrify you. That distress is the opposite of intent — it's the clearest sign this is OCD.
Will you report me if I tell you my thoughts? Intrusive thoughts in OCD are not threats or plans, and describing them is a normal part of treatment. Therapists who know OCD understand the difference.
Can this really get better? Yes — harm OCD responds to ERP just as other themes do, and many people recover their relationships and confidence fully.
Can sessions be in Spanish? Yes — I offer therapy in English and Spanish.
¿Quieres dar el primer paso?
Envía una consulta y Gisela se pondrá en contacto contigo en un plazo de un día laborable.