How to Use the Havening Technique and Aromatherapy to Heal from OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) and Trauma with Cristina Chua, MSW (Episode 383: Essential Oil Revolution)

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“I’m so OCD” has become a colloquial saying. To someone who truly struggles with obsessive compulsive disorder, OCD, this can minimize the pain experienced with having this crippling mental health diagnosis.

OCD is not a personality flaw or willpower issue. It is not about a preference for organizing, cleaning, or perfectionism.

It is estimated that 2-3% of the national population is diagnosed with OCD in their lifetime. Of the adults who struggle with OCD, 50% are believed to have serious impairment in everyday functioning.

This is why I’m so excited to have Cristina Chua, MSW join us for this inspiring episode of the Essential Oil Revolution. She is one of the most compassionate, kind-hearted, and knowledgeable therapists and coaches around.

Cristina is on a mission to help people reclaim their life from OCD and anxiety. Her technique is based on the physiology of trauma, neuroscience, emotional regulation, and mindful self-compassion. Cristina also incorporates aromatherapy into her work with her clients and her personal wellness practice.

We need to have more available tools for mental health, so people don’t feel like a treatment failure when conventional approaches don’t work for their brain. Cristina offers one such method to us.

Here’s an overview of what you will learn in the full episode:

• What inspired Cristina to start working as a therapist and coach for people with OCD?
• The problems with “gold standard” treatments, especially when they don’t work.
• What is OCD and how it manifests?
• The different types of OCD and some of its themes.
• What goes on in the brain of someone with OCD and how the amygdala hijacks one’s executive functioning.
• What are the Havening Techniques and how Cristina uses them in her work with OCD.
• How Cristina incorporates aromatherapy into her work with OCD clients.
• The difference between training the brain to tolerate uncertainty and using coping strategies to live life with less fear.
• How Cristina’s approach is different from the “gold standard” treatment for OCD, ERP (Exposure and Response Prevention) and how her approach with this new tool is viewed by conventional psychiatry.
• The importance of the emerging science on the Havening Technique and essential oils.
• Closing questions: What Cristina does for daily self-care and what she feels we should ditch and replace with instead to have a more nourishing or healthier life.
• Essential Oil Hacks: How Cristina incorporates essential oils in her personal life and for everyday use.

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