OCD: Does deep massage & reflexology help?
This is not an autism-specific question, but I thought that since there are many of us who are obsessively compulsive to various degrees, someone may have experience in this...
BACKGROUND
My 78-year-old father (not an aspie) has dementia with comorbid OCD. This is extremely unusual -- OCD does not usually start so late in life, so maybe it was always in there but suppressed; who knows. We really need to stop his behaviour because it is self-harming, e.g. rubbing his eyes incessantly or clearing his throat for three hours, or picking his navel or his nose for much of the day, combing his beard, and similar things. He ended up at the doctor with a nosebleed because of blowing his nose so many times per minute. (He switches to a new obsession every month or so.) My mother cannot watch him constantly and stop him, and we certainly can't shackle him!
My father does not believe that there is anything wrong with him at all, and he is unaware that his typing is unintelligible and his drawings appear nonsensical and ret*d (he was a very good artist before). Reasoning (such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) is not going to help -- his mind is too damaged for that.
SO, MY QUESTION...
I know that for me, deep touch is helpful for bringing me back to normal after a sensory shutdown or a meltdown and for anxiety. OCD is often an anxiety-related. I am certainly more obsessively compulsive when anxious, but no more than is normal for an aspie.
Has anyone here with serious OCD found relief from reflexology or massage? I have never had any formal training in this, but I often seem to know instinctively where and how to touch people to help them, so I think I couldgo to their house and stay there for a few days and try this. I would like to know if anyone thinks I will be successful in reducing the compulsions.
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When I must wait in a queue, I dance. Classified as an aspie with ADHD on 31 March 2009 at the age of 43.