OCD is widely misunderstood. It is not about being tidy or organized. It is about unwanted, intrusive thoughts that feel impossible to dismiss, and the compulsive behaviours or rituals that develop in an attempt to manage the anxiety they create.
What OCD can look like
- Intrusive, distressing thoughts that feel impossible to control
- Compulsive checking, counting, cleaning, or ordering behaviours
- Mental rituals, reviewing, reassurance-seeking, neutralizing
- Religious or moral OCD (scrupulosity), fear of sin or being a bad person
- Harm OCD, intrusive thoughts about hurting others (distressing and not acted on)
- Relationship OCD, constant doubt about relationships or partners
- Contamination fears and avoidance patterns
How therapy helps
Effective OCD therapy involves learning to respond differently to intrusive thoughts, not by suppressing or neutralizing them, but by gradually reducing the significance attached to them and the compulsions that follow. Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), delivered with compassion and at a pace that is right for you, is the most evidence-based approach for OCD.
We also work with the shame that often accompanies OCD, particularly for people whose intrusive thoughts feel morally disturbing. Understanding the difference between having a thought and acting on it, and learning to observe thoughts without being defined by them, is a central part of recovery.