Podcast Summary: Automatic Vs. Active OCD Rumination

Podcast: OCD Recovery
Host: Ali Greymond
Episode Date: June 9, 2025

Overview

In this episode, Ali Greymond dives into a common concern for those recovering from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD): understanding the difference between automatic intrusive thoughts and active rumination. Drawing from her nearly two decades of experience as an OCD recovery coach and her own personal journey, Ali breaks down how recognizing and addressing these thought patterns is fundamental to healing.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Distinguishing Automatic Thoughts From Rumination

• Automatic Thoughts:

  • Triggered by OCD—these can be sudden thoughts, feelings, sensations, urges, or even dreams/images.
  • They arrive involuntarily; you have no control over their occurrence.
  • Described as “bursts,” they can happen repeatedly throughout the day and often appear as a sentence or two that just pops into your mind.

  “OCD sends you a trigger. That trigger is automatic…You know when you experienced it, that you had no control over that coming in.” — Ali Greymond [01:20]

• Active Rumination:

  • Begins after the intrusive thought—this is the part you control, even if it doesn’t feel like it.
  • Involves consciously engaging with the thought by trying to figure it out, analyzing, or performing a compulsion (even if it’s simply overthinking).
  • Includes research behaviors (e.g., searching online, querying AI about symptoms) or talking persistently to others about OCD.
  • The key is that active rumination is an action—something you choose to continue.

  “That action, even if it’s just overthinking, that’s something that you’re doing consciously…When you’re doing that, you’re doing that consciously.” — Ali Greymond [02:31]

2. How to Track and Reduce Rumination

• Tracking Rumination:

  • Only the active engagement counts as rumination, not the involuntary thought itself.
  • Any time you notice yourself researching, discussing your OCD, or mentally working to solve the “problem,” that’s what you track.

  “Whenever you do end up falling for it, that’s what would be trackable. So that’s what would count as rumination. So actively trying to solve the issue in some way, shape or form.” — Ali Greymond [03:10]

• Examples of Rumination:

  • Researching symptoms on Reddit or AI platforms.
  • Discussing OCD concerns with others.
  • Mental reviewing or replaying situations.

• Multiple Counts:

  • Noted that actively speaking to someone about OCD counts as both a compulsion and rumination (since thinking and reassurance-seeking both occur).

  “When you are doing online research, the time spent doing online research counts as rumination because you’re ruminating while doing that. Or when you’re talking to somebody about your OCD, the time that you’re talking to them also counts as rumination because you’re thinking while you’re talking to them.” — Ali Greymond [03:35]

3. The Formula That Keeps OCD Alive

• The Cycle:

  • Rumination + Compulsions + Avoidance = Maintenance of OCD
  • Remove any one of these, and OCD can no longer sustain itself.
  • Recovery involves actively choosing to disengage from rumination and compulsions.

  “OCD is rumination plus compulsions plus avoidances. If you don’t have any of the three, you cannot prop up OCD so it will start to decline and eventually disappear.” — Ali Greymond [04:16]

• Ali’s Recovery Tip:

  • The crucial behavioral change is to stop propping up OCD by refusing to ruminate, no matter how compelling the urge.

  “What you’re doing and what I was doing when I had OCD long time ago, is we keep propping it up through letting ourselves ruminate. So that’s the behavior that we need to stop.” — Ali Greymond [04:32]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On lack of control over triggers:

  “You had no control over that coming in.” [01:23]

• On conscious rumination:

  “Maybe you don’t feel like you’re doing it consciously, but you do have control…” [02:38]

• On OCD’s sustainability:

  “If you don’t have any of the three, you cannot prop up OCD so it will start to decline and eventually disappear.” [04:18]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:00–01:40 — Introduction to the topic; explanation of automatic OCD triggers.
• 01:41–03:10 — Differentiating automatic thoughts from active rumination.
• 03:11–04:00 — Recognizing and tracking rumination behaviors.
• 04:01–04:40 — Breaking the OCD cycle; summary and recovery advice.

Summary: Actionable Takeaways

• Automatic intrusive thoughts are not your fault or within your control.
• Rumination is an active process and is the aspect you can work on changing.
• Track and reduce time spent on all forms of rumination, including talking about OCD and researching it.
• Cutting out rumination, compulsions, and avoidance is necessary for OCD to fade away.

Ali’s personal experience and straightforward explanation make this episode a practical guide for distinguishing between involuntary symptoms and actionable behaviors in OCD recovery.