🧠 Disregarding In OCD Is An Acquired Skill - OCD Recovery

Summary3 min read

Episode Overview: “Disregarding In OCD Is An Acquired Skill”

Host: Ali Greymond
Podcast: OCD Recovery
Air Date: May 20, 2026

In this focused solo episode, host and OCD specialist Ali Greymond breaks down the central tool of “disregarding”—the practice of actively choosing not to respond to intrusive thoughts that drive OCD behavior. Drawing on both personal experience and her work with clients, Ali explains why learning to disregard is so challenging, how it rewires the mind, and why consistent practice is key to breaking the cycle of compulsions. This episode is rich in practical advice, hope, and frank discussion about setbacks and progress in OCD recovery.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Disregarding Is a Learned Skill

Ali emphasizes that disregarding intrusive thoughts is not instinctive.
- “Disregarding is an acquired skill. It's gonna take a little time for you to learn this.” (00:00)
When anxiety-fueled thoughts strike hard and feel real, the urge to perform a compulsion is strong, making it counterintuitive—and tough—to stop yourself from responding.
- “When the thought comes in and it's very intense and it feels real…to do nothing, to not do the behavior, it's tough.”

2. The Paradox of Protection in OCD

Protecting yourself in OCD often feeds the disorder.
- “...the more you protect yourself, the more the disorder thrives.” (00:36)
Ali normalizes the initial confusion and struggle; learning through “repetition” is crucial:
- “That thought came in, chose to ignore. Thought came in, again, chose to ignore...it becomes your autopilot, your default setting…” (00:54)

3. Progress Is Not Linear—Grace Is Essential

Mistakes are part of recovery, and self-compassion matters:
- “So be tough on yourself, but at the same time give yourself grace when you do mess up, because mess ups are gonna happen.” (01:12)
Focus on overall progress week-to-week, not perfection:
- “...what I look at is...is the person doing better this week than last week?...If you're doing a little better, at least a little bit better, it still counts.” (01:26)

4. Exposure Consistency: Why One-Off Exposures Don’t Work

The Greymond Method versus one-off exposures:
- “If you're doing one off exposures, you will never recover. Everybody will tell you that OCD is chronic...But if you're doing the Greymond method...your brain...is able to go from level eight, nine anxiety to...level two, level one anxiety [in] one month.” (01:47)
True change comes from repeatedly choosing to disregard over time, not isolated practice.

5. The Brain’s Capacity for Change

Optimism and proof:
- “Your brain is capable. It's just whether you're going to do the work or not, that's really the question here.” (02:08)
Ali encourages listeners, reminding them that physical neurological change is possible with the method.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

“Disregarding is an acquired skill. It's gonna take a little time for you to learn this.” — Ali Greymond (00:00)
“The more you protect yourself, the more the disorder thrives.” — Ali Greymond (00:36)
“If you're doing a little better, at least a little bit better, it still counts.” — Ali Greymond (01:31)
“If you're doing one off exposures, you will never recover.” — Ali Greymond (01:47)
“Your brain is capable. It's just whether you're going to do the work or not, that's really the question here.” — Ali Greymond (02:08)

Timestamps for Key Segments

00:00-00:35 — The challenge and counterintuitive nature of disregarding OCD thoughts
00:36-01:12 — The paradox of self-protection and repetition leading to automatic responses
01:13-01:46 — Grace for mistakes, focusing on overall progress, not perfection
01:47-02:08 — The importance of consistency and the limitations of isolated exposure sessions
02:09-02:14 — The core question: Will you do the work to let your brain rewire?

Tone and Takeaway

Ali’s tone is empathetic, practical, and determined. She normalizes the struggle with disregarding OCD thoughts and stresses that full recovery is attainable, provided one practices consistently and gives themselves permission to make mistakes. Her experienced, no-nonsense delivery encourages listeners to stay committed and trust in the method.

Ideal for: Anyone struggling with OCD or supporting a loved one, especially those feeling stuck or skeptical about long-term change.

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Transcript2 lines

[00:01]
A
Disregarding is an acquired skill. It's gonna take a little time for you to learn this. When the thought comes in and it's very intense and it feels real and it's pushing you to do behaviors because you just want to feel safe and you just want to get rid of anxiety, to do nothing, to not do the behavior, it's tough. It goes against normal understanding of what we should be doing because normally we're like, yeah, I should protect myself. But in this case it works differently that the more you protect yourself, the more the disorder thrives. And it takes a little while to understand how it, not even to understand how it operates, but to go through that mechanism over and over again. That thought came in, chose to ignore, thought came in, again, chose to ignore that it becomes your autopilot, it becomes your default setting, that you don't even have to really think about it. You just know that any thought that's going to come in on my usual OCD topics, I'm gonna choose to ignore no matter what. So be tough on yourself, but at the same time give yourself grace when you do mess up, because mess ups are gonna happen. In the recovery with clients, what I look at is the overall, is the person doing better this week than last week? If they're not, that's where we need to see what's going on and correct the behavior. But if you're doing a little better, at least a little bit better, it still counts. And then next week, hopefully maybe you can see how you can speed this up further and go faster. From what I see with clients, again, this is using Grayman method. If you're doing one off exposures, you will never recover. Everybody will tell you that OCD is chronic, so let's not even go into the one exposure situation. But if you're doing the Grayman method, and I've showed you proof of this with clients, your brain, just on a purely physical level, is able to go from level eight, nine anxiety to I would say level, level two, level one anxiety. We can even say zero, but zero is, that's exceptional. But level two, one anxiety in one month. I mean, so your brain is capable. It's just whether you're going to do the work or not, that's really the question here.
[02:15]
B
I'm Ali Graymond. I'm an expert in OCD recovery because I've been working with clients for the last three, 20 years and I can tell you anybody can fully recover if you need help. The link is below.