👉🏼 Watch How OCD Pushes Back Client Example - OCD Recovery

Summary3 min read

Episode Overview

Theme:
In this episode of the "OCD Recovery" podcast, host Ali Greymond offers listeners a practical, real-world look at the process of tracking rumination and anxiety as part of OCD recovery, using data from the OCD Help app. Through a detailed client example, Ali breaks down the ups and downs often encountered during recovery, explaining how and why OCD can "push back" when progress is being made. The focus is on learning from these fluctuations and maintaining a steady commitment to reducing compulsive behaviors over time.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Importance of Tracking in Recovery

Ali uses a real client example from the OCD Help app, showing columns for total minutes ruminated, specific time blocks across the day, anxiety levels, and daily stress ([00:00]).
Purpose of tracking is not exact measurement but noticing trends and progress:

“None of this is exact. Don't get caught up in like, how am I going to exactly track minutes. This is not about that. This is just having an interpretation of what's happening to you in the day or what you're doing in the day, rather, because it's active rumination, right?” — Ali Greymond [01:20]

2. Narrative of a Recovery Cycle

Ali highlights the client’s data over a week:
- April 9: Increased rumination (from 120 to 500 minutes) and anxiety rise from 6 to 9.
- Next Days: Client recovers, pushes forward, reduces both rumination (down to 70, then 60 minutes) and anxiety (level 5, then 2).
- April 13: Another spike—OCD "pushes back", leading to a repeated cycle.
Emphasizes the cyclical nature of recovery:

“When you are actively reducing rumination, your OCD is working against you, your OCD is trying to push you into a reaction.” — Ali Greymond [02:20]

3. Learning from Setbacks and Cycles

The pattern of recovery involves spikes, setbacks, and gradual, overall improvement week by week.
The real success is in responding better each time, even as the OCD finds “something else” to focus on:

“This reiteration of I refused, I pushed forward, I disregarded, I brought the rumination down and then it hit me with something else and they did the same thing and now I'm going to do better.” — Ali Greymond [03:00]

4. Reframing the Purpose of Tracking

Tracking is not about logging for its own sake, but to support mindful reduction of compulsions and rumination:

“If you ask yourself, why, why am I tracking? What is the reason for it? It's not to log, it's not to tell me, hey, Ali ate 20 donuts yesterday, 20 donuts today, and intend to eat 20 donuts tomorrow in order to lose weight. Like, it's not. That's logging, right? We're reducing, we're trying to do better.” — Ali Greymond [03:35]
The focus is always on improvement:

“So take every time period, as in the morning, I'm trying to do better, in the afternoon, I'm trying to do better, I'm trying to get the behaviors down that feed the OCD.” — Ali Greymond [04:10]

Memorable Quotes & Moments

On the inevitability of setbacks:
“Your OCD is working against you, your OCD is trying to push you into a reaction.” (Ali Greymond, [02:20])
On the goal of tracking:
“We're trying to do better compared to the day before. That is the goal of the tracking.” (Ali Greymond, [03:10])
On progress over perfection:
“None of this is exact... This is just having an interpretation of what's happening to you in the day.” (Ali Greymond, [01:20])

Key Timestamps

[00:00] - Introduction to client tracking and overview of the data columns
[01:20] - Emphasis on interpretation, not perfect measurement
[02:20] - Explanation of how OCD "pushes back" during recovery
[03:00] - The cycle of progress, setbacks, and ongoing improvement
[03:35] - Clarifying the purpose of tracking versus mere logging
[04:10] - Takeaway: focusing on incremental behavioral improvements

Takeaway

Ali Greymond’s analysis of a real client’s tracking data offers an honest, encouraging look at the nonlinear nature of OCD recovery. Listeners are reminded that spikes in rumination or anxiety are not failures, but expected hurdles—and that tracking serves as a supportive tool, not a source of stress. The pursuit is day-by-day improvement, not perfection, as you “try to get the behaviors down that feed the OCD.” Ali recommends starting with the OCD Help app to gain this valuable perspective on your own journey.

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Transcript1 lines

[00:01]
A
Let's take a look at the recovery process using the Grayman method from the OCD Help app. What you're looking at here is an example of somebody's tracking using OCD Help app. We have the total column of minutes ruminated, active minutes ruminated. Then the next column is W to 9, wake up to 9am, 9 to 12, 12 to 3, 3 to 6, 6 to 9 and 9 to morning. We also are tracking the level of anxiety and the level of overall daily stress. What I want you to look at in this one, if you can zoom in. April 9, right? The person was at level 6 anxiety, then the numbers went up. So it went from 120 minutes ruminated to 500. Obviously the anxiety was level nine. Then the person regulated, pushed forward, reduced ruination, went back to 70 minutes ruminated for the day, level 5 anxiety reduced the next day, rumination further to 60, felt like it was level 2 anxiety. And again, this is interpretation. None of this is exact. Don't get caught up in like, how am I going to exactly track minutes. This is not about that. This is just having an interpretation of what's happening to you in the day or what you're doing in the day rather, because it's active rumination, right? But look at what happened after April 12, April 13. Something hit this person again. So when you are actively reducing rumination, your OCD is working against you, your OCD is trying to push you into a reaction. And then again, the person went through the same cycle of a lot of rumination and less and less. And then you could see from there, the next week the person kind of was more even and handled it better. So this reiteration of I refused, I pushed forward, I disregarded, I brought the rumination down and then it hit me with something else and they did the same thing and now I'm going to do better. And it's that quest that we are on, the quest to do better compared to the day before. That is the goal of the tracking. That is if you ask yourself, why, why am I tracking? What is the reason for it? It's not to log, it's not to tell me, hey, Ali ate 20 donuts yesterday, 20 donuts today, and intend to eat 20 donuts tomorrow in order to lose weight. Like, it's not. That's logging, right? We're reducing, we're trying to do better. So take every time period, as in the morning, I'm trying to do better, in the afternoon, I'm trying to do better, I'm trying to get the behaviors down that feed the ocd. Download the OCD Help app and start tracking.