Episode Overview
Title: Do You Need To Track OCD Avoidances?
Host: Ali Greymond
Date: July 5, 2026
In this succinct episode, Ali Greymond addresses a frequent question from listeners and clients: Is it necessary to actively track avoidances as part of OCD recovery? Drawing on her extensive experience, Ali differentiates between compulsions, ruminations, and avoidant behaviors, providing practical advice on what to focus on for most effective recovery progress.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
The Question of Tracking Avoidances
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Main Guidance:
Ali emphasizes that for the majority of people working on OCD recovery, tracking avoidances isn’t necessary. Most clients benefit more from tracking ruminations and compulsions.
- “A common question is do I need to track avoidances and most people generally speaking don't.” (00:00)
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Frequency of Needed Tracking:
Tracking avoidances is very rarely required:
- “Out of all my clients I would say maybe one person every few months needs to track avoidances. It's not a common thing that people need to track.” (00:06)
Why Tracking Avoidance is Rarely Needed
- Avoidance vs. Rumination and Compulsion:
Ali explains that most people with OCD do not engage in the level of avoidant behavior that would justify tracking each instance.
- “Most people do not necessarily avoid a lot of things—if enough to justify the tracking.” (00:15)
- OCD Rumination about Avoidance:
Many sufferers worry whether they are avoiding, but this is more about obsessive rumination rather than actual avoidance.
- “A common OCD issue is avoidance where people fear ‘what if I'm avoiding?’ That’s a common OCD issue, but that's more the rumination about avoidance than actual avoidances.” (00:22)
Practical Advice for Recovery
- What to Track:
Ali’s advice for most is to focus energy on tracking ruminations and compulsions:
- “Unless you see obvious avoidances that you're doing many, many, many times a day, most likely you don't—stick to tracking rumination and tracking compulsions.” (00:33)
- Pure-O Considerations:
If your OCD is “Pure O” (obsessional, not behavioral), then tracking ruminations is sufficient.
- “If you don't have any compulsions and your OCD is pure O then just track the rumination.” (00:41)
Notable Quotes & Moments
- “A common question is do I need to track avoidances and most people generally speaking don't.” — Ali Greymond (00:00)
- “Out of all my clients I would say maybe one person every few months needs to track avoidances.” — Ali Greymond (00:06)
- “A common OCD issue is avoidance where people fear ‘what if I'm avoiding?’ ... but that's more the rumination about avoidance than actual avoidances.” — Ali Greymond (00:22)
- “Unless you see obvious avoidances that you're doing many, many, many times a day, most likely you don't—stick to tracking rumination and tracking compulsions.” — Ali Greymond (00:33)
- “If you don't have any compulsions and your OCD is pure O then just track the rumination.” — Ali Greymond (00:41)
Episode Structure & Timeline
| Timestamp | Segment | Key Focus |
|-----------|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 00:00 | Introduction to avoidance tracking | Most people don't need to track avoidances |
| 00:06 | Frequency among clients | Rare need for avoidance tracking |
| 00:15 | Avoidance vs. compulsions/rumination| Real avoidances are less common than ruminating about avoidances |
| 00:22 | OCD fear about avoidance | Ruminating about avoidance is common |
| 00:33 | Main advice: What to track | Track ruminations and compulsions, not avoidances |
| 00:41 | Guidance for Pure-O | Track ruminations only |
Summary Takeaway
Ali’s Message:
Focus on tracking what genuinely keeps your OCD alive—typically ruminations and compulsions—not avoidances unless they are both clear and frequent. Let go of the common OCD worry, “Am I avoiding?” if it isn’t supported by your day-to-day behaviors.
Action Step:
- Track ruminations and compulsions for most OCD subtypes.
- If your OCD is “Pure O,” tracking only ruminations is sufficient.
- Only track avoidances if you recognize a high frequency and clear patterns of avoidance.
For urgent help, Ali briefly noted that an emergency session is available (link in description)—but the episode’s main focus remains on practical tracking techniques for everyday OCD recovery.
