OCD Recovery Podcast â Episode Summary
Episode: ERP For Pure-O OCD
Host: Ali Greymond
Date: December 2, 2025
Episode Overview
In this episode, Ali Greymond explores effective techniques for tackling Pure-O (Primarily Obsessional) OCD using Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP). Drawing from her personal and professional experience, Ali delves into practical, actionable methods for responding to intrusive thoughts with the goal of promoting lasting recovery and reducing the power OCD holds in daily life.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Living Parallel to Your Thoughts
- Concept: Treat intrusive thoughts as background "noise"âlike a neighbor yelling through the wall.
- Advice: Acknowledge the thought's presence without interacting or analyzing.
- âImagine that the thought is your next door neighbor... you hear him, but you are living your own life on the other side of that wall.â (00:32)
- Goal: Go about your daily activities, accepting the uncertainty that thoughts bring without feeling compelled to respond.
2. Managing Emotions During ERP
- Reality Check: Not feeling good during recovery work is normalâdonât expect immediate relief.
- âYou shouldn't even really look at the feelings that much throughout the day⌠the feelings, the way they are right now, is kind of the brain's response of how you've been taking OCD thoughtsâŚâ (01:24)
- Tip: Evaluate your reactions over the past two weeks when reflecting on your current emotional state.
3. Handling Stress and Setbacks
- Influencers: Events like holidays or stress can intensify OCD, making exposures feel harder.
- Core Message: Your reaction remains the most crucial part of recovery, especially under stress.
- âIf youâre doing good but thereâs also a lot of pressure... you have to make up for that extra pressure because more thoughts are coming in when youâre stressed out.â (03:12)
4. ERP for Pure-O: Focus on Mental Actions
- Key Question: What are you doing when the thought comesâare you analyzing, checking, asking, confessing?
- Warning: Engaging with the thought in any of these ways is âa step back.â
- âIf you canât refuse, because in the beginning itâs very, very difficult to refuse⌠at least try to delay.â (05:03)
5. The Power of Delay
- Practical Strategy: Start by postponing rumination instead of engaging immediately.
- Example: âIf I start to ruminate at 9am, Iâm going to be terrible by noon... Iâm not gonna ruminate at 9 oâclock. No, thank you. Iâm gonna at least wait until 1 oâclock... Now youâve cut out quite a few hours of rumination.â (05:47)
- Build Up: Gradually increase the time you can delay and work towards refusing entirely.
6. Challenging Common OCD Traps
- Myth-Busting: Donât fall for the belief that solving just one thought will end the OCD cycle.
- âDonât fall into the trap of, if I just solve this one thought, it will all be okay. It will not.â (07:14)
- Refuse/Delay: Continuously aim to reduce time spent ruminating for sustained recovery.
7. Understanding the Recovery Process
- Brain Analogy: OCD thought cycles are like a wheel spinningâcompulsions fuel it. When you stop compulsions, the wheel slows down gradually.
- âThe motor being your compulsions⌠Now you stop the motor, but the wheel is spinning from that past energy... the brain starts to heal.â (08:24)
- Residual Energy: Expect some thoughts to linger after stopping compulsions; this is normal.
8. Everyone Gets Intrusive Thoughts
- Reassurance: Intrusive or âweirdâ thoughts are commonâhaving them isnât unique to OCD, itâs how you react that matters.
- âPeople without OCD get the same thoughts as people with OCD⌠it's just the reaction.â (09:30)
9. Avoiding the âAm I Recovered?â Trap
- Pitfall: Monitoring your recovery too closely can itself become a new obsession.
- âIf you always keep looking over your shoulder⌠now your OCD from whatever the theme was before has now become, âAm I recovered?â That becomes your main theme.â (10:55)
- Advice: Progress is often gradualâisolate from anxiety about recovery itself.
10. Consistency is Key for Recovery
- Encouragement: If you consistently cut down on rumination and avoid responding to thoughts, recovery is inevitable.
- âAs long as you reduce the numbers, you will recover. Now, itâs just the speed of it⌠but youâre already on that road from point A, where you are now, to point B, full recovery.â (07:32, 12:15)
- Inspiration: âYou can recover from this. You just have to put the work in.â (12:52)
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- âImagine that the thought is your next door neighbor⌠you hear him, but you are living your own life on the other side of that wall.â (00:32)
- âDonât fall into the trap of, if I just solve this one thought, it will all be okay. It will not.â (07:14)
- âThe motor being your compulsions⌠Now you stop the motor, but the wheel is spinning from that past energy.â (08:24)
- âPeople without OCD get the same thoughts as people with OCD⌠itâs just the reaction.â (09:30)
- âIf you always keep looking over your shoulder⌠now your OCD from whatever the theme was before has now become, âAm I recovered?ââ (10:55)
- âYou can recover from this. You just have to put the work in.â (12:52)
Timestamps for Important Segments
- 00:32 â Living parallel to your thoughts analogy
- 01:24 â Feeling bad during exposures is normal
- 03:12 â Coping with stress and OCD spikes
- 05:03 â Refusing or delaying rumination
- 05:47 â Practical delay example
- 07:14 â Dispelling the âjust solve one thoughtâ myth
- 08:24 â The brain/wheel analogy
- 09:30 â Everyone gets intrusive thoughts
- 10:55 â The âAm I recovered?â trap
- 12:15 â Consistency and patience in recovery
- 12:52 â Affirmation: You can recover
Final Thoughts
Ali Greymondâs approach in this episode is rooted in lived experience, empathy, and practical strategies, emphasizing that Pure-O recovery is both possible and gradual. Her clear, encouraging tone and analogies make ERP accessible for anyone struggling with obsessive thoughts, highlighting that consistent practiceânot perfectionâleads to true freedom from OCD.
