Podcast Summary

OCD Recovery with Ali Greymond

Episode: Full OCD Recovery: Can You Get Rid Of Intrusive Thoughts?
Date: January 24, 2026
Host: Ali Greymond – OCD Specialist & Author, Creator of The Greymond Method

Episode Overview

In this episode, Ali Greymond tackles a fundamental question for everyone struggling with OCD: "Can you fully get rid of intrusive thoughts?" Ali draws from her clinical expertise and personal recovery to break down the nature of intrusive thoughts and, crucially, what to do about them. The episode explores the mental habits that determine why some thoughts become intrusive, emphasizes the importance of changing your response to these thoughts, and offers practical advice to reduce their frequency and impact.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Reality About Intrusive Thoughts

• Volume of Daily Thoughts

  • “People get 50 to 70,000 thoughts a day. So to say that you're never going to get intrusive thought is kind of a tall order.” (00:06)
  • Ali begins by normalizing the sheer number and randomness of daily thoughts, stressing that having odd or unwanted thoughts is entirely normal.

• The Power of Reaction

  • “What’s intrusive to one is not intrusive to another… One chose to view it as intrusive, reacted right. The other one kind of let it pass by, and to that person, it wasn’t intrusive.” (00:18)
  • The episode’s core theme is the interpretation and reaction to thoughts. Ali demonstrates that a thought only becomes intrusive because of how we respond to it, not because of its actual content.

2. How Thoughts Become ‘Intrusive’

• The Subjective Experience

  • Ali draws a vivid thought experiment:
    • Five people hear the same thought; each has a different reaction.
    • “From that we can conclude that it’s you who is making the thoughts intrusive through your reaction to these thoughts.” (00:28)

• Letting Thoughts ‘Pass By’

  • “What we actually need to do to make thoughts not intrusive is just to view them as just passing things. 70,000 thought a day stream is passing by. You’re whizzing by you, all kinds of stuff is going by.” (00:34)
  • The metaphor of a thought ‘stream’ helps listeners visualize the process of noticing without engaging.

3. Building the Skill of Non-Reaction

• Turning Down the Volume

  • “The more you get good at noticing thoughts that are intrusive... What thoughts did you find intrusive today? What were they about? Could you have reacted differently when you first received that thought?” (00:52)
  • Ali encourages daily reflection: Noticing which thoughts felt threatening and considering what a non-reactive response might look like.

• Universalizing the Experience

  • “Let’s take five of your friends. Would they view this thought as intrusive to the level that you did, or would they let it pass?” (00:58)
  • This advice helps listeners detach and recognize that their reactions are not absolute; others might simply ignore the same thought.

4. Restoring Control

• Self-Empowerment Message
  • “That’s how you get control over your thoughts.” (01:03)
  • The empowering conclusion underlines the episode: regaining agency over the mind means changing the habit of reacting, not eliminating thoughts entirely.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Ali Greymond:
  • “People get 50 to 70,000 thoughts a day. So to say that you're never going to get intrusive thought is kind of a tall order.” (00:06)
  • “It’s you who is making the thoughts intrusive through your reaction to these thoughts.” (00:28)
  • “You see, that’s not intrusive. But ‘oh my God, I had this thought. What does this mean about me? I’m a bad person, blah, blah.’ Okay, now it’s intrusive. Now your brain took notice. Now it’s repeating it over and over again.” (00:43)
  • “Could you have reacted differently when you first heard that thought, when you first received that thought?” (00:54)
  • “That’s how you get control over your thoughts.” (01:03)

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |-----------|----------------------------------------------| | 00:00 | Introduction: Reality of Intrusive Thoughts | | 00:18 | Example: Why Reactions Make Thoughts Intrusive| | 00:34 | The Stream of Thoughts Analogy | | 00:43 | When Thoughts Become Intrusive | | 00:52 | Daily Self-Reflection Exercise | | 00:58 | Comparing Perceptions with Friends | | 01:03 | Restoring Control: The Takeaway |

Episode Tone & Language

Ali’s approach is supportive, practical, and grounded in empathy. She combines a matter-of-fact, scientifically informed explanation with compassionate reassurance, using analogies and reflective questions to encourage self-exploration.

In summary:
This brief but impactful episode lays out the foundational principle of OCD recovery: Intrusive thoughts are a universal human experience, but it is our reaction that gives them power. By practicing non-engagement, learning from daily experiences, and considering perspectives outside our own, we can reduce the intrusiveness of any thought and reclaim our mental peace.