Podcast Summary: OCD Recovery with Ali Greymond

Episode: How To Disregard OCD Thoughts
Date: November 30, 2025
Host: Ali Greymond

Episode Overview

In this episode, Ali Greymond, author and OCD recovery coach, explores the practical approach of disregarding intrusive OCD thoughts, focusing on what it truly means to "refuse reaction." Drawing from both her personal and professional experience with OCD, Ali provides listeners with actionable strategies for handling obsessive thoughts, sensations, and urges.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Nature of OCD Intrusions

• OCD can manifest as loud, persistent thoughts, feelings, urges, sensations, or images.
• These intrusive experiences often demand a reaction, seeking to pull attention and emotional engagement.

The Disregard Strategy

• Analogy: Ali compares OCD to “standing in the middle of the room yelling at you,” and emphasizes the importance of continuing with your life while ignoring this "yelling."
  “So you're continuing your life as if you're not hearing it, putting on full ignore mode.” (00:19)
• Disregard means not actively engaging or dialoguing with OCD thoughts, regardless of the form they take.

Not Seeking Immediate Relief

• Disregarding OCD thoughts will not provide instant relief.
• Expectation Management: Listeners are cautioned not to search for feelings of relief right away.
  “You won't feel good, you won't feel the relief right in the moment when you ignore. So you shouldn't be expecting it.” (00:34)
• Instead, understand this as a battle—OCD is likely to react more loudly when ignored, but this is expected and manageable.

Routine and Passive Preparedness

• Start the day ready for the challenge.
  “So if you're getting OCD first thing in the morning, as is common, you wake up, you're ready for the battle, you get out of bed right away, you don't lay around and ruminate…” (01:09)
• Avoid obsessively preparing or stressing about possible OCD triggers; over-preparation gives the thoughts undue importance.
• Take a passive stance, accepting that discomfort is part of the process but not letting it determine action.

Consistent Response to All OCD Manifestations

• Regardless of whether OCD presents as thoughts, feelings, emotions, urges, images, or dreams, maintain the same approach: “I'm not taking this seriously, I'm not paying.” (01:28)
• Do not attempt to achieve a feeling of not caring; simply decide to act as though you don’t care, focusing on the choice rather than the emotional state. “You're not trying to achieve the feeling that you don't care. Instead you're viewing it as you're choosing not to care.” (01:39)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On ignoring intrusive thoughts:

  “Imagine if your OCD is standing in the middle of the room yelling at you… you are ignoring. But while you are ignoring, you won't feel good… you need to be prepared that this is a battle.”
  — Ali Greymond (00:18)

• On expectation during the process:

  “You're coming from a place of choice rather than from a place of, of trying to achieve a feeling.”
  — Ali Greymond (01:41)

Important Timestamps

• 00:11: Introduction to the challenge of refusing reaction to OCD thoughts
• 00:19: Analogy of OCD yelling in the room
• 00:34: Disregarding does not lead to immediate relief
• 01:09: Morning routine and avoiding rumination
• 01:28: Universal response to all OCD manifestations
• 01:39: The difference between choosing not to care and trying to feel indifferent

Tone & Approach

Ali Greymond offers a calmly assertive, practical tone, balancing empathy from personal experience with direct coaching for listeners. She speaks with clarity, encouraging listeners to refocus on choice rather than comfort, and consistently reframes the struggle as an active but winnable battle.

For listeners new to OCD recovery, this episode serves as an empowering reminder: success isn’t about silencing OCD, but skillfully disregarding it and reclaiming your day through consistent, intentional action.