Podcast Summary: "How To Do ERP For OCD Thoughts"

Podcast: OCD Recovery
Host: Ali Greymond
Date: November 15, 2025

Main Theme

In this episode, Ali Greymond explores how to effectively practice Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) specifically for OCD thoughts. She clarifies the difference between disregarding intrusive thoughts and using reassurance, provides practical strategies for ERP, and addresses the progression from active dismissal to complete non-responsiveness as part of recovery.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Disregarding OCD Thoughts Is a Training Process

• Disregarding does NOT mean the thought will disappear instantly.
  • The objective is to retrain your brain over time, not to gain immediate relief.
  • Past patterns and programming explain current feelings of anxiety and urgency.
• Quote:
  • “When you disregard OCD thought, first of all, it's not supposed to work. It's not supposed to make the thought instantly go away when you disregard it.” (Ali, 00:15)

2. Why Reassurance Backfires

• Providing reassurance means buying into OCD’s false alarms, strengthening the cycle.
• Reassurance tells your brain:
  • “Yes, this is right. You're right to send me these thoughts. You're right to make me feel anxious. I will continue to protect myself. Please send some more.” (Ali, 01:27)
• Disregarding is a way to interrupt reassurance and break the OCD cycle.

3. The Practice of Disregarding—Practical Steps

• Recognize the thought, label it as OCD, but do not engage further.
  • “Yes, I see this thought, I see it there, but I'm not touching it, I'm disregarding it. It's over there. I'm over here.” (Ali, 02:12)
• Focus on daily life and tasks, accepting the presence of intrusive thoughts as background noise.
  • Vivid analogy: “All the while hearing my annoying neighbor scream obscenities. But I am going to stay over here and continue with my day.” (Ali, 02:22)

4. What To Say (And Not Say) When Disregarding

• Early in recovery, it’s normal to use phrases like “this is OCD, I’m disregarding.”
  • This should not become a mantra or magic phrase for relief, which risks turning into another form of reassurance.
  • Ali’s pragmatic stance: Saying “it’s OCD” is a useful stepping stone but avoid ritualizing this response.
• “When your anxiety goes down... You won't feel like you need to say it. You'll just say nothing and move on.” (Ali, 03:25)

5. Aggressive or Advanced Disregarding Approaches

• For faster progress, meet OCD thoughts with sarcasm or exaggeration (e.g., “Of course I killed someone and forgot—I've killed many, and I’ll kill again and forget as well!”)
  • The purpose is to mock the absurdity of the thoughts rather than treat them with fear or seriousness.
  • Quote: “It’s lying to you... So just be sarcastic with that lie. Don’t take the thought seriously.” (Ali, 05:00)
• If unable to fully dismiss, at least delay engaging with the thought as long as possible.

6. Exposure Can Be Taken Even Further—With Caution

• The most aggressive ERP: Actively bring up feared topics and then disregard.
• Warning:
  • Don’t push too hard; ensure you can perform response prevention.
  • “Anybody who has OCD is always in exposure. The problem is that they're not doing response prevention. They're responding with fear instead.” (Ali, 07:28)
  • Don’t attempt exposures you’re not ready for.

7. Exposure Is About Everyday Life

• The “exposures” discussed are ordinary life events that someone without OCD handles daily, not something unnatural or dangerous.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On retraining the brain:
  • “You're programming your brain, how it's going to function, say, a few weeks from now...” (Ali, 00:35)
• On the compulsion to reassure:
  • “It cannot become a mantra where you’re saying these magical words that make you feel better, that make the thought neutralize, because that becomes a reassurance, a compulsion behavior.” (Ali, 03:45)
• On faking it till you make it:
  • “A lot of it, especially in the beginning... will feel like you're faking it. That's absolutely normal. There's nothing wrong with that.” (Ali, 05:45)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:00-01:15 – Why disregarding OCD thoughts won’t offer instant relief.
• 01:15-02:30 – The reassurance trap and its drawbacks.
• 02:30-04:00 – Practical tips on labeling and dismissing intrusive thoughts.
• 04:00-06:00 – What to say internally; progression from “It’s OCD” to silence.
• 06:00-08:00 – Advanced dismissing strategies; sarcasm and exaggeration.
• 08:00-09:00 – Exposure caution: progress at your own pace.

Summary Takeaways

• ERP is a process where you teach your brain not to panic or assign importance to OCD thoughts.
• Disregarding is an act of patience and repetition, not a quick fix.
• Avoid using mantras as reassurance; instead, aim for a natural, matter-of-fact dismissal.
• Sarcasm and exaggeration can powerfully undermine the credibility of intrusive thoughts.
• Move at your own pace with exposures; you need to be able to manage the response prevention aspect.

Episode in a Sentence:
Ali demystifies ERP for OCD thoughts, making clear that successful recovery is about consistently withholding engagement and reassurance, training the mind—through many small acts of disregard—to ultimately stop taking OCD seriously.