Podcast Summary: "How To Properly React To A Scary OCD Feeling"

Podcast: OCD Recovery
Host: Ali Greymond, OCD Specialist & Author
Date: December 12, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, Ali Greymond explores practical strategies for reacting to the distressing feelings that come with OCD. Drawing on her personal recovery and two decades of professional experience, Ali emphasizes the importance of changing one's reaction to intrusive thoughts and feelings—rather than trying to eliminate them. She discusses the "indifference" approach, detaching from the specific content and intensity of OCD symptoms, and developing healthy mental habits for long-term progress.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Separation of Feeling from Reaction

• You can’t control when or how OCD feelings arrive, but you can control your reaction to them.
  • “When it comes in, you have no control over it coming in, but you do have control over your reaction.” (00:17)
  • OCD can create both physical and emotional sensations that feel intensely real and urgent.

2. The Power of Indifference

• Ali frames indifference as the optimal response:
  • View every intrusive feeling as “an opportunity to show your mind indifference.”
• This means:

  • Acknowledge the feeling’s existence.

  • Do not give it importance or try to analyze or suppress it.

  • Don’t compare your experience to others’ or seek reassurance online.

  • Quote: “So view every time you get a feeling as an opportunity to show your mind indifference. I don't care. It doesn't matter. It is how it is.” (00:36)

3. “Full Ignore Mode” in Practice

• Ali offers a vivid metaphor:
  • “It's basically standing in the middle of the room screaming at you, and you're trying to go about your day. But that's exactly what you need to do.” (01:08)
• Strategy:
  • Hear the feeling, but don’t acknowledge or react to it.
  • “You're not trying to make it go away, you're not trying to subdue it... you're just, yeah, okay, it's over there.”

4. Labeling OCD Feelings

• Assign a name to the feeling (like “Bob”) to help emotionally distance yourself from it.
  • “If you want to go actually a step further, you can name your feelings. So that's Bob. Bob says all kinds of things because it has nothing to do with you.” (02:01)
• This reinforces that intrusive sensations are not moral reflections or evidence about your character.

5. The Trap of Rumination & Content

• Content of the thoughts (even if disturbing) is fundamentally irrelevant.
  • “Your mind will always try to one up with content being more and more disturbing in order to pull you into compulsions and or rumination.” (03:04)
• Overreacting makes the feelings come back stronger.
  • “So the more you make it a big deal, the more it will come back. The more you make it not a big deal, the less it will come back.” (03:44)

6. Consistency and Progress Tracking

• Daily, consistent practice is needed—sporadic effort is not enough.

  • “If, let's say I'm doing 15 minutes of recovery work a few times a day, it's going to get better because you're doing so much more damage than helping the recovery... It needs to be a progression where you're doing more and more recovery work each day, more and more.” (04:10)

  • Tracking your recovery (noting daily reactions) helps measure progress and keep you accountable.

  • Quote: “If you’re tracking, then you have a clear accountability... you can actually even approximately figure where you’re going to be. At what point will you be at zero rumination, at zero compulsions, which means at zero anxiety. It’s all very predictable, but you have to stick with the process every single day...” (04:40)

7. Self-Encouragement and Realistic Expectations

• Don't expect immediate results; reversal of longstanding habits takes time.
  • “Don’t get discouraged if at the end of the day of you disregarding, you’re not fully cured... It’s not gonna be that quick because you’ve made it quite a big deal in your mind previously.” (03:24)

Memorable Quotes

• Ali Greymond:
  • “View every time you get a feeling as an opportunity to show your mind indifference. I don’t care. It doesn’t matter. It is how it is.” (00:36)
  • “It’s basically standing in the middle of the room screaming at you, and you’re trying to go about your day. But that’s exactly what you need to do.” (01:08)
  • “If you want to go actually a step further, you can name your feelings. So that’s Bob. Bob says all kinds of things because it has nothing to do with you.” (02:01)
  • “So the more you make it a big deal, the more it will come back. The more you make it not a big deal, the less it will come back.” (03:44)
  • “If you’re tracking, then you have a clear accountability... you can actually even approximately figure where you’re going to be. At what point will you be at zero rumination, at zero compulsions, which means at zero anxiety.” (04:40)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:17 — Distinguishing between arrival of OCD feelings and the power to choose your response
• 00:36 — Indifference as a core strategy
• 01:08 — “Full ignore mode” metaphor
• 02:01 — Naming intrusive thoughts/feelings for distance
• 03:04 — The meaninglessness of OCD content and the danger of rumination
• 03:44 — Making the feeling “not a big deal” is key
• 04:10 — The necessity of doing consistent, daily recovery work
• 04:40 — Using tracking and accountability in recovery

Summary Takeaway

Ali Greymond’s message is both hopeful and practical: Successful OCD recovery hinges not on eliminating scary feelings, but on changing our reaction to them. By practicing indifference, refusing to engage or analyze, and tracking daily improvement, people with OCD can break the cycle that keeps intrusive feelings powerful. Consistency, patience, and a calm “it’s not a big deal” attitude are the pillars of true progress.