OCD Recovery Podcast with Ali Greymond

Episode: How To Reduce Physical Compulsions
Date: June 13, 2025
Host: Ali Greymond

Overview

In this episode, Ali Greymond discusses practical strategies for reducing and eventually eliminating physical compulsions associated with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Drawing on nearly two decades of experience in OCD recovery and her personal journey, Ali outlines a structured, numbers-driven approach to tackling compulsive behaviors, emphasizing gradual reduction, consistency, and a realistic understanding of anxiety responses.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Numbers Game: Reducing Compulsions Incrementally

• Ali introduces the idea of quantifying daily compulsions:

  "Let's say you have a hundred compulsions in the course of an entire day. If you reduce by one compulsion each day, in 100 days you will get to zero. If you reduce by two, in 50 days, you will get to zero."
  (00:38)

• Importance of NOT adding new compulsions:

  • While reducing, it's crucial not to let OCD manifest in new areas.
  • If new compulsions are added, Ali suggests compensating by reducing more per day to stick to the planned trajectory.

  "The caveat here is that you cannot add in other areas... Because what's going to happen likely is as you are getting rid of the list little by little, your OCD is trying to gain power somewhere else."
  (01:00)

2. The Two-Path Choice at High Anxiety

• What happens when OCD urges you to perform a compulsion:

  • At high anxiety ("level 10"), Ali says you face two choices:
    • Do the compulsion and feel some temporary relief.
    • Resist (or delay) the compulsion, and sustain anxiety for a longer time, but reduce OCD's control.

  "You basically have two options when OCD pushes you to do a compulsion... If you choose to do the compulsion... you might be able to drop your anxiety low temporarily... But within a few minutes, an hour, you're going to feel like you need to do another compulsion because you just fed the disorder..."
  (01:30)

  "Versus the other option... if you don't do the compulsion, your anxiety remains high and your OCD be like, oh, you're never going to be okay for the rest of your life. You'll just worry about this one compulsion. Do you believe that? Like, give me a break."
  (02:15)

3. Delaying and Spacing Out Compulsions

• The value of even delaying compulsions:

  • If total refusal is too difficult, Ali encourages even pushing them later into your schedule.
  • Each delay creates a period that is "compulsion-free," which is a step in the right direction.

  "If you delay the compulsion number one to, let's say four o'clock, then that time you were compulsion free."
  (02:50)

4. Rumination: An Additional Layer

• Ali acknowledges rumination as a mental compulsion that also needs to be addressed:

  "Now, of course, there's also rumination that feeds into it. And if you were ruminating the entire time, it's not the best."
  (03:15)

  • Progress starts by focusing on physical compulsions if mental ones are too persistent.

5. “You’re not winning by doing a compulsion”

• Short-term relief versus long-term recovery:

  • Compulsions reinforce OCD, offering only temporary anxiety relief.
  • True progress comes from resisting or delaying compulsions, enduring steady anxiety rather than chasing fleeting comfort.

  "You're not winning by doing a compulsion. If anything, you're feeding the disorder more."
  (03:39)

• Anxiety will not become unmanageable:

  • The anxiety is usually at a consistent level ("level 10"), so resisting compulsions doesn't increase it but helps you build tolerance and regain control over time.

  "It's not going to be some incredible anxiety. It'll be the same anxiety that you experience all the time."
  (04:15)

6. Dedication, Determination, and Prioritizing Recovery

• Daily effort is necessary:
  • Ali encourages listeners to approach recovery as a primary life objective.

  "But it takes dedication, determination, every day pushing forward. Look at it like this, that this is your life. This is your number one priority. What's more important than getting your life back on track? So treat it like that."
  (05:01)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Ali’s practical approach to reduction:

  "If you reduce by one compulsion each day, in 100 days you will get to zero."
  (00:41)

• On the illusion of relief by compulsions:

  "You're not winning by doing a compulsion. If anything, you're feeding the disorder more."
  (03:39)

• Reality check for OCD threats:

  "Your OCD be like, oh, you're never going to be okay for the rest of your life. You'll just worry about this one compulsion. Do you believe that? Like, give me a break."
  (02:15)

• Reframing anxiety as a manageable challenge:

  "It's not going to be some incredible anxiety. It'll be the same anxiety that you experience all the time."
  (04:15)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:38 — Breaking down compulsions by numbers
• 01:30 — The two choices when anxiety peaks
• 02:50 — Benefits of delaying compulsions and incremental improvement
• 03:39 — Why compulsions reinforce OCD and how to resist
• 05:01 — Final motivational advice for prioritizing recovery

Tone & Language

Ali’s tone throughout the episode is practical, empathetic, and gently motivating. She uses clear, relatable examples and exercises patience with the process of OCD recovery while maintaining a sense of determination and urgency about regaining one’s life and autonomy.

This episode offers concrete, actionable steps for anyone struggling with OCD compulsions. Ali Greymond’s method is approachable and grounded in real-life experience, making the content both informative and encouraging for listeners at any stage of recovery.