Podcast Summary: "How You Can Actually Stop Intrusive Thoughts"

OCD Recovery with Ali Greymond
Date: September 30, 2025

Main Theme

Ali Greymond explores the mechanics of intrusive thoughts in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and shares actionable techniques for reducing their intrusiveness. Drawing from her years of coaching and personal experience with OCD, Ali challenges the prevalent belief that intrusive thoughts cannot be stopped, and instead empowers listeners to change how they react to such thoughts.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Reframing the Nature of Intrusive Thoughts

• Everyone gets intrusive thoughts, but not everyone finds them upsetting.
  • "If you listen to anybody on YouTube, anybody online, they'll tell you you cannot stop intrusive thoughts. Everybody gets intrusive thoughts. That is true with one, but you are the one who's making OCD thoughts intrusive through your reaction to the thought." (01:00)
• Intrusive thoughts are neutral until given emotional weight.
  • Ali compares intrusive thoughts to “a box of content... neither good or bad. It’s just a box. But what do you do with it?” (01:40)

2. The Power of Reaction

• Our emotional response is what gives a thought its power.

  • "That reaction is what’s intrusive. That’s what makes the thought intrusive." (02:05)
  • Not all people find the same thoughts intrusive, proving it’s subjective.

• You can choose a different response.

  • “Just like you're creating it, you cannot create it. So you could say like, that's dumb. Not buying it.” (03:00)
  • Practicing dismissiveness trains the brain to not take intrusive thoughts seriously.

3. Techniques: Tracking and Reducing Rumination

• Tracking is a tool; reducing rumination is the goal.

  • Every intrusive thought is an opportunity to practice a neutral reaction.
  • “Every time... instead of giving it that reaction, giving it intrusive power, you’re saying it’s, I don’t care. Doesn’t matter. It’s nonsense.” (04:00)

• Consistency and Repetition are Crucial

  • The brain learns via repetition; “before you had repetitive, incorrect reaction, which is what trained your brain the wrong way. So now we have to walk it back.” (06:00)
  • Accountability—with every thought, deliberately practicing non-engagement.

4. The Long-Term Result

• Gradually, the brain learns to deprioritize these thoughts.
  • “If you do this over and over again, eventually on autopilot, it starts to not flag it anymore. So then you won't even notice them coming in.” (05:00)
• Empowerment
  • “You don’t have to be a slave to these intrusive thoughts, you don’t have to be a victim to them. You can actually take charge and change how your brain processes this information.” (05:40)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Ali on subjective intrusiveness:
  “If you tell your super intrusive OCD thought to somebody who doesn’t have OCD, they’ll be like, ‘That’s not intrusive. That’s stupid.’ Right? So you’re creating intrusiveness.” (02:30)

• Ali on neuroplasticity:
  “You can actually take charge and change how your brain processes this information. But it needs to be repetitive, correct reaction.” (05:35)

• Ali on accountability:
  “When the thought comes in, I’m giving it zero reaction. Two seconds later, another thought: again, zero reaction. Because they're going to keep coming in. You can't stop that right now.” (06:20)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 01:00 – Can intrusive thoughts be stopped? Are they universal?
• 01:40 – The “box of content” analogy for intrusive thoughts.
• 02:05–02:30 – Assigning power to thoughts through reaction.
• 03:00 – Choosing dismissiveness (“that’s dumb, not buying it”).
• 04:00 – The process of tracking and reducing reaction.
• 05:00–05:40 – Retraining the brain and the promise of autopilot disinterest.
• 06:00–06:40 – The importance of repetitiveness and accountability in practice.

Key Takeaways

• Intrusive thoughts are a normal part of human cognition; reacting to them is what creates distress in OCD.
• You have the power to retrain your response to these thoughts through deliberate non-engagement and repetitive neutral or dismissive reactions.
• Over time, the brain learns not to prioritize or “flag” these thoughts, reducing their impact on your life.
• Consistency, tracking, and accountability are essential in this retraining process.

Ali closes with encouragement for listeners to subscribe and information about personalized coaching opportunities, emphasizing the importance of consistent practice for real, lasting change.