OCD Recovery: Breaking Down an OCD Spike

Podcast: OCD Recovery
Host: Ali Greymond
Date: November 14, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, Ali Greymond breaks down the anatomy of an “OCD spike,” providing practical advice for recognizing and addressing OCD triggers. She shares her step-by-step approach for managing both automatic intrusive thoughts and the compulsion to respond, emphasizing the critical role of neutral response and personal accountability in the recovery process.

Key Points & Discussion Breakdown

1. What is an OCD Spike? (00:14)

• Definition: An OCD spike is an unexpected or expected trigger—such as a thought, feeling, image, or sensation—that sets off anxiety.
• Types:
  • Unexpected: Comes suddenly, outside of planned exposures.
  • Expected: Deliberately encountered as part of Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) therapy.

Quote:
“It’s an automatic part. How you felt in that moment, the thought that came in, that’s automatic.” (00:20)

2. The Decision Point: Reaction vs. Response Prevention (00:43)

• After the initial spike, you reach a crossroads:
  • Reacting: Engaging with the thought, feeling guilt or fear, performing compulsions.
  • Response Prevention: Acknowledging the thought as “just OCD,” and choosing non-reaction, going about your day as usual.

Quote:
“So you treat it as neutral. That’s just an OCD thought. I see it, I understand why it’s coming in... I’m going to simply ignore and continue on with the day.” (01:36)

3. The “Second Round” of OCD (02:08)

• OCD often follows up the initial spike with a second wave, usually related to the recovery process itself:
  • Examples: “What if you never recover?”, feelings of depression or inability to enjoy things.
• Another crossroads: Whether to react with anxiety or treat it neutrally as another spike.

Quote:
“Again, you’re now back at that same fork in the road. … This is round two. This is again an OCD spike. No, I will not react.” (02:46)

4. The Cycle of Compulsions and Deepening OCD (03:04)

• Reacting to spikes causes them to grow:
  • Compulsive behaviors like reassurance, research, and checking are how OCD becomes entrenched.
  • Most people start out reacting because they don’t know what to do, worsening the cycle.
• Non-reaction is key to recovery.

Quote:
“If you don’t react, it will not grow. If you do react, it will grow. And if you continuously react over and over again, this is how probably everybody got themselves in the situation of OCD.” (03:19)

5. The Importance of Tracking and Accountability (03:47)

• Tracking: Essential for maintaining accountability and ensuring progress.
  • Compares tracking OCD-related reactions to tracking money or calories—accountability leads to improvement.
  • Track compulsions and ruminations daily for best recovery outcomes.

Quote:
“It’s the same thing here. Accountability for compulsions, accountability for ruminations. That’s — it’s necessary.” (04:23)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Immediate Response:
  “Which way do we go, Captain?” (00:39)
  (Ali uses light humor to illustrate the moment of choice after an OCD spike.)

• On the Nature of OCD Thoughts:
  “It’s coming in to get bait, to give me bait, to get something out of me, to get a reaction out of me. Not going to do that.” (01:49)
  (Emphasizes the idea that OCD tries to draw engagement.)

• On Tracking Recovery:
  “If you track money versus if you don’t track money, what’s going to be better?” (03:54)
  (Reinforces the practical value of tracking progress.)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:14 – Anatomy of an OCD spike: automatic triggers explained
• 00:43 – The critical choice: Reacting vs. Response Prevention
• 01:36 – Treating thoughts as neutral; moving on with your day
• 02:08 – The “round two” OCD spike and its relation to recovery fears
• 03:19 – How reacting to spikes grows OCD; stopping the cycle
• 03:47 – Role of tracking and accountability in recovery

Summary & Takeaways

Ali Greymond distills OCD recovery into a clear, actionable process focused on understanding, non-reaction, and self-accountability. Her advice centers on:

• Recognizing the involuntary nature of intrusive OCD thoughts.
• Making a conscious choice not to engage or react to spikes.
• Tracking compulsions and ruminations for better recovery outcomes.

Her experience as both a survivor and coach resonates throughout, offering a practical and empathetic approach for listeners seeking lasting recovery.