Summary3 min read

Podcast Summary: OCD Recovery – You Are In OCD Training Process (Don't Be Harsh On Yourself)

Host: Ali Greymond
Date: November 2, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, Ali Greymond, author and OCD recovery coach, addresses listeners who are currently working through their OCD recovery journey. She emphasizes that recovery is a process of training the brain, encourages self-compassion, and provides practical advice for handling setbacks without resorting to perfectionism. Greymond draws from her experience both as a coach and someone who has recovered from OCD, offering a supportive and realistic approach.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. OCD Recovery is a Training Process

Ali likens OCD recovery to training:

“It’s important, it’s very important actually for you to understand that currently you are in OCD training. This is training.” (00:18)
The core skill under development is teaching your brain how to respond to intrusive thoughts.

2. Intrusive Thoughts: Meaning and Response

Intrusive thoughts are made intrusive by our reaction:

“We are the ones who make intrusive thoughts intrusive. Without us, intrusive thought is just a bunch of words.” (00:28)
What is intrusive for one may not be for another, highlighting its subjective nature.
The goal is to learn to see these thoughts as just “passing thoughts,” whether they are related to OCD or general anxiety.

3. Changing Reactions and Retraining the Brain

The approach: refrain from entertaining or overreacting to unusual thoughts.

“Something comes into your brain, it wants you to entertain, wants you to overreact. You are going to make the choice not to overreact.” (01:09)
The process is about gradual change: “Little by little your brain starts to learn that this is how we behave when we get a thought that’s unusual.” (01:23)

4. Embrace Mistakes—Progress Over Perfection

Mistakes are expected and are a natural part of developing the skill to handle OCD thoughts.

“Will you fall down as you develop this ability? Probably, yeah. There’s going to be times when you fall down and that’s also okay. There’s no perfectionism.” (01:36)
The aim isn’t perfection but progress.

5. Measuring Improvement: The 25% Rule

Ali shares her method for client progress:

“With clients, my job is to get them to 25% better than, than the week before. So if you’re doing this on your own, that should be your goal. Not that you’re going to be perfect next week, but you’re going to be 25% better because in a month that’s 100%.” (01:48)
The process is incremental—reducing anxiety step by step.

6. Self-Reflection and Learning from Setbacks

Setbacks are learning opportunities, not failures:

“When you start to feel better out of it, try to kind of look back and see, okay, let’s look at this objectively. Where did I go wrong? And kind of review where you started to veer so then you don’t make that same mistake again.” (02:26)
Example: Recognizing unhelpful responses like online reassurance seeking, and planning how to respond differently next time.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On the nature of intrusive thoughts:

“There is no, no such thing as really an intrusive thought. There’s just a thought that by our extreme reaction we make intrusive.” (00:43)
On recovery goals:

“Don’t be tough on yourself, but don’t be perfection-level hard. Don’t be overthinking recovery, getting into meta OCD. Just view this as I'm developing the ability...” (02:06)
On analysis after setbacks:

“Treat it as a learning experience.” (02:50)

Timestamps for Key Segments

Understanding Training Mindset: 00:18 – 01:23
What Makes Thoughts Intrusive: 00:28 – 00:43
Handling Setbacks and Progress Measurement: 01:36 – 01:48
25% Progress Principle: 01:48 – 02:06
Self-Reflection After Setbacks: 02:26 – 02:50

Tone and Approach

Ali Greymond maintains a warm, compassionate, and practical tone. She reassures listeners that setbacks are to be expected and that progress is incremental. The focus is on training, learning, and growth rather than on achieving perfection or quick fixes.

Takeaways

View OCD recovery as an ongoing process of training your brain.
Intrusive thoughts only gain power through your reaction.
Mistakes are expected; progress should be gradual (aim for 25% improvement rather than perfection).
Use setbacks as opportunities for learning and adjustment, not as reasons for self-criticism.
Approach the journey with self-compassion and patience.

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Transcript1 lines

[00:00]
A
I'm Ali Graymond. I'm an expert in OCD recovery because for the last 19 years I've been helping people fully recover from OCD. If you would like to do personal coaching with me, all the information is on youhubocd.com you can sign up from there. It's important, it's very important actually for you to understand that currently you are in OCD training. This is training. You're training your brain how to react to these thoughts. And I've said this before, maybe I should make another video on this again, that we are the ones who make intrusive thoughts intrusive. Without us, intrusive thought is just a bunch of words. And what's intrusive to one person is not intrusive to another. Which just proves to you that there is no, no such thing as really an intrusive thought. There's just a thought that by our extreme reaction we make intrusive. And what you're doing now is you're learning how to not make thoughts intrusive, how to view them as just passing thoughts, whether they're OCD or let's say just anxiety. Intrusive thoughts, it's the same process. OCD is just more extreme version of that, but really it's something comes into your brain, it wants you to entertain, wants you to overreact. You are going to make the choice not to overreact. And little by little your brain starts to learn that this is how we behave when we get a thought. That's an unusual thought, let's say. So again, this is brain training. You're developing disability. Will you fall down as you develop disability? Probably, yeah. There's going to be times when you fall down and that's also okay. There's no perfectionism. And you can see the. With clients, my job is to get them to 25% better than, than the week before. So if you're doing this on your own, that should be your goal. Not that you're going to be perfect next week, but you're going to be 25% better because in a month that's 100%. So that's going from level 10 anxiety to level 0 anxiety. And again, that might not be what happens, but if that's the goal, you'll at least hit that ballpark. So again, don't be tough on yourself, but don't be perfection level hard. Don't be overthinking recovery, getting into meta ocd. Just view this as I'm developing the ability and if you fail right throughout the day, you had a setback, a step back. When you start to feel better out of it, try to kind of look back and see, okay, let's look at this objectively. Where did I go wrong? And kind of review where you started to veer so then you don't make that same mistake again. It could be like, okay, I. I got a thought, and then I went online, and then I, you know, I started to research. That was a bad thing to do. I should have done something else in that moment to kind of refocus. So treat it like that. Treat it as a learning experience. Thank you for listening. If you have not subscribed, please subscribe. If you would like to do private coaching with me, please sign up through you have ocd.com I'll see you tomorrow.