OCD Training - What Increases OCD Thoughts

Podcast: OCD Recovery
Host: Ali Greymond
Date: September 21, 2025

Episode Overview

In this focused episode, Ali Greymond discusses the mechanisms that lead to an increase in intrusive OCD thoughts and shares actionable steps for dealing with them effectively. Drawing from her extensive coaching experience and recovery journey, Ali emphasizes how reactions to unwanted thoughts can inadvertently make them stronger. Her message is practical: the key to reducing OCD thoughts is learning how to react with complete indifference, allowing thoughts to pass without intervention or judgment.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Nature of OCD Thoughts

• Thousands of Thoughts Per Day:
  Ali begins by normalizing the experience of intrusive thoughts, noting that our brains generate an estimated 70,000 thoughts daily.

  • “Your brain is sending 70,000 thoughts a day. They're just whizzing by you like a highway.” (00:22)

• Picking Out Certain Thoughts:
  Highlighting the tendency to focus on disturbing or unwanted thoughts, Ali explains how this “magnifying” makes them seem more important than they are.

  • “If you start picking out these specific types of thoughts and saying, oh my God, these are so bad, what happens is your brain actually sends you more of them because you're showing importance...” (00:39)

Why Trying to ‘Fix’ or Rationalize Makes It Worse

• Avoid Sterilizing or Trying to ‘Fix’ Thoughts:
  Ali cautions against the urge to neutralize, rationalize, or “sterilize” intrusive thoughts, explaining that these compulsive efforts actually teach the brain that such thoughts are important and in need of attention.

  • “Don’t start fixing them, rationalizing them, figuring them out, sorting through them. Just leave them as is.” (00:17)

• The Brain’s Attention Mechanism:
  She describes the brain’s mechanism of reinforcing attention: the more you react, the more frequently the thought appears.

  • “The more you react, the more frequently you’re going to get it. That’s the brain’s mechanism.” (01:10)

The Solution: Radical Indifference

• Complete Neutrality:
  Ali’s central message is to respond with absolute indifference—not trying to accept, analyze, or wish thoughts away.

  • “We’re acting as if the thought doesn’t exist, as if it never came into your mind. Complete neutrality in all aspects...” (01:36)

• No Mental Manipulation:
  She warns against switching between positive and negative scenarios or attempting to ‘manipulate’ what the thought means.

• Meta-OCD Thoughts:
  Even meta-level worries (e.g., “When will this go away?” or “What does this mean about my recovery?”) should get the same neutral response.

  • “Complete neutrality across the board. That’s how you get rid of these thoughts.” (02:13)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Just leave them as is... always remind yourself that your brain is sending 70,000 thoughts a day.” (00:17)
• “If you start picking out these specific types of thoughts and saying, oh my God... your brain actually sends you more of them because you’re showing importance.” (00:39)
• “The more you react, the more frequently you’re going to get it.” (01:10)
• “We’re acting as if the thought doesn’t exist, as if it never came into your mind. Complete neutrality in all aspects...” (01:36)
• “Complete neutrality across the board. That’s how you get rid of these thoughts.” (02:13)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:00-00:14 — Introduction: Distinguishing intrusive thoughts and initial guidance
• 00:14-01:10 — The danger of reacting or ‘sterilizing’ OCD thoughts
• 01:10-02:13 — The mechanism of thought reinforcement and the crucial role of indifference
• 02:13-02:32 — Summary and actionable advice: practice neutrality at all levels

Summary

Ali Greymond’s message is both accessible and empowering: intrusive OCD thoughts are common, but the chief driver of their persistence is how much importance we assign them. By refusing to engage or react—neither fighting nor fixing—the brain learns to deprioritize these thoughts, aiding recovery. Throughout the episode, Ali offers clarity, compassion, and practical steps rooted in real recovery experience.