🧠 Stop Trying To Run Away From OCD Triggers

Summary

OCD Recovery Podcast: "Stop Trying To Run Away From OCD Triggers"

Host: Ali Greymond, OCD Specialist & Author
Date: May 24, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Ali Greymond addresses one of the most persistent pitfalls in OCD recovery: avoidance of triggers. Drawing from her extensive experience and daily client work, Ali explains why avoidance is not only unhelpful but actively maintains and fuels the disorder. She provides listeners with practical, actionable advice for reducing avoidance behaviors, emphasizing the importance of systematic exposure and tracking progress for genuine, lasting recovery.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Problem with Running from Triggers

• Constant avoidance feeds OCD:
  Ali explains that staying in "avoidance mode" creates a constant background tension, even if the person isn't actively ruminating.

  • "It actually keeps you in this kind of, like, fibrillation where there's... always kind of like a little buzz going on in your brain." [00:07]

• Avoidance vs. Rumination:
  Some clients believe that if they're avoiding triggers but not ruminating, they're making progress. Ali challenges this belief.

  • "They'll say, well, I'm avoiding a lot, but I'm not actively ruminating... But the thing is, if you are constantly walking that tightrope all day long... you're always in tension." [00:21]
  • She likens it to walking a tightrope: "I can't. Step to the left, step to the right. That's it, right?" [00:34]

• Avoidance maintains anxiety:
  Even without conscious rumination, chronic avoidance creates the same physiological tension and strengthens OCD's grip.

  • "Even if it's not active rumination, it's the same tension and... it feeds OCD the same exact way." [00:43]

Facing Avoidance: The Path to Recovery

• The impact of avoidances:
  Although Ali notes that most people don't have "massive" avoidance lists, they do occur and must be addressed.

  • "If you are in that position where you're avoiding everything, start making a list." [01:03]

• Practical strategy: Make and reduce your avoidance list:

  • Step 1: Write down everything you are avoiding due to OCD.
  • Step 2: Regularly update the list if new avoidances appear (though, ideally, this should stop).
  • Step 3: Set a goal to gradually reduce avoidances, one at a time.
  • "Between you and full recovery stands that list, that amount of avoidances, and if little by little, you cut it down... you will get to the end point." [01:26]

• Tracking progress is essential:
  Passive or random efforts won't work. Ali urges a methodical approach to dismantling avoidances.

  • "If you're doing nothing, if you're winging it, if you're just like, well, I'm just doing my best, or, well, where did it get you so far? Are we going to do the same thing, expecting a different result, or are we actually going to track and do this properly? That's the question." [01:39]

Notable Quotes & Takeaways

• “Stop trying to run away from OCD triggers.” [00:00]
• "Even if it's not active rumination, it's the same tension and... it feeds OCD the same exact way.” [00:43]
• “Between you and full recovery stands that list, that amount of avoidances, and if little by little, you cut it down... you will get to the end point.” [01:26]
• “Are we going to do the same thing, expecting a different result, or are we actually going to track and do this properly?” [01:45]

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:00 – Introduction & the core message ("Stop trying to run away from OCD triggers")
• 00:07 – How avoidance maintains a 'buzz' of anxiety
• 00:21 – Client misconceptions about avoidance versus rumination
• 00:43 – The physiological impact of avoidance
• 01:03 – Making and maintaining an avoidance list
• 01:26 – Gradually reducing avoidances for full recovery
• 01:39 – Importance of tracking and structured change

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Conclusion

Ali Greymond's message is clear and actionable: Avoidance of OCD triggers is not a harmless habit; it's a core mechanism by which OCD sustains itself. True progress requires turning toward, not away from triggers, with a structured, self-compassionate plan. By actively tracking and reducing avoidances—one by one—listeners can dismantle the barriers to full recovery.

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Host’s Final Note

• "I'm Ali Graymond. I'm an expert in OCD recovery because I've been working with clients for the last 20 years and I can tell you, anybody can fully recover." [01:53]

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This episode is a concise, motivating guide for anyone feeling stuck in avoidance—and a reminder that systematic courage and honest tracking lead to long-term change.

Transcript

[A]

Stop trying to run away from OCD triggers. Because if you're constantly in avoidance mode, it actually keeps you in this kind of, like, fibrillation where there's. There's always kind of like a little buzz going on in your brain. Technically, you're not actively. And this is. I see this from clients when we first start working together, they'll say, well, I'm avoiding a lot, but I'm not actively ruminating. And I can see how they will feel this way. But the thing is, if you are constantly walking that tightrope all day long, when you're like, I can't. Step to the left, step to the right. That's it, right? And you're like this. You're always in tension. Even if it's not active rumination, it's the same tension and it's. It feeds OCD the same exact way that the more you're in this throughout the day, the more time you're in this, the more anxiety and OCD will grow. It. It's feeding the disorder. So if you have a lot of avoidances, and I don't actually see a lot of cases where there's massive amounts of avoidances, but they are. They do exist. And I just want to say that if you are in that position where you're avoiding everything, start making a list. At least make a list of everything you're avoiding and keep adding to that list. If you feel like you're adding more things, which you shouldn't be. But I'm just saying, right? And every day, work on reducing that. Look at it, that between you and full recovery stands, that list, that amount of avoidances, and if little by little, you cut it down, one every day, one every few days. So cut it down, then kind of cemented, then go to the next one and so on, you will get to the end point. But if you're doing nothing, if you're winging it, if you're just like, well, I'm just doing my best, or, well, where did it get you so far? Are we going to do the same thing, expecting a different result, or are we actually going to track and do this properly? That's the question. I'm Ali Graymond. I'm an expert in OCD recovery because I've been working with clients for the last 20 years and I can tell you, anybody can fully recover. If you need help, the link is below.