This Is How You Learn To Disregard In OCD - OCD Recovery

Summary3 min read

Podcast Summary: This Is How You Learn To Disregard In OCD

Podcast: OCD Recovery
Host: Ali Greymond
Date: June 30, 2026

Episode Overview

In this episode, Ali Greymond focuses on the concept of "disregarding" obsessive thoughts as a cornerstone of OCD recovery. Using a real example from the OCD Help app, Ali breaks down the practical process of tracking rumination and anxiety, illustrating the trial-and-error journey of learning to disengage from intrusive thoughts. The episode emphasizes objective tracking, persistence, and the value of incremental progress.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Objective Tracking as a Recovery Tool

Ali introduces the OCD Help app’s tracking system, which logs minutes spent ruminating, segmented by times of day and levels of anxiety and stress.
The episode zooms in on one person’s data to make progress visible over time.

"We have the total column of minutes ruminated, active minutes ruminated... We also are tracking the level of anxiety and the level of overall daily stress."
— Ali Greymond [00:12]

2. Day-by-Day Recovery: Progress and Setbacks

Ali walks listeners through sample data, highlighting a shift from high anxiety (level 9) and rumination, to a marked decrease when the person deliberately tries to disengage.
Improvement is shown as anxiety drops from level 9 to level 5 and then to level 4 with less rumination.
Relapses occur when OCD serves "a new thought," but the data shows the person recovers more quickly each time.

"So they went from level nine ... to level five the next day. They're like, okay, I'm on this and keep going further. Level 4 anxiety, even less rumination, just a little bit less. But they're on the right track. Very good."
— Ali Greymond [00:29]

3. Understanding the Disregard Skill

Disregarding is described as the deliberate choice to not engage with intrusive thoughts, even when they feel very real.
Learning this skill is not linear; setbacks ("OCD gave them a new thought, tried to hook them back in") are to be expected.

"Yes, the thought came, yes, it felt real. I'm going to choose to disregard. And the more they do this, the more successful they become."
— Ali Greymond [01:20]

4. Expect and Prepare for OCD ‘Waves’

The tracking shows that even after a period of progress, OCD can produce “waves” of new or intensified fears.
However, the intervals between high-anxiety episodes widen, and the person’s ability to recover improves.

"Fourth day, level five anxiety. Then again, another wave. Level eight anxiety, something else hooked them. So you see, this is the process..."
— Ali Greymond [00:57]

5. Incremental Progress is Key

Ali emphasizes that over weeks, the ability for OCD to trigger lengthy rumination diminishes.
The numbers, not feelings, show that real change is occurring when tracking is consistent.

"Just the numbers, just the facts, ma'am. Right where you can see that little by little, they're learning to bring the rumination down."
— Ali Greymond [01:05]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

“You see that process right now, which is so interesting to look at.”
— Ali Greymond [01:13]
“Little by little, with the tracking, the person is learning how to disregard. So this is a skill that this person is acquiring.”
— Ali Greymond [01:06]
“That, yes, the thought came, yes, it felt real. I'm going to choose to disregard.”
— Ali Greymond [01:20]

Key Timestamps for Important Segments

00:00 — Introduction to tracking and the OCD Help app
00:12 — Explanation of tracking columns (rumination minutes, anxiety, stress)
00:24-00:45 — Progression from high anxiety to decreased rumination and improved anxiety
00:46-01:05 — Setbacks: new intrusive thoughts, “taking the bait,” and recovery
01:06-01:20 — Emphasizing disregard as a developing skill
01:21-end — The bigger picture: how the pattern of recovery emerges over time

Episode Takeaways

Recovery from OCD is a process of learning to disregard intrusive thoughts — not by fighting them, but by repeatedly choosing not to engage.
Tracking progress makes subtle improvements and persistent patterns visible, reducing discouragement during setbacks.
Success isn’t measured by total absence of intrusive thoughts, but by shorter rumination and less intense anxiety.
The “disregard skill” is learned day by day, with each attempt building resilience, even if there are relapses.

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Transcript1 lines

[00:01]
A
Let's take a look at the recovery process using the Grayman method from the OCD Help app. What you're looking at here is an example of somebody's tracking using OCD Help app. We have the total column of minutes ruminated, active minutes ruminated. Then the next column is W to 9, wake up to 9am, 9 to 12, 12 to 3, 3 to 6, 6 to 9, and 9 to morning. We also are tracking the level of anxiety and the level of overall daily stress. Let's take a look at this chart objectively so we can see from December go to December 25th. Okay? Level 9 anxiety, a lot of rumination. The next day, the person's like, okay, I'm going to bring this down and do better. They did better. 60 minutes of rumination, massive bringing down. And look at the difference in anxiety, how much it dropped. So they went from level nine as an average of the day to level five the next day. They're like, okay, I'm on this and keep going further. Level 4 anxiety, even less rumination, just a little bit less. But they're on the right track. Very good. But then December 28, OCD gave them a new thought. Try to hook them back in, pull them back in again. Looks like they took the bait. Second day, they're coming out of it. Third day, still coming out of it, not that much better. Fourth day, level five anxiety. Then again, another wave. Level eight anxiety, something else hooked them. So you see, this is the process, but what's happening is you can see a little bit further up. Little by little with the tracking, the person is learning how to disregard. So this is a skill that this person is acquiring. And you see that process right now, which is so interesting to look at. Just the numbers, just the facts, ma', am. Right where you can see that little by little, they're learning to bring the rumination down. That, yes, the thought came, yes, it felt real. I'm going to choose to disregard. And the more they do this, the more the successful they become. That you could see January 6th, and going forward, there's much less ability for OCD to get them into rumination. Download the OCD help app and start tracking.