Summary3 min read

Podcast Summary: OCD Recovery with Ali Greymond

Episode: Watch How OCD Pushes Back Client Example

Release Date: May 23, 2026

Overview of Episode

In this episode, OCD specialist and author Ali Greymond delves into the practical side of OCD recovery, using real client tracking data from the OCD Help app. Her focus is on how to interpret progress and setbacks in the journey, emphasizing the importance of reducing rumination and staying persistent, even when OCD "pushes back." Ali offers clear, actionable advice for tracking obsessive-compulsive symptoms, illustrating her points with a relatable client experience.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Purpose of Tracking (00:00–01:00)

Importance of Self-Monitoring: Ali explains the main goal of tracking rumination and anxiety is not just logging, but actively reducing the compulsive behaviors that fuel OCD.
The tracking involves recording:
- Total minutes ruminated
- Anxiety levels
- Daily stress levels
- Active periods throughout the day (morning, afternoon, evening splits)
Interpretation Over Perfection: Ali reassures listeners that tracking is based on personal interpretation, not about perfect accuracy.

“None of this is exact. Don’t get caught up in like, how am I going to exactly track minutes. This is not about that.” (Ali, 00:58)

Real Client Example: Cycles of Rumination and Recovery (01:00–03:30)

Fluctuations Are Normal: Ali walks through a client’s week using the OCD Help app data:
- Client starts at level 6 anxiety and 120 minutes ruminated.
- Anxiety spikes to level 9 and 500 minutes of rumination following a “trigger.”
- The client then “regulated, pushed forward, reduced rumination,” bringing anxiety and rumination down day by day.
- The cycle repeats: another spike after April 12, then steady improvement.
How OCD Pushes Back: Ali highlights that when you actively challenge OCD and lower rumination, it often pushes back harder before improvement stabilizes.

“When you are actively reducing rumination, your OCD is working against you, your OCD is trying to push you into a reaction.” (Ali, 02:15)

The Quest for Incremental Progress (03:30–05:00)

Every Day Is a New Opportunity: Ali frames recovery as a “quest to do better compared to the day before,” not a straight line of progress.
Success Is Reducing, Not Logging: Logging is not the point; the goal is to continually bring compulsive behaviors and rumination down.

“It’s not to log, it’s not to tell me, ‘Hey, Ali ate 20 donuts yesterday, 20 donuts today, and intend to eat 20 donuts tomorrow in order to lose weight.’ Like, that’s logging, right? We’re reducing, we’re trying to do better.” (Ali, 04:17)

Practical Takeaways & Motivation (05:00–End)

Small Improvements: Each time segment—morning, afternoon, evening—should be treated as a fresh chance to reduce OCD-driven behavior.
Empowerment Through Routine: Consistent tracking and reduction give agency back to the individual.
Ali’s closing advice is direct and encouraging:

“Take every time period... I’m trying to get the behaviors down that feed the OCD. Download the OCD Help app and start tracking.” (Ali, 05:44)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On tracking and perfectionism:
“None of this is exact. Don’t get caught up in like, how am I going to exactly track minutes. This is not about that.” – Ali Greymond [00:58]
On OCD pushing back:
“When you are actively reducing rumination, your OCD is working against you, your OCD is trying to push you into a reaction.” – Ali Greymond [02:15]
On the purpose of tracking:
“That is if you ask yourself, ‘Why, why am I tracking? What is the reason for it?’ It’s not to log, it’s not to tell me, ‘Hey, Ali ate 20 donuts yesterday, 20 donuts today, and intend to eat 20 donuts tomorrow in order to lose weight.’ Like, that’s logging, right? We’re reducing, we’re trying to do better.” – Ali Greymond [04:17]

Important Timestamps

00:00 – Introduction to tracking and the Greymond Method
01:00 – Client example: tracking rumination and anxiety
02:15 – How OCD escalates when challenged
03:30 – Emphasis on daily incremental improvement
05:44 – Final practical advice and encouragement to track

Summary

This episode is a concise, hands-on walkthrough of using daily symptom tracking as a recovery tool against OCD. Through both encouragement and grounded realism, Ali Greymond motivates listeners not to expect perfection, but to focus on progress. Whether you’re new to recovery or looking for practical tools, this episode exemplifies the “do better than yesterday” spirit essential for long-term OCD management.

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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. What I want you to look at in this one, if you can zoom in. April 9, right? The person was at level 6 anxiety, then the numbers went up. So it went from 120 minutes ruminated to 500. Obviously the anxiety was level nine. Then the person regulated, pushed forward, reduced ruination, went back to 70 minutes ruminated for the day, level 5 anxiety reduced the next day, rumination further to 60, felt like it was level 2 anxiety. And again, this is interpretation. None of this is exact. Don't get caught up in like, how am I going to exactly track minutes. This is not about that. This is just having an interpretation of what's happening to you in the day or what you're doing in the day rather, because it's active rumination, right? But look at what happened after April 12, April 13. Something hit this person again. So when you are actively reducing rumination, your OCD is working against you, your OCD is trying to push you into a reaction. And then again, the person went through the same cycle of a lot of rumination and less and less. And then you could see from there, the next week the person kind of was more even and handled it better. So this reiteration of I refused, I pushed forward, I disregarded, I brought the rumination down and then it hit me with something else and they did the same thing and now I'm going to do better. And it's that quest that we are on, the quest to do better compared to the day before. That is the goal of the tracking. That is if you ask yourself, why, why am I tracking? What is the reason for it? It's not to log, it's not to tell me, hey, Ali ate 20 donuts yesterday, 20 donuts today, and intend to eat 20 donuts tomorrow in order to lose weight. Like, it's not. That's logging, right? We're reducing, we're trying to do better. So take every time period, as in the morning, I'm trying to do better, in the afternoon, I'm trying to do better, I'm trying to get the behaviors down that feed the ocd. Download the OCD Help app and start tracking.