Your Anxiety Toolkit – Episode 468: Mindfulness Exercise for OCD

Host: Kimberley Quinlan, LMFT
Date: January 14, 2026

Episode Overview

In this episode, Kimberley Quinlan, an OCD and anxiety specialist, introduces a practical and compassionate mindfulness metaphor designed specifically for those struggling with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). She shares her favorite mindfulness exercise—one she teaches to clients, students, and even her own children—to help listeners cope with overwhelming intrusive thoughts and difficult emotions. The episode thoroughly explores how mindfulness can be a powerful support for OCD recovery, while also debunking common misconceptions and OCD-driven “tricks” about mindfulness practice.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Defining Mindfulness & Its Role in OCD Recovery

• Mindfulness Defined:
  "Mindfulness is simply paying attention to the present moment—this moment right here—not moments down the road. It’s noticing thoughts, feelings, and sensation from a place of non-judgment." (01:22)
• Why It’s Hard: Mindfulness sounds simple but can be very hard to put into practice.
• Mission: Kimberley’s main goal is to help reduce suffering through actionable skills listeners can use anywhere.

2. The River and Rocks Mindfulness Exercise

• Visualization:
  Listeners are guided to imagine a flowing stream, filled with rocks—representing intrusive thoughts, feelings, and sensations.
  • "I want you to imagine that you are the water. You are the flowing, moving, flexible water." (03:03)
• Key Metaphor:
  • The water (you) encounters rocks (intrusive thoughts/feelings), which are outside your control.
  • Your job: “…Practice the skill of not judging why [the rocks] are there. Every stream has a rock...that is a part of being human, that you will have uncomfortable thoughts and uncomfortable feelings.” (04:14)
  • "We're not going to judge [the rock] as bad. We're going to notice it, and we are going to gently move around it." (05:15)
• Outcome Over Time:
  • "The more we practice having a thought and not responding as if it’s an emergency or a dangerous thing or making meaning, the more we will soften those rocks as well. They will feel less jagged." (06:22)
  • Over time, with repeated nonjudgmental contact, intrusive thoughts become “less jagged.”

3. Staying Present – Tackling 'Rock Fatigue'

• Mindfulness is present-focused:
  • “A part of being mindful…is staying present. It’s paying attention to the rock you’re hitting right now.” (07:47)
  • Avoid looking ahead, catastrophizing about all future difficulties.
• "Brains have uncomfortable thoughts. Sometimes our brains come up with complete crazy stuff and that’s normal. Where we get into trouble is when we resist that." (08:33)

4. OCD’s Tricks & Misconceptions About Mindfulness

Kimberley identifies common mental “tricks” that OCD uses to sabotage mindfulness practice:

• “This thought is special”:
  • “OCD is going to say, this is not just a thought. This is really important, and we have to slow down and…figure this out because it's oh so important and it was oh, so terrible and dangerous for us not to do it. That is a trick OCD is playing.” (10:32)
  • Response: “A rock is a rock is a rock, or a thought is a thought is a thought.”
• Over-focusing on Fear = Ruminating:
  • “Being mindful about it is really just another form of ruminating about it.” (11:17)
• Mindfulness Is Not Irresponsible:
  • “Having a thought and not tending to it…is irresponsible and that it’s bad for acting that way...that is a trick that OCD is going to play on you.” (12:18)
• “Just Sit with The Feeling” Misinterpretation:
  • Sitting passively is not required; you can move through life while anxious. “We’re not just sitting with [the feeling]. If you need to sit...you can sit and be anxious, but you don’t have to just sit down and, like, focus on anxiety.” (13:07)
• Acceptance vs. Wanting:
  • Acceptance doesn’t mean you want or agree with the thought/feeling: “That’s, again, another trick that OCD plays to get you back into the content of your obsessions.” (13:45)

5. What Mindfulness for OCD Is (and Is Not)

• Mindfulness IS:
  • Observing thoughts/feelings as they arise.
  • Staying present and nonjudgmental.
  • Accepting discomfort while moving forward in life.
• Mindfulness IS NOT:
  • Trying to feel calm or get rid of thoughts.
  • Figuring out what thoughts mean.
  • Monitoring anxiety for improvement.
  • Practicing with urgency or resistance.
  • “When mindfulness involves urgency or resistance, it stops being mindfulness and it starts being a compulsion.” (15:09)
• The Goal:
  "No matter how many rocks I hit today, I can simply go around them. No matter how much discomfort I have today, I can observe it, allow it and move on." (15:52)

6. Practical Encouragement and Resources

• You’ll Suck At First—And That’s OK:
  • “This is going to take some work. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it…you will suck at it and that’s okay.” (08:04, 16:36)
• Everyone Can Build This Strength: Even the host’s teenage daughter uses this strategy for test anxiety.
• Mindfulness Is a Supplement, Not a Replacement:
  • “Mindfulness is a science-based supplement to OCD treatment. It is going to be incredibly helpful, but we have to watch out for OCD’s tricks.” (16:29)
• Toolkit Resources:
  • Listeners are invited to the Your OCD Toolkit & Clinicians OCD Toolkit at CBTSchool.com for structured self-help or therapist training.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Every stream has a rock. We have to accept that that is a part of being in a stream, and it's also part of being a human, that you will have uncomfortable thoughts and uncomfortable feelings.” (04:21)
• “The more we practice having a thought and not responding as if it's an emergency…the more we will soften those rocks as well.” (06:22)
• “This is a strong strength that you are going to have in your brain that you can use in any environment. Literally, this morning, my daughter went to have her finals…I taught her this skill.” (08:19)
• “A rock is a rock is a rock, or a thought is a thought is a thought. There is no good thought and bad thought…thoughts don’t determine or define a person.” (10:45)
• “When mindfulness involves urgency or resistance, it stops being mindfulness and it starts being a compulsion.” (15:09)
• “Please be gentle as you practice this. This is not easy. You will suck at it and that’s okay. Please be gentle. Learn to laugh at yourself.” (16:36)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:02 — 01:22: What Is Mindfulness and Why It’s Difficult
• 03:03 — 07:30: The River and Rocks Mindfulness Metaphor
• 07:47 — 09:17: Staying Present and Dealing One Rock/Thought at a Time
• 10:31 — 15:09: Common OCD “Tricks” About Mindfulness & Setting the Record Straight
• 15:09 — 16:54: What Mindfulness for OCD Is (and Isn’t), Encouragement, Resources

Final Takeaway

Kimberley encourages listeners to be patient and kind to themselves as they practice mindfulness, reminding them that struggling at first is a normal part of building mental resilience. The main aim is to reduce suffering—not to eliminate thoughts, but to learn to move through and beyond them, like water flowing around rocks.

“Today is a beautiful day to do hard things.”
(Host’s signature encouragement)

Note: This summary omits ad breaks and promotional segments not directly tied to the episode’s educational content. For further support, visit CBTSchool.com or consult a professional if needed.