Understanding the OCD Cycle
Obsession or Intrusive Thought - A distressing, unwanted thought, image, or urge that feels intrusive and out of place. These thoughts often provoke intense anxiety or discomfort.
Compulsion - In an attempt to relieve the anxiety, you engage in a behavior or mental act (e.g., checking, seeking reassurance, mental reviewing, avoidance, repeating phrases or prayers, neutralizing thoughts). While compulsions provide temporary relief, they reinforce the cycle by teaching the brain that the intrusive thought was dangerous and required action.
This cycle keeps OCD symptoms going because it prevents the brain from learning that intrusive thoughts do not require a response and that distress can be tolerated.
How ERP Works: Changing the Relationship with Anxiety
Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is an evidence-based treatment that helps individuals with OCD break free from compulsions. Unlike traditional approaches focused on reducing anxiety through habituation, ERP based on the Inhibitory Learning Model emphasizes expectancy violation—learning that feared outcomes do not happen or that distress is more tolerable than anticipated.
Instead of trying to eliminate anxiety, ERP helps you change your relationship with fear and uncertainty. Through exposures, you deliberately confront triggers without engaging in compulsions, allowing your brain to develop new learning:
- The feared consequence may not occur, or if it does, I can handle it.
- Discomfort naturally fluctuates, and I don’t need to control it.
- Avoidance and compulsions reinforce fear, while facing fears builds confidence.
Actionable Strategies for Disrupting the OCD Cycle
- Identify Your Mental and Behavioral Compulsions - Recognize both outward behaviors (checking, avoiding, repeating) and internal compulsions (mental reviewing, neutralizing, reassurance-seeking).
- Practice Sitting with Uncertainty - Instead of seeking certainty or relief, experiment with accepting uncertainty (e.g., “Maybe this thought means something, maybe it doesn’t”).
- Engage in Expectancy Violation - When doing exposures, focus on what you expect to happen and observe if reality aligns with that fear. The goal is not to get rid of anxiety but to develop tolerance and flexibility.
- Label Thoughts as “Just Thoughts” - Rather than taking intrusive thoughts at face value, practice labeling them as “just thoughts” and allowing them to exist without responding.
- Use Cognitive Defusion Techniques - Try saying an intrusive thought in a silly voice or writing it down repeatedly to create distance from its meaning.
Final Thoughts
Managing OCD is not about eliminating intrusive thoughts or making anxiety disappear; it’s about learning to relate to them differently. By breaking the cycle of compulsions and facing fears with openness, you can build resilience, increase distress tolerance, and regain control over your life.
If you're ready to take the next step in your OCD recovery, OCD & Anxiety Treatment of Houston is here to help. Our specialized therapists can guide you through ERP and provide the support you need to break free from intrusive thoughts and compulsions.
📅 Schedule a consultation today and start your journey toward a healthier, more empowered life.
Saharah Shrout, MA, LPC-S
Owner & Therapist
OATH Therapy