Responses to Disengage from OCD
OCD is reinforced by exploring the content of the obsessions or intrusive thoughts that you experience. If you have OCD, a helpful tool to use in your OCD recovery is learning how to respond differently to OCD and disengage from your stuck thoughts.
A powerful visual reminder is the “What’s playing on TV today” metaphor. Imagine that your intrusive OCD thoughts are on the TV in the doctor’s office. The TV is playing something that is really, really scary. You absolutely do not want to watch this TV channel! But…you don’t have the remote, you can’t change the channel or destroy the TV, and you can’t leave because you’re waiting for your appointment.
What CAN you do?
Keep doing what you were doing! Before you noticed what’s on TV, maybe you were reading a magazine in the doctor’s office or talking to a friend. Just because you realize that the TV is playing a channel that you really don’t want to watch doesn’t mean that you have to stop doing what you were doing. Remember that channels change unexpectedly, for no reason at all. Sometimes there will be a commercial break. Some TV shows are shorter than others, or maybe the TV is playing a long movie. Just like intrusive OCD thoughts, you can’t control when the TV channel will change or when the show will end. Remember that you don’t need to know WHY a channel is playing (or why your intrusive thoughts pop up). You can keep going about your day, waiting for your appointment, without understanding why a particular channel is on.
Here are some other quick responses that you can use when OCD shows up:
“I can’t control what’s on the OCD channel right now, but I know that TV shows come and go as they please.”
“That’s what’s playing on TV right now. I don’t like it and it’s annoying, but I don’t need to do anything about it.”
“This is OCD bothering me again, no need to do anything.”
“My discomfort has nothing to do with being in any danger. These are just thoughts.”
“OCD is trying to make me upset, but I won’t let it.”
“I won’t let OCD tell me what to do.”
“I would rather feel a little uncomfortable than do everything OCD says!”