Understanding OCD: What It Is, How It Feels, and How It Shows Up

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is often misunderstood as simply being “neat,” “organized,” or liking things a certain way. In reality, OCD is a complex mental health condition that can significantly impact a person’s daily life, relationships, and sense of control. This blog aims to break down what OCD really is, what symptoms look like, and the different ways it can manifest.

What Is OCD?

OCD is a mental health disorder characterized by a cycle of obsessions and compulsions.

• Obsessions are unwanted, intrusive thoughts, images, or urges that cause distress or anxiety.
• Compulsions are repetitive behaviors or mental acts that a person feels driven to perform in response to those obsessions, usually in an attempt to reduce anxiety or prevent something bad from happening.

It’s important to understand that people with OCD don’t choose these thoughts or behaviors—they often recognize them as irrational, but still feel unable to stop.

Common Symptoms of OCD

OCD symptoms typically fall into two main categories: obsessions and compulsions. While each person’s experience is unique, some common patterns include:

Obsessions

• Fear of contamination (germs, dirt, illness)
• Intrusive thoughts about harm (to oneself or others)
• Unwanted taboo thoughts (violent, sexual, or religious in nature)
• Fear of making mistakes or causing something bad to happen
• Need for symmetry, order, or things feeling “just right”

Compulsions

• Excessive cleaning or handwashing
• Repeated checking (doors, appliances, locks)
• Counting, tapping, or repeating actions in a specific way
• Arranging items until they feel “perfect”
• Seeking reassurance from others
• Mental rituals (such as repeating phrases silently)

These behaviors are not simply habits—they are often performed to relieve intense anxiety, even if only temporarily.

How OCD Can Manifest

OCD doesn’t look the same for everyone. It can present in different forms, sometimes in ways that aren’t immediately visible.

1. Contamination OCD

This is one of the most recognized forms. A person may fear germs or illness and engage in excessive cleaning or avoidance of “contaminated” objects or places.

2. Checking OCD

Individuals may feel compelled to repeatedly check things like locks, ovens, or emails, driven by a fear of harm or mistakes.

3. Intrusive Thoughts

Some people experience distressing thoughts without obvious physical compulsions. Instead, they may engage in mental rituals like reassurance-seeking or thought suppression.

4. Symmetry and Ordering

A strong need for things to be aligned, symmetrical, or “just right.” This can involve arranging items or repeating actions until they feel correct.

5. Harm OCD

Involves intrusive fears about hurting others, even though the person has no desire to act on them. These thoughts can be deeply distressing and misunderstood. This can also include self harm.

6. Hoarding Tendencies

Although now considered a separate condition, hoarding can sometimes overlap with OCD, involving difficulty discarding items due to fear or emotional attachment.

The Impact of OCD

OCD can take up significant time and mental energy. Many people spend hours each day dealing with intrusive thoughts and performing compulsions. This can interfere with work, school, relationships, and overall well-being.

It’s also common for individuals with OCD to feel shame or embarrassment, which can make it harder to seek help.

OCD is more than a preference for cleanliness or organization—it is a serious and often debilitating condition. However, it is also treatable. With the right support, such as therapy (particularly Cognitive Behavioral Therapy with Exposure and Response Prevention) and, in some cases, medication, many people learn to manage their symptoms and regain control over their lives.

Understanding OCD is the first step toward compassion—for both yourself and others who may be struggling.

If you or someone you know is experiencing symptoms of OCD, reaching out to a mental health professional can make a meaningful difference.

BWRT – A Ground-Breaking New Therapy For Treating OCD

For the last 25 years I have been working as a Psychotherapist and Hypnotherapist. One of the most difficult conditions to work with has always been OCD symptoms. Although hypnotherapy could give some relief to the client, I was never wholly satisfied with the results. But then, as part of my continued Professional Development I learned a new therapy call BWRT (Brain Working Recursive Therapy). If you click on this link it will explain BWRT. This therapy works with the exact part of your brain where your urges and compulsions originate from. This is the reptilian brain, also known as the ‘survival brain’ which governs basic survival functions and instinctive responses to threats.

So, what if I was to tell you that most OCD is at least a partial sublimation for survival? It is accepted that all urges from the reptilian complex must be discharged to avoid/release anxiety. That fixation urge is no different and that fixation must be at least as obsessive as if they were pursuing that survival urge. So these behaviours will be a reference to protection from any threat to survival. It’s the reptilian complex’s response designed to trigger action or survival.

So, for this situation to be properly resolved, the fixation must somehow be realigned to it’s true purpose. This is where BWRT for OCD comes into practice. The OCD fixation is completely unconscious and BWRT is a complete therapy used to help uncover and resolve the sublimation.

This is a very sketchy outline of an in-depth but very effective therapy for treating OCD. This is so in depth and deep rooted that a full explanation would be more suitable for a book than a blog. But if you suffer from OCD and you would like to book a free telephone consultation to find out more about how I can help you click here.