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Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Your thoughts do not define who you are

What is OCD?

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is more than just anxiety, it’s a cycle that can feel relentless and exhausting.

OCD involves:

  • Obsessions (intrusive, unwanted thoughts)
  • Compulsions (behaviors or mental rituals done to reduce anxiety)

These intrusive thoughts often come with intense “what if” fears, making you feel like you have to do something to feel safe or certain. Even when you logically know things are okay, OCD doesn’t let it feel that way.

Over time, this cycle can take over your day. You might find yourself checking, repeating, avoiding, or mentally reviewing things just to get a moment of relief, but the relief never lasts.

OCD can be incredibly exhausting, especially when your mind won’t stop questioning the unknown.

Common OCD Symptoms:

Obsessions (Intrusive Thoughts)

Obsessions are unwanted thoughts, images, or urges that feel distressing and go against your values.

They often sound like:

  • “What if I left the stove on?”
  • “What if I said something offensive and didn’t realize it?”
  • “What if I made a mistake that harms someone?”

These thoughts can feel constant, sticky, and impossible to ignore, leading you to question yourself over and over.

Compulsions (Rituals)

Compulsions are behaviors, physical or mental, that you feel driven to do in order to reduce anxiety or prevent something bad from happening.

Physical Compulsions

  • Checking (locks, stove, safety)
  • Repeating actions or phrases
  • Excessive handwashing
  • Touching objects a specific number of times
  • Reassurance seeking (asking others or Googling repeatedly)

Even when you get reassurance, it often doesn’t feel like enough.

Mental Compulsions

These happen internally and can be harder to spot:

  • Counting or repeating in your mind
  • Replacing “bad” thoughts with “good” ones
  • Analyzing or trying to “figure out” thoughts
  • Rumination (mentally reviewing scenarios over and over)

Rumination can feel like problem-solving, but it actually keeps you stuck in the OCD cycle.

Avoidance

Avoidance is when you start changing your life to avoid triggers.

This might look like:

  • Avoiding certain places, people, or situations
  • Distracting yourself constantly
  • Staying on your phone to avoid your thoughts
  • Stopping activities you once enjoyed

While avoidance may reduce anxiety short-term, it keeps OCD in control long-term.

Common OCD Subtypes

OCD can attach itself to almost anything. While the thoughts may feel very real and personal, many people experience similar patterns.

You might relate to:

  • Harm OCD
    Fear of hurting yourself or others, even though you don’t want to.
    (“What if I lose control?”)
  • Relationship OCD (ROCD)
    Doubting your relationship or feelings toward your partner.
    (“What if I don’t really love them?”)
  • Contamination OCD
    Fear of germs, illness, or spreading contamination.
  • Health Anxiety / OCD
    Constant worry about having or developing a serious illness.
  • Existential OCD
    Obsessive questioning about reality, existence, or meaning.
    (“What if nothing is real?”)
  • Religious or Moral OCD (Scrupulosity)
    Fear of being immoral, sinful, or doing something “wrong.”
  • “Just Right” OCD
    Needing things to feel perfect, even, or complete.

If you’re reading this and thinking, “This is me, but in multiple ways,” that’s incredibly common. OCD doesn’t stick to just one theme, and treatment can address all of it.

How OCD Therapy Helps

OCD is highly treatable with the right approach.

I provide online OCD therapy for adults in California and Minnesota using Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP): the gold standard treatment for OCD.

ERP helps you:

  • Gradually face your fears in a safe, supported way
  • Learn how to resist compulsions
  • Build tolerance for uncertainty
  • Break the OCD cycle over time

I also integrate Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to help you relate differently to your thoughts and reconnect with what truly matters to you.

What Working Together Looks Like

In our work together, we will:

  • Build tools to face obsessions through gradual, manageable exposures
  • Practice sitting with anxiety without needing to “fix” it
  • Reduce compulsions and avoidance patterns
  • Reconnect with your values and the life you want to live

You don’t have to keep living in your head or feeling controlled by OCD.

Start OCD Therapy in California or Minnesota

If you’re ready to break free from the OCD cycle, support is available.

I offer online OCD therapy for adults in California and Minnesota.

Book a free 15-minute consultation to see if we’re a good fit.

About Therapy for Anxious Minds

Nathalie Torres transforms anxiety, OCD, and trauma, from roadblocks into stepping stones on your path to self-discovery. She utilizes evidence-based treatments and considers your individual needs to empower you to author a life of meaning and purpose.