OCD Awareness Week: Understanding, Reframing, and Reclaiming Control
“I’m so OCD, I just love when things are organized.”
We’ve all heard it. Maybe we’ve even said it.
But here’s the truth: liking a tidy desk or color-coded planner isn’t OCD. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder isn’t about being neat, picky, or particular. It’s a mental health condition that can be debilitating, shame-inducing, and all-consuming.
For those living with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), the mind can feel like it’s caught in a loop: unwanted thoughts (obsessions) trigger intense anxiety, which leads to repetitive behaviors or mental rituals (compulsions) designed to neutralize the fear. The relief is temporary, and the cycle begins again.
Where OCD Comes From
OCD often stems from a desire to live according to one’s deepest values—being kind, responsible, moral, safe, or clean. The struggle isn’t with the intention itself, but with the mind’s attempt to over-control uncertainty in pursuit of those values. In other words, the brain tries to protect you, but its methods backfire.
This need for certainty has long been recognized. In 1875, French psychiatrist Henri Le Grand du Saulle referred to OCD as “Doubting Disorder” (folie à doute). Later, philosopher and psychologist William James described it as “Questioning Mania.” Both captured the heart of OCD—an exhausting tug-of-war with uncertainty and the compulsive urge to resolve it.
Discomfort Is Not Danger
Anxiety wants you to believe that comfort equals safety and discomfort equals danger. But discomfort isn’t dangerous—it’s just uncomfortable. The real path toward healing anxiety is to face what scares you, again and again, until you trust yourself more than you trust the need for certainty. Every time you resist avoidance, you teach your brain that uncertainty doesn’t have to mean threat.
Avoidance strengthens OCD. Exposure weakens it.
Why Logic and Reassurance Don’t Work
OCD doesn’t respond to logic or reassurance. It’s not about what makes sense. Think of it like using hand sanitizer: it kills 99.99% of germs, but OCD fixates on the 0.01%. Even when facts prove safety or cleanliness, the brain’s “alarm system” keeps ringing, asking, “But what if…?”
That’s why reassurance (“You’re fine,” “That’s not dirty,” “You’d never do that”) doesn’t help for long. It just reinforces the idea that certainty must be achieved before you can rest.
Treatment focuses instead on helping clients tolerate uncertainty and discomfort—to coexist with “what ifs”—rather than silence them.
Regaining Agency
OCD can make it feel like your thoughts and actions aren’t your own. Fear is in the driver’s seat. A core part of recovery is reclaiming agency: learning to choose your responses instead of reacting out of fear. Through structured, evidence-based treatment, we learn that we can experience intrusive thoughts without acting on them, and we can feel anxiety without needing to neutralize it.
Freedom doesn’t come from certainty. It comes from flexibility.
Evidence-Based Treatment at Pillars of Wellness
At Pillars of Wellness, our new OCD Specialized Services program provides structured outpatient care using gold-standard interventions such as:
- Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Clients receive personalized support to understand how OCD works, learn tools for facing fears, and rebuild trust in their ability to tolerate uncertainty.
A Final Word
OCD is not about being clean, organized, or detail-oriented—it’s about living with doubt and doing your best to find relief. The good news is that recovery is possible, and effective treatment exists.
If you or someone you love struggles with OCD or OCD-like behaviors, you’re not alone—and help is available.
📞 Learn more about our OCD Specialized Services at Pillars of Wellness by calling 219-323-3311 to get connected with a clinician.