A gentle guide to OCD and ERP
Mental Compulsions: A Quick Guide
OCD doesn’t only show up in things you do with your hands. It can happen quietly in your mind, too. This guide covers three common mental compulsions and a few ways to practice responding differently.
Start here
A thought can show up without needing your attention
A mental compulsion is something you do in your mind to try to feel less anxious or more certain. It helps to separate what you can’t choose from the response you can practice choosing.
You don’t choose whether a thought appears, how long it stays in awareness, or whether you can force it away.
You can notice the pull to analyze, check, argue with, or cancel the thought—and practice not following that pull.
Think of a notification on your phone: you may not choose when it appears, and you don’t have to open it.
Noticing that a thought is present is different from deliberately reviewing it. You can let it be there without trying to settle what it means. It may stick around or return; that doesn’t mean you’re doing anything wrong.
Recognize the pattern
Three common mental compulsions
These can look like ordinary thinking from the outside. A helpful clue is whether you feel driven to get certainty, relief, or the “right” feeling.
Figuring it out
Replaying a memory, analyzing a “what if,” rehearsing the future, or building a case to prove you’re okay.
It might sound like“Why did I think that? What does it say about me?”
“I’m a good person. I would never do that.”
Why it can stickThinking feels like problem-solving, but OCD questions often can’t be settled by more analysis. Relief fades, and the doubt can return. Checking whether you’re practicing “the right way” can become another loop.
Keeping your guard up
Bracing for a thought or feeling, or monitoring your mind and body for signs that you’re okay—or that something is wrong.
It might sound like“I need to be ready if that thought comes.”
“Do I still feel anxious? Is it still there?”
Why it can stickStanding watch keeps your attention on what you fear. You don’t have to prepare for a thought or check how you feel before continuing with your day.
Pushing thoughts away
Trying to force a thought out, avoid thinking it, or cancel it with a “good” thought, word, or image.
It might sound like“Stop, stop. I can’t think about that.”
Prayer can become part of this pattern when it is used to cancel a thought or get certainty. Prayer itself isn’t the problem; its function is what matters, and you can sort that out with your therapist.
Why it can stickTrying to force a thought away can keep you checking whether it’s gone. You don’t have to wrestle with it or replace it.
A few things to keep in mind
Why these patterns are easy to miss
- They can sound like useful thinking.Notice whether you’re learning something new or repeating the same mental review to feel certain. You don’t need to decide perfectly which one it is.
- They can happen alongside physical rituals.You might stop yourself from rechecking a lock while silently telling yourself, “It’s definitely locked.” Both can be worth discussing with your therapist.
- They can happen automatically.You may notice only after the loop has started. Noticing late still counts; you don’t have to analyze exactly what happened.
A practice, not a test
What to do when you notice one
You can’t choose when a thought appears, but you can practice what you do next. This takes repetition. You’ll miss some at first, and noticing late still counts.
- Notice“I’m having that thought again.”
- Name the pull“There’s the urge to figure this out.”
- Allow uncertainty“Maybe. I can’t know for sure right now.”
- Carry on“This can be here while I return to my day.”
Carrying on isn’t a way to force the thought to disappear. It can stay in your awareness while you choose what to do next. The aim is to return to your life, not to make the thought go away.
If you’re figuring it outOpen for ideas
Try leaving the question unanswered instead of arguing with it—even to calm yourself down.
You might say “maybe” and return to what you were doing. If you start wondering whether you’re doing this right, notice that urge without trying to settle it.
If you’re keeping your guard upOpen for ideas
Notice when you’re standing watch. You don’t have to prepare for the thought or check how you feel.
If a thought or sensation arrives, let it be there without grading it, and keep doing what you were doing.
If you’re pushing thoughts awayOpen for ideas
You don’t have to make the thought leave. Let it be present without wrestling with it or swapping in a “good” thought.
When it comes back, that doesn’t mean you did it wrong. Notice the pull to engage and choose what you want to return to.
Want support with this?
If you’re working with me or another ERP therapist, follow the plan you’ve built together. You don’t have to resist every mental compulsion at once; you can pace the work with your therapist. If you’d like to talk, fill out the contact form. No commitment required.
This page is for education and doesn’t replace treatment. If you’re in crisis or thinking about hurting yourself, call or text 988 (U.S.).