What is OCD and what are intrusive thoughts?
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a condition characterised by recurring, unwanted thoughts, images, urges, or doubts (obsessions) that can cause significant anxiety or distress. In response, a person may engage in behaviours, mental rituals, or attempts to gain certainty and reduce anxiety (compulsions).
Intrusive thoughts are unwanted thoughts, images, or impulses that can occur in anyone. They often feel disturbing because they are at odds with a person’s values, beliefs, or sense of self. For some people, intrusive thoughts become particularly distressing and persistent, leading to cycles of anxiety, self-doubt, and compulsive behaviours.
Common signs and symptoms
- Repeated unwanted thoughts, images, or urges
- Excessive doubt and a need for certainty
- Repeated checking, reassurance-seeking, or reviewing past events
- Fear of causing harm, making mistakes, or acting against personal values
- Mental rituals such as counting, analysing, or trying to “cancel out” thoughts
- Avoidance of situations, people, or objects that trigger anxiety
- Feelings of shame, guilt, or confusion about thoughts
- Spending significant time managing or responding to obsessions
How I work
Living with OCD or distressing intrusive thoughts can feel exhausting and isolating. Many people worry that their thoughts say something about who they are, when in fact intrusive thoughts are often experienced as unwanted precisely because they conflict with a person’s values and intentions.
I offer a safe, non-judgemental space to explore your experiences and the impact they are having on your life. Together, we can develop an understanding of the patterns that maintain anxiety, self-doubt, and compulsive behaviours. Using CBT-informed approaches, we can work on recognising these cycles and developing healthier ways of responding to distressing thoughts.
As an Art Psychotherapist and Integrative Counsellor, I also recognise that OCD can be connected to deeper emotional experiences, life events, relationships, and underlying fears. Creative methods can offer alternative ways of exploring these experiences and making sense of feelings that may be difficult to express in words alone.
The aim of therapy is not to eliminate every unwanted thought, but to help you build a different relationship with them—reducing their impact, increasing confidence in yourself, and allowing you to live more freely in line with your values.
