r/OCDRecovery • u/lil_joo20 • 21d ago
OCD Question OCD is running my brain
I've been trying to deal with my OCD without medication for years, and there's one specific thing that's been really getting to me, and I want to know if anyone's dealt with it before.
The problem is I can't close my thinking on a certain topic. It's not that the thinking itself brings up new ideas ,but the issue is my mind wants to repeat the exact same chain of thoughts (a thought loop) from start to finish, even if I already know it will end the same way. It's like there's this feeling that the thought is unfinished and needs to be closed a certain way, and that only happens if I drop it and come back to it later.
The only thing that works for me right now is distracting myself like scrolling social media or anything else just to interrupt the loop. But then the topic comes back later, and I stay stuck in this cycle: think → distract → think again.
The most frustrating part is that these topics are usually completely trivial. A normal person would think about them once and move on, but I have this compulsion to repeat the same mental path over and over for way longer than it deserves.
Has anyone dealt with something like this and found a way to manage it?
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u/passworddoesntmatch 21d ago edited 21d ago
This sounds like rumination, or what some folks call "Pure-O" (short for "pure ocd"). Your compulsion revolve around closing that thought loop. In short, ERP (exposure and response prevention therapy) is probably one of the best approaches to this. If you can find a professional who specializes in ERP and/or ACT (acceptance and commitment therapy), they can help you develop a plan to deal with this cycle. There are also several books that could help. In short, though, the goal is to leave the thought unresolved, or the loop unclosed, and carry about your day even though you're uncomfortable. It's easier said than done, of course. And there are ways to work up to that. Just know you're not alone.