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When OCD Spirals: Why the More You Fight It, the Louder It Gets

One of the hardest parts about OCD is that the things people do to feel safer often end up making OCD stronger. That’s one reason the book Stuff That’s Loud by Sedley & Coyne describes OCD as feeling trapped inside a cage that you unknowingly help build yourself.

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That can sound discouraging at first. But it is actually incredibly important to understand.

 

It means the problem is not that a child, teenager, or adult is “broken.”

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The problem is that OCD teaches people habits that accidentally keep the fear cycle going.

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The Temporary Relief Trap

OCD constantly promises: “If you just do this one thing, you’ll finally feel okay.” Maybe that means:

 

  • Checking just one more time

  • Asking a parent for reassurance... again

  • Mentally reviewing an interpretation of a past event

  • Googling symptoms, or seeking reassurance from your favorite AI platform

  • Repeating phrases mentally

  • Avoiding situations that trigger OCD

  • Trying repeatedly to feel “just right”

 

And honestly, these things often create relief... temporary relief. That’s why they become so powerful. As Sedley & Coyne explain, every compulsion reinforces the OCD spiral at the same time.

 

The brain learns: “Good catch! That threat must have been important.”

 

And then the OCD gets louder.

OCD makes you feel like you're stuck in a cage

OCD Is Sneaky

One thing our OCD specialists regularly explain to families is: 

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“OCD is incredibly sneaky.”

 

It can create spirals within spirals. 

 

For example:

 

  • A child worries they contaminated something

  • Then worries they didn’t wash correctly

  • Then worries they forgot part of the washing ritual

  • Then worries the anxiety itself means danger

 

Or a teenager worries:

 

  • “What if I embarrassed myself at school today?”

  • Then replays the conversation mentally

  • Then asks friends and family for reassurance

  • Then worries the reassurance “didn’t count” because friends and family have tell them positive things

  • Then starts the process all over again

 

The spiral keeps expanding.

 

And over time, OCD begins demanding more and more time, attention, and energy.

The Many Ways People Try to Feel Safe

Stuff That’s Loud does an excellent job describing the many ways people try to make the world feel safer. Sometimes it looks obvious:

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  • Avoiding things completely

  • Carrying “safe” objects

  • Organizing spaces perfectly

  • Seeking reassurance constantly

 

But sometimes it is much harder to notice:

 

  • Mentally rehearsing conversations

  • Planning every detail in advance

  • Creating backup explanations in case something goes wrong

  • Researching situations repeatedly

  • Trying to logic your way into certainty

 

Parents often miss these invisible mental rituals because they happen entirely inside the child’s mind.

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And honestly, many adults with OCD miss them too.

OCD Wants Your Attention at All Times

One of the most powerful ideas from Stuff That’s Loud is this:

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OCD is not interested in truth. It wants your complete and undivided attention.

 

That is such an important point. OCD will say almost anything to keep someone's attention:

 

  • “What if you forgot something terrible?”

  • “What if you secretly hurt someone?”

  • “What if you’re dangerous?”

  • “What if you’re a bad person?”

  • “What if you can never feel certain again?”

 

Sometimes OCD creates vivid thoughts or images. Other times there are no words at all—just dread, wrongness, incompleteness, or a powerful feeling that something is “off.”

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And because those feelings feel emotionally real, people naturally try to solve them.

Your Mind Is Not Broken

This part matters tremendously for kids and parents.

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Sedley & Coyne repeatedly emphasize:

 

“Your mind is doing its job… too well.”

 

Human brains are designed to detect danger.

They imagine possibilities.
They scan for threats.
They try to protect us.

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The problem in OCD is not that the brain stopped working. The problem is that the brain begins treating normal uncertainty like an emergency.

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And once compulsions enter the picture, the alarm system becomes hypersensitive.

 

At River City OCD Clinic, we often tell families:

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“OCD is a false alarm system, not proof that someone is dangerous, irresponsible, or broken.”

OCD Can Even Hijack Therapy Skills

One of the sneakiest things about OCD is that it can even turn treatment tools into rituals.


People sometimes begin using mindfulness, Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) skills, and therapy homework solely to get rid of anxiety immediately.

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And when that happens, the OCD cycle can quietly continue underneath the surface.

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This is why our OCD therapists use Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) with ERP. "ACT-enhanced ERP" focuses less on how to eliminate uncomfortable thoughts and feelings, and more on: 

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“How do I respond differently to this experience?”

 

That shift is huge.

The anatomy of an overactive OCD brain

Image generated using information from Stuff That's Loud by Sedley & Coyne

What ACT-Enhanced ERP Teaches Instead

ACT-enhanced ERP helps children, teens, adults, and families begin stepping out of the spiral by practicing:

 

  • Acceptance of discomfort

  • Willingness to experience discomfort in the service of living one's values

  • Response prevention instead of compulsions

  • Mindfulness instead of mental wrestling

  • Values-based action instead of fear-driven decision-making

  • Self-compassion instead of shame

 

The goal is not becoming perfectly calm.

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The goal is learning: “I can have uncertainty without giving OCD everything it wants.”

Final Thoughts...

OCD spirals can feel overwhelming, exhausting, and incredibly convincing.

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But spirals are not permanent.

 

When families begin understanding how compulsions, reassurance, avoidance, and mental rituals strengthen OCD, real change becomes possible.

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And for many children and teens, one of the most healing realizations is this:

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“I am not broken. My brain just learned an unhelpful way of responding to fear.”

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That realization often becomes the beginning of recovery.

Services That Target OCD Using Evidence-Based Approaches are Accessible in Kentucky, Indiana, and Many Locations Today

At River City OCD Clinic, our clinicians specialize in ACT-enhanced ERP for OCD, perfectionism, anxiety disorders, PTSD, and OCD-related disorders. We offer individual therapy, group therapy, telehealth services, and specialized OCD treatment throughout Kentucky and across participating PSYPACT states (learn more by visiting Dr. Street Russell's profile page). Dr. Street Russell also provides professional consultation​ for therapists in need of OCD training.

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