Understanding Mental Compulsions in OCD and Anxiety | EP 337

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When compulsions are behavioral, like hand washing or door checking, they are easy to identify. But when they are mental in nature, things get much fuzzier. In this episode, I’m joined by OCD specialist Lauren Rosen to take the mystery out of mental compulsions and explain why your "problem-solving" brain is actually keeping you stuck.

We break down the critical difference between having an intrusive thought (the obsession) and what you intentionally dowith that thought (the compulsion). Whether you are struggling with OCD, panic disorder, or health anxiety, learning to recognize internal behaviors like mental review, rumination, and self-flagellation is a vital step toward psychological flexibility.

What We Discuss:

• Defining Mental Compulsions: Why internal behaviors like rumination, mental review, and rehearsing are active choices, not just "thoughts".
• The "No Equipment" Sport: How the ease and invisibility of mental compulsions make them particularly consuming and re-triggering.
• Thoughts vs. Thinking: Using the "square root of 17" analogy to identify when you have moved from a passive thought into an active mental behavior.
• The Identity Trap: Why we often mistake worrying and "thoughtfulness" for a core part of our identity or a tool for safety.
• Shifting Attention: How to stop compulsing without suppressing thoughts or getting into a perfectionistic battle with your own mind.

About Lauren Rosen:

Lauren is a licensed psychotherapist and the Director of The Center for the Obsessive Mind. She is the author of The Mental Compulsions Workbook for OCD and co-host of the Purely OCD podcast. 

Recovery is a journey of small, brave leaps of faith. You feel real fear, but you are not in real danger. Let’s get into it.

For full show notes on this episode:

https://theanxioustruth.com/337

Lauren's Instagram

Lauren's Website

The Mental Compulsions Workbook for OCD

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Disclaimer: The Anxious Truth  is not therapy or a replacement for therapy. Listening to The Anxious Truth does not create a therapeutic relationship between you and the host or guests of the podcast. Information here is provided for psychoeducational purposes. As always, when you have questions about your own well-being, please consult your mental health and/or medical care providers. If you are having a mental health crisis, always reach out immediately for in-person help.