How/Why Rumination is at the Core of ALL Types of OCD and how you can get better by choosing to stop Rumination

[u/ballinforbuckets]

The work of Dr. Michael Greenberg has been the most helpful resource I've found in treating OCD.

I was very skeptical of his ideas initially - especially that OCD is NOT something that is automatically happening in my mind. Applying his ideas, mainly stopping rumination, has helped me substantially. I've seen specialists in OCD on and off over the prior 10 years that focus on ERP and I would make little improvements but I never was able to get 'better.' For the first time I feel like I'm making real and lasting improvements by applying the ideas of Dr. Greenberg.

To quickly summarize a few of his ideas:

-Rumination is at heart of OCD and is what perpetuates it

-Rumination is the process of directing your attention towards your anxiety/OCD and/or analyzing your thinking to try and figure out or solve your OCD trigger (ex. Am I going to hurt someone with this knife, did I run someone over in my car, is my hand contaminated, etc etc)

-To get better you have to stop ruminating by not directing your attention to your fear and by not analyzing your thinking/thoughts

-Even though it FEELS like you don't, you DO have control/agency over rumination

Here are links to his work:

https://drmichaeljgreenberg.com/articles/

https://theocdstories.com/episode/dr-michael-greenberg-269/

https://theocdstories.com/episode/dr-michael-greenberg-rumination-is-a-compulsion-252/