I know my thoughts aren’t real—but why do they feel so real?

Something we often hear over the course of OCD treatment is: “I know my intrusive thoughts aren’t real. But why do they feel so real?” That’s because OCD makes our brains respond to intrusive thoughts the exact same way they respond to real threats. Our brains fill us with anxiety, telling us that we need to take action—that’s why we have such a strong urge to do compulsions. By resisting the urge to do compulsions when our intrusive thoughts arise, we can actually retrain our brains to recognize that we don’t have to respond to the anxiety that comes from them. Read more about why intrusive thoughts feel so real, and how exposure and response prevention (ERP) therapy works to retrain your brain.