Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) can be overwhelming, confusing and, at times, completely consuming. You may find yourself caught in cycles of intrusive thoughts, doubts, uncomfortable feelings and repeated behaviours, even when part of you recognises that your fears may be excessive. OCD can affect almost every aspect of life, including our relationships, work, health, confidence and sense of freedom. The good news is that OCD is a highly treatable condition. With appropriate treatment, it's possible to break these cycles, reduce compulsions and regain the parts of life that OCD has taken away.
I'm Dr Tom Davies, a BABCP-accredited CBT therapist specialising in OCD and health anxiety. I offer individual Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), including Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), online across the UK, as well as a comprehensive self-guided OCD treatment programme.
What is OCD?
OCD involves recurring intrusive experiences, often accompanied by compulsions intended to reduce distress, prevent something bad from happening or achieve certainty. We often talk about intrusive thoughts, but these experiences aren't necessarily thoughts at all. They might involve images, doubts, memories, feelings, sensations or urges. These experiences are a normal part of being human. What makes OCD different isn't necessarily their presence or content, but the significance we attach to them and how we respond. OCD frequently targets the things that matter most to us: our relationships, health, morality, identity, safety or the people we love. A thought or doubt can therefore feel enormously important.
What if I've hurt somebody? What if I'm a bad person? What if I've made the wrong decision? What if I'm contaminated? What if I can never be certain?
Understandably, we want to resolve these questions. Unfortunately, the very things we do to feel better can end up keeping OCD going.
What are the different types of OCD?
One of the most important things to understand about OCD is just how diverse it can be. Most people associate OCD with excessive washing, checking or needing everything to be neat and organised. But OCD can involve almost any aspect of life, and many of the compulsions people experience aren't visible to others. Below are some common OCD themes I've explored in more detail:
Relationship OCD (ROCD) — Intrusive doubts about whether we love our partner, whether we're attracted to them or whether we're in the right relationship. Compulsions often include analysing feelings, comparing and seeking reassurance.
Contamination OCD — Fears or uncomfortable sensations relating to germs, illness, dirt or contamination, often accompanied by washing, cleaning, avoidance or excessive precautions.
Harm OCD — Intrusive thoughts, images or fears about causing harm to ourselves or other people, alongside an exaggerated sense of responsibility or fear of losing control.
Real Event OCD — Becoming preoccupied with something that happened in the past, often involving guilt, uncertainty, reviewing memories and attempts to establish exactly what happened or what it means.
Sexual OCD — Unwanted sexual thoughts, images, doubts or sensations that may feel deeply inconsistent with our values, identity or intentions.
Felt Sense or ‘Just Right’ OCD — An uncomfortable feeling that something isn't right, complete or balanced, leading to urges to repeat, adjust or correct things until they feel right.
These aren't separate diagnoses, but descriptions of some of the ways OCD can manifest. It's also common for someone to experience several themes throughout their life, or for the focus of their OCD to change over time. Despite their differences, the processes that keep these difficulties going are often remarkably similar.
What keeps OCD going?
At the heart of OCD is a self-reinforcing cycle. An intrusive thought, feeling or doubt creates anxiety, discomfort or a sense that something needs to be resolved. We then perform a compulsion to reduce that discomfort or prevent a feared outcome. Compulsions might involve checking, washing, avoiding situations, seeking reassurance, confessing, researching online or repeatedly trying to work something out in our heads. Some compulsions are entirely mental. For example, we might spend hours reviewing memories, analysing our intentions, checking how we feel or trying to prove that an intrusive thought isn't true. These behaviours can provide temporary relief. But they can also reinforce the belief that the original doubt matters and needs a response. Before long, another doubt appears, and the cycle begins again. This is why OCD is rarely overcome through logic or reassurance alone. Trying to find the perfect argument or piece of evidence can itself become part of the problem. Recovery comes from changing how we respond to OCD, rather than trying to achieve complete certainty.
Can OCD be treated?
Yes. OCD is highly treatable, and many people make substantial and lasting improvements with appropriate psychological treatment. My approach is grounded in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), particularly Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), one of the leading evidence-based psychological treatments for OCD. Treatment begins by developing a shared understanding of how OCD operates in your life, including the intrusive experiences, compulsions and avoidance behaviours that maintain the problem. We then work towards gradually changing these patterns. This might involve approaching situations you've been avoiding, reducing checking or reassurance seeking, or learning to experience uncertainty without engaging in mental compulsions such as rumination. The aim isn't to eliminate every intrusive thought or uncomfortable feeling. Instead, it's to learn that these experiences don't have to dictate what we do. Over time, this can help intrusive thoughts and doubts become less important, allowing us to make decisions based on what matters to us rather than what OCD demands.
My approach is collaborative, practical and goal-focused. Treatment is tailored to the individual and progresses at a pace that is challenging enough to create change while remaining achievable.
How can I start overcoming OCD?
There are several ways to begin, depending on your circumstances, preferences and the level of support you need.
1. Download my free OCD guide
If you'd like to understand OCD better before committing to treatment, I've created a free guide to help you make sense of how OCD works. It explains intrusive experiences, compulsions, rumination, reassurance seeking and uncertainty, along with the principles behind CBT and ERP. It's designed to provide a useful starting point, whether you're considering therapy, supporting someone with OCD or simply trying to make sense of your experiences.
2. Work through my self-guided OCD programme
Not everyone wants, needs or can afford regular individual therapy. For this reason, I've developed a comprehensive 12-module self-guided CBT and ERP programme, which brings together the principles I use when treating OCD. The programme helps you understand your own OCD, identify the compulsions and behaviours keeping it going, develop a personalised treatment plan and gradually put CBT and ERP into practice. It includes practical exercises, examples for different OCD themes and guidance on common difficulties such as rumination, mental compulsions, uncertainty, excessive responsibility and maintaining progress. You can work through it independently, at your own pace, or arrange additional professional support if you need help applying the material.
The complete programme costs £39.99, providing a flexible and affordable way to begin working on your OCD.
3. Arrange individual CBT and ERP therapy
If you'd prefer more personalised support, I offer individual CBT and ERP therapy online across the UK. Therapy involves understanding your particular difficulties and working together to change the processes that maintain them. Sessions are practical and collaborative, with an emphasis on building the confidence and skills to manage OCD independently. I offer a free 20-minute introductory consultation, giving us an opportunity to briefly discuss your difficulties, what you're hoping to achieve and whether my approach might be appropriate.
4. Explore my OCD articles and advice
I've also written a growing collection of articles/blogs exploring OCD, its different presentations and the approaches that can help people recover. These cover common questions, misconceptions and some of the less obvious psychological processes involved in OCD. You can check out my articles here.
Take the next step
OCD can take a great deal from our lives: time, energy, relationships, opportunities and a sense of freedom. But it doesn't have to define our future. Whether you decide to work with a therapist, begin learning more about OCD or use a structured self-guided programme, there are ways to begin changing the patterns that keep OCD going. If you're considering individual treatment, you're welcome to get in touch for a free initial consultation. And if you'd prefer to start independently, you can explore my free OCD guide or comprehensive self-guided CBT and ERP programme.
If you'd like to know a little more about me and why I've chosen to specialise in OCD, you can also read Why I Love Working with People with OCD.