It’s usually the gaze of others that prompts people to seek help. I often meet individuals who have allowed an obsessive-compulsive disorder or a distressing idea to take root over months or even years, believing it would simply fade with time. To understand why this doesn’t happen, we need to know how the brain works.
As we discussed in the article on anxiety, an emotion doesn’t disappear on its own. You first need to identify the emotion you’re feeling, trace its origin, find a solution, and then express it. Without this process, the brain activates defense mechanisms such as psychosomatic symptoms, OCD, eating disorders, tics, phobias, and other associated issues as a way of alerting us to mental overload. This “alert” is the brain’s way of bringing buried emotions and thoughts to the surface.
OCD itself isn’t the problem. It becomes one when others start to notice it, or when it begins to interfere with your daily life and responsibilities.
Freeing Yourself
OCD doesn’t vanish overnight, but with proper guidance and treatment, it’s often possible to regain a balanced life.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, more commonly known as OCD, affects around 2 to 3% of the global population. Behind this often trivialized term lies deep suffering—marked by fear, doubt, and repetition. Checking ten times whether the door is locked, washing one’s hands until the skin becomes irritated, or mentally counting to prevent a catastrophe… These seemingly harmless behaviors can become overwhelming.
OCD combines obsessions (intrusive, often irrational thoughts or images) and compulsions (rituals or actions performed to reduce anxiety).
“OCD is based on a mechanism of anxiety and control.” The brain tries to channel the overflow of emotions and thoughts by repeating a behavior meant to reassure. But this strategy eventually traps the person in a vicious cycle.
The goal isn’t to eliminate all intrusive thoughts, but to learn to live with them without obeying them—to coexist with your emotions while recognizing their impact. I like to remind my patients that OCD itself shouldn’t be the main focus, since it’s simply the brain’s way of signaling emotional overload. Overcoming OCD means, above all, reclaiming your mental freedom and finding serenity.
Managing Emotions Better
As we’ve seen, OCD is simply a message from your brain—not an irreversible disorder. Emotions and behavior are always linked, and when we suppress certain emotions—consciously or not—our behavior takes over, bypassing logic. It’s by learning to better understand and manage our emotions that OCD can gradually fade away.
Gabriel RAFI
