Why Intrusive Thoughts Feel So Real: Understanding the "Weird Feeling" of OCD

“What About the Weird Feeling?”

A listener recently asked a question I hear often. She wanted to know about the weird feeling that comes with OCD, and the thought that follows, wondering what is happening.

If you’ve ever had an intrusive thought and then felt strange, unsettled, or shaken by it, this one is for you. Let’s look at what that “weird feeling” might be and how to respond to it with more ease.

Is It a Body Sensation or an Emotion?

The “weird feeling” can mean two different things:

• A physical sensation: butterflies in your stomach, a tight chest, a racing heart. This is your body’s fight-or-flight response.

• An emotional state: feeling scared, frightened, or troubled that you had the thought or image at all.

Both are common with intrusive thoughts, and both can be met with skill. Let’s take them one at a time.

The Paper Tiger: When the Body Reacts Before the Mind Catches Up

When an intrusive thought, image, or urge crosses your mind, your body can gear up in a split second. It doesn’t know it’s responding to a thought. It reacts as if a real tiger appeared, when it’s really a paper tiger.

Here’s a story from my own life. I once listened to a radio program where a doctor explained what to do if someone in your party is bitten by a rattlesnake. Driving to work, I realized I would have done everything wrong. That story left a mark.

For about a week afterward, every time I heard a hissing sound on my walk, I jumped. It was a sprinkler. When I crossed my front yard, I leapt away from the garden hose. My body was already in motion before my thinking brain could say, “That’s just a hose.”

A Physical Sensation Is Not Proof

With OCD, that rush of sensation often gets misread as evidence. If my body is reacting this strongly, the thought must be true. It must need to be handled.

But a physical response does not equal a real threat. An intrusive thought is not a bear on the trail in front of you. Nothing is happening this very second that requires instant action.

So you can take a breath. Pause. Let the sensation be there without rushing to respond. Not reacting immediately is one of the most skillful ways to meet any OCD theme.

The Thought After the Thought

Now for the emotional side. Say you’re relaxing and a thought pops in: What if I hurt my cat? Then comes the second wave: Why did I think that? What does it mean?

This is thinking about your thinking, and it’s where OCD loves to set up camp. The mind starts assigning meaning: 

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