Specialist OCD Therapy in Leicester and Online Across the UK

OCD tends to feel like being stuck in a loop you did not choose to be in. An unwanted thought appears, one that feels threatening or wrong, and it creates a wave of anxiety or discomfort. To get relief, you do something: check, reassure yourself, analyse, avoid, or repeat a behaviour. The relief comes, but it does not last. The thought returns and the cycle starts again. Over time the loop becomes harder to break without outside help. The thoughts often feel as though they need an answer, even when another part of you recognises that they do not. 

No, a lot of people with OCD experience compulsions that are entirely mental: replaying events, analysing thoughts, seeking certainty in their own mind, or trying to reason the anxiety away. Some people refer to this as Pure O. Despite the name, compulsions are still present. They happen internally through processes such as analysing, reviewing memories, mentally checking or seeking certainty. This form of OCD is well understood and responds well to the right therapy.
 

Yes, and this matters more than most people realise before they reach out. Intrusive thoughts involving harm, sex, religion, violence or contamination are distressing precisely because they go against your values. They are a symptom of OCD, not a reflection of your character or intentions.

Many people spend months or even years keeping these thoughts secret because they fear being judged, misunderstood or believed. Shame often prevents people from asking for help, even though these experiences are common in OCD.

Therapists with experience of OCD hear these types of intrusive thoughts regularly. They understand that thoughts are not the same as intentions, desires or actions. The fact that a thought feels upsetting is often one of the reasons OCD keeps drawing your attention back to it.

Talking openly about intrusive thoughts can feel daunting at first, but it is often an important step towards understanding what is happening and beginning effective treatment.

Yes, OCD is one of the most treatable mental health conditions when the right approach is used. The evidence-based options are CBT, ERP (Exposure and Response Prevention), and I-CBT (Inference-Based CBT). These are not generic talking therapies. They are structured methods designed specifically to interrupt the OCD cycle. Most people see meaningful improvement, and many reach a point where OCD no longer runs their life.  The treatment approaches used at Resilient Mind Therapies are based on current evidence and include CBT with Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), which is recommended by NICE for OCD. 

Inference-Based CBT (I-CBT) is a newer evidence-based treatment that focuses on the doubt that drives OCD before anxiety and compulsions take hold.

Rather than asking you to face feared situations, I-CBT helps you understand how OCD pulls you away from what you can directly observe and into imagined possibilities. This process is known as inferential confusion. Instead of trusting your senses and what is happening in the present, OCD encourages you to trust hypothetical stories about what might have happened or what could happen.

For example, someone with Real Event OCD may remember a conversation from years ago but become caught in imagined possibilities about details they cannot verify. Someone with contamination OCD may begin to doubt what they can clearly see because OCD convinces them there may still be a hidden risk.

I-CBT helps you recognise when OCD is drawing you into these imagined narratives and teaches you to return your attention to present reality and what you can genuinely observe. As confidence in your own senses grows, obsessional doubt becomes less convincing and compulsions become less necessary.

Many people find I-CBT particularly helpful when OCD involves memories, responsibility, intrusive thoughts or extensive mental compulsions such as analysing, reviewing or trying to achieve certainty. For some people, it provides an alternative or complement to ERP, depending on how their OCD presents.

There is no single answer to this, and it would not be honest to give a fixed number. For some people, focused work over several months creates real and lasting change. For others, particularly where OCD has been severe or long-standing, longer term support is required. Progress is what matters, not speed, and the priority is always getting the approach right rather than fitting therapy into a set number of sessions. 

Yes, we offer online OCD therapy to clients across the UK, delivered by qualified and BABCP accredited psychotherapists with specific experience in treating OCD. You do not need a formal diagnosis before starting therapy. Many people contact us because they recognise symptoms of OCD but have never been assessed.

To get started, you can book a free 15-minute consultation. This is a no-pressure conversation where you can talk through what you are experiencing, ask any questions, and get a feel for whether this is the right fit before committing to anything.