The Tennis Metaphor for OCD

An individual with obsessive compulsive disorder experiences both obsessions (intrusive thoughts and images) and compulsions (actions taken to alleviate the distress from obsessions). When most people think of OCD, they likely think of the external compulsions that are visible to others - like washing hands, cleaning, tapping, etc. However, there is another category of compulsions that aren't as frequently spoken of - the internal compulsions. These compulsions tend to take the form of thinking a particular way in response to an obsession. This thinking might be in the form of counting, trying to logic away the distressing thought, mentally reviewing past events, or otherwise trying to reassure oneself that the distressing thought will 100% not come true. Sometimes the term used when the person engages in these types of compulsions is "Pure O," as it was previously believed that no compulsions were occurring in these instances. Fortunately, the growing recognition of internal compulsions has helped us recognize the subtle (internal) behaviours that keep the cycle of OCD going.

Although one can certainly engage in ERP work with "Pure O" OCD, it tends to be a bit more subtle and thus trickier to manage. I've found that one helpful approach to effectively reduce these internal compulsions is to use the tennis metaphor.

Imagine that you're on one side of the tennis court and OCD is on the other side. OCD may serve a tennis ball (aka distressing intrusive thought) at you. At that point, a natural reaction may be to engage in an internal compulsion to deal with the "ball" and alleviate the anxiety, such as rationalizing why the intrusive thought won't come true. This rationalizing is you "hitting the ball" back to OCD so it returns to the other side of the court. Unfortunately, OCD rarely misses the return ball and hits it back to your side with some form of "yes but what if..." that sidesteps the original logic. You may in turn try to rationalize the new "what if" thought, again returning the ball to OCD's side of the court. Back and forth you'd go, all the while reinforcing the OCD cycle and taking time out of your day.

The key with this metaphor is what to do instead. Rather than returning the ball and "playing tennis" with OCD, the way to stop OCD in its tracks is to drop the racket and walk off the court. This means OCD might throw ball after ball at your side of the court, but you would not engage, not attempt to argue or rationalize or count or mentally review. You'd simply note "oh there's another ball from OCD" and refocus onto whatever else was going on in your life. By taking this approach, the distress associated with these thoughts does not escalate and the OCD cycle doesn't get reinforced.

I know this is far easier said than done. OCD can be relentless and to simply ignore the "tennis balls" pelting across the court is a difficult feat. To ask a person to "drop the racket" is asking them to be extremely brave and take what feels like a risk about a very strong fear. That said, over the years I've witnessed many clients become very skillful at "dropping the racket" through practice and experience.

If you are coping with symptoms of OCD, I would encourage you to connect with a therapist trained in Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP). They can support you in managing both internal and external compulsions effectively and regain control of your life.