IFS, OCD, and You: A Different Way to See Obsessive Patterns
If you live with obsessive thoughts, you know how relentless they can be. And if you’ve tried to control or silence them, you probably know — that fight often makes them louder.
I want to share a perspective that’s been meaningful for me, both professionally and personally.
This isn’t the only way to look at OCD — but through my own lived experience and clinical work, it’s the model I’ve found most effective.
Here’s the idea:
OCD isn’t a “part” of you — it’s more like a hypersensitive threat-detection system baked into your neurobiology. It’s an alarm that gets stuck in the ON position, scanning for danger and spinning out intrusive thoughts to try to keep you safe.
The problem is, the alarm rarely matches reality. And instead of helping, your parts — the protective voices and impulses inside you — misinterpret these false alarms as emergencies. So they pile on with strategies: compulsions, avoidance, checking, self-criticism, all in the name of “keeping you safe.”
This is where IFS comes in.
IFS (Internal Family Systems, or parts work) helps you see these reactive parts with more compassion — not as bad habits to crush, but as overworked protectors responding to a faulty alarm.
When you build a new relationship with these parts:
You stop getting hijacked by shame or panic when the intrusive thoughts come.
Your protectors can soften and trust that you’re actually OK — even if the alarm is still beeping in the background.
You spend less energy fighting yourself and more energy living your life.
I share this model because it’s helped me and many of my clients move from fear and control to curiosity and choice.
It’s not magic — but it can feel like a relief when you realize you’re not “broken” or “crazy.” You’re just running an overprotective system that you can learn to work with.
If any of this resonates, you’re not alone — and you don’t have to untangle it by yourself.