Hidden OCD Compulsions: How You’re Reassuring Yourself Without Realizing It

If you live with OCD or anxiety, you are familiar with the urge to double check a locked door, Google a health symptom, or ask someone, “Do you think I did the right thing?”  But reassurance isn’t always obvious. Sometimes, it hides in mental habits like replaying conversations, scanning your body, or mentally reviewing to figure out what “really” happened.

These hidden forms of reassurance can keep OCD strong, even when you practice exposure and reduce more overt compulsions.

(Related: Health Anxiety: Why You Can't Stop Googling Your Symptoms)

What is Reassurance Seeking?

Reassurance is any behavior (mental or observable) meant to reduce doubt or distress in the short term. The problem? Each time you reassure yourself, your brain learns that you need certainty to feel safe, reinforcing OCD’s core cycle.

In therapy, we help you learn to tolerate uncertainty instead of chasing relief. That’s what truly breaks the OCD loop.

(Explore: ERP and Inference-Based CBT: Two Evidence-Based Paths to Treating OCD)

6 Hidden Forms of Reassurance You Might Not Notice

1. Mental Reviewing

Replaying a memory over and over (“Did I say that wrong?” “Did I lock the door?”) to check if you did something bad or unsafe

2. Body Checking

Scanning for sensations (heart rate, breathing, tightness, tingling) to make sure nothing’s wrong.

➡️ (Learn more: Health Anxiety vs. OCD: What’s the Difference?)

3. Comparing

Mentally measuring yourself against others: “They don’t seem worried, so maybe I’m fine.”

4. Seeking Internal Certainty

Running mental arguments: “I’d never do something bad,” or “I know I love my partner.”

5. Avoiding Triggers as a Way to Feel Safe

Sometimes, reassurance isn’t “I’m okay”, it’s “I’ll be okay as long as I don’t go there.” Avoidance and reassurance are two sides of the same coin.

Why Hidden Reassurance Keeps OCD Strong

Every time you try to make sure, you strengthen the link between anxiety → reassurance → relief. The brain learns that it needs reassurance to be safety, and that discomfort is the same as danger — which keeps the OCD loop spinning.

How Therapy Helps You Break the Cycle

Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) and Inference-Based CBT (I-CBT) both teach you to relate differently to intrusive thoughts, not as threats to solve, but as false alarms to notice and release.

You learn to:

✅ Recognize subtle reassurance behaviors

✅ Practice response prevention in real time

✅ Build tolerance for uncertainty

✅ Reconnect with your values and daily life

(Explore treatment options: ERP and I-CBT for OCD)

Getting Help from an OCD Therapist

If you’ve realized how much hidden reassurance shapes your day, that awareness is a powerful first step. With the right support, you can retrain your brain to stop chasing certainty and finally find calm even when doubt shows up.

I offer specialized ERP and Inference-Based CBT for OCD in Campbell, CA (near San Jose), and online in California.

Schedule a consultation

Caitlyn Oscarson, LMFT

Cognitive Behavior Therapist

LMFT51585