Pure “O” OCD Therapy
Serving San Jose, Sacramento & all of California
Pure O
Pure “O” OCD Therapy for Obsessive Thoughts
Pure “O” OCD therapy can help you stop getting trapped in mental spirals and contantly checking your thoughts so you no longer have endless mental debates. Pure “O” OCD isn’t about visible rituals—it’s about the mental battles no one else sees. It shows up as intrusive thoughts and the exhausting mental rituals you use to push them away. Here are some ways Pure “O” OCD can show up:
- Disturbing thoughts that go against your values or beliefs and feel impossible to ignore.
- Trying to push thoughts out of your mind or “force” yourself not to have them.
- Spending hours analyzing or reassuring yourself that these thoughts don’t mean anything about you.
- Silently praying, counting, or repeating phrases to neutralize anxiety.
If these sound familiar, you may be experiencing Pure “O” OCD. The good news is that with therapy for Pure “O” OCD, you can learn to manage intrusive thoughts and images.
Laura Johnson, LMFT, LPCC, is a certified CBT therapist with expertise in Pure “O” OCD therapy. I can provide you with Pure “O” OCD therapy if you live anywhere in California including San Jose, San Francisco, Sacramento, Los Angeles, and San Diego.
Could I Have Pure “O” OCD?
Pure “O” OCD isn’t about visible rituals—it’s about the mental battles no one else sees. It shows up as intrusive thoughts and the exhausting mental rituals you use to push them away.
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Do you get disturbing thoughts that go against your values or beliefs and feel impossible to ignore?
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Do you try to push thoughts out of your mind or “force” yourself not to have them?
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Do you spend hours analyzing or reassuring yourself that these thoughts don’t mean anything about you?
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Do you silently pray, count, or repeat phrases to neutralize anxiety?
If this sounds familiar, you may be dealing with Pure “O” OCD.
What is Pure “O” OCD?
Pure “O” OCD (also called Pure Obsessions or Mental Rituals OCD) involves intrusive thoughts paired with invisible mental rituals. Unlike contamination fears or checking behaviors, the compulsions happen entirely in your mind. People often have intrusive thoughts about safety, sex, religion, health, or other deeply personal concerns.
What keeps it going is the cycle: intrusive thought → anxiety → mental ritual → temporary relief → more intrusive thoughts. Over time, this cycle makes thoughts feel more threatening and harder to dismiss.
Common Symptoms of Pure “O” OCD
Everyone has random, unwanted thoughts. In Pure “O” OCD, these thoughts become sticky, leading to endless mental rituals to try and control them.
Obsessions
(Intrusive Thoughts):
Compulsions
(Mental Rituals):
How Therapy Helps with Pure “O” OCD
Therapy teaches you to stop getting pulled into the cycle of intrusive thoughts and rituals. Instead of trying to erase or neutralize the thoughts, you’ll learn how to live with uncertainty, reduce avoidance, and break free from compulsions.
Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Pure “O” OCD
CBT, especially Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), is the gold standard for OCD. You’ll gradually face your intrusive thoughts while resisting the urge to do mental rituals. Over time, your brain learns that the thoughts don’t control you.
Key CBT tools include:
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ERP: Facing intrusive thoughts without performing rituals.
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Cognitive Restructuring: Challenging distorted beliefs like “having the thought means I want it.”
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Mindfulness: Learning to notice thoughts without attaching meaning to them.
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Exposure Hierarchy: Step-by-step practice facing the hardest fears.
Schema Therapy for Pure “O” OCD
When CBT alone is not giving you enough relief, schema therapy can be added. Schema Therapy goes deeper, targeting the root beliefs that make intrusive thoughts feel so powerful. For Pure “O” OCD, common schemas include:
• Defectiveness/Shame: “I’m a bad person because I have these thoughts.”
• Unrelenting Standards: “I must control every thought perfectly.”
• Punitiveness: “Having bad thoughts means I deserve punishment.”
By addressing these schemas, Schema Therapy builds self-acceptance and reduces the shame that fuels the OCD cycle—helping you create lasting change, not just symptom relief.
Why Work with Me?
I’m an expert in the treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), including the “Pure O” subtype, where distressing intrusive thoughts—rather than visible rituals—become the main source of anxiety. I’ve helped many clients overcome the guilt, fear, and doubt that often accompany Pure O by using practical, evidence-based strategies that target both the thoughts and the underlying reactions to them. I’ve completed advanced OCD training through the University of Pennsylvania and the International OCD Foundation (IOCDF), where I’ve been a long-time member dedicated to advancing specialized care for OCD.
I’m also one of the few therapists in California certified in both Cognitive Behavior Therapy and Schema Therapy—a unique combination that helps me address the mental and emotional patterns that keep OCD looping. Using CBT and Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) as the gold-standard treatment, I help clients break the mental rituals of Pure O, reduce fear around their thoughts, and regain a sense of peace and self-trust—even when past therapy hasn’t helped.
Frequently Asked Questions about Pure “O” OCD
If I only have intrusive thoughts and no outward compulsions, is it really OCD?
Yes. The compulsions in Pure “O” OCD are mental rituals—like repeating prayers, phrases, or analyzing your thoughts—not visible behaviors. They’re just as real and just as distressing.
Why do my intrusive thoughts feel so opposite to who I am?
That’s exactly why they stick. Pure “O” OCD latches onto the things that matter most to you—your morals, values, or relationships. The more they clash with your true self, the more upsetting they feel.
Does having these thoughts mean I secretly want them?
No. Intrusive thoughts are ego-dystonic, meaning they go against your core values. The distress you feel is proof they don’t represent who you are.
How is Pure “O” OCD treated if I can’t “expose” myself to a thought the way people do with germs or checking?
ERP is adapted for Pure “O” by bringing up the feared thought directly and practicing not doing the mental ritual afterward. Over time, your brain learns that the thought itself is harmless and doesn’t need to be neutralized.
Take the First Step to Get Help with Pure “O” OCD
You don’t have to live in silence, fighting battles no one else can see. With the right therapy, intrusive thoughts lose their power and mental rituals no longer run your life.
I offer secure video therapy throughout California—including San Jose, Sacramento, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Orange County, and San Diego. Contact me today to break free from the grip of Pure “O” OCD and start feeling more in control of your mind.