Obsessive compulsive disorder - OCD treatment and therapy from NOCD

Can you treat OCD on your own? What you can do—and when to get help

By Taneia Surles, MPH

Jun 30, 20255 minute read

Reviewed byApril Kilduff, MA, LCPC

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You may have landed here because you have (or think you have) obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and are wondering if it’s possible to manage it without seeing a therapist. While evidence-based treatment like exposure and response prevention (ERP) therapy exists, barriers like cost, access, stigma, or hesitancy to face your fears can make it hard to seek care.

Working with an OCD specialist is always the top recommendation—but if that’s not possible right now, there are a few things you can do on your own to find some relief, and a few things that require professional support.

What OCD actually is—and why it’s not a DIY condition

OCD is a condition marked by a repeating cycle of two symptoms:

  • Obsessions: Unwanted, intrusive thoughts, images, urges, feelings, or sensations that cause fear and anxiety.
  • Compulsions: Physical or mental acts done to relieve distress from obsessions or prevent something bad from happening.

This cycle can be exhausting, and it typically feels very urgent, confusing, or even dangerous. OCD symptoms can often involve distressing, taboo, or hard-to-explain thoughts. That’s why self-treating is so incredibly difficult—and potentially harmful—without professional support.

Find the right OCD therapist for you

All our therapists are licensed and trained in exposure and response prevention therapy (ERP), the gold standard treatment for OCD.

Treatment isn’t one-size-fits-all

Just because you might share the same OCD subtype as other people, it doesn’t mean that their method of treatment will also work for your symptoms. This is why it’s so important to have a clinician’s input, as they have the training to create an individualized plan specific to you, says Tracie Ibrahim, LMFT, CST, NOCD’s Chief Compliance Officer.

Trained OCD therapists can also assess for things like:

  • Contributing factors that make symptoms worse (e.g., diet, sleep, stress)
  • Co-occurring conditions
  • How your unique experience of OCD shows up

These are things that you likely can’t do alone without a clinician’s guidance. 

Even therapists living with OCD, such as Ibrahim herself, aren’t equipped to treat themselves, as they can’t hold themselves accountable or be objective about their challenges. 

Real harm can happen with the wrong approach

There’s a lot of advice online for treating OCD, but much of it is misleading or even harmful. In fact, many people try to do exposures on their own—like reading a triggering headline or resisting a compulsion—but don’t know how to practice response prevention, the part of ERP that retrains the brain.

“Doing exposure without proper response prevention is called flooding,” explains Ibrahim. “Without response prevention, there’s no learning, and you end up making your OCD worse every time you do it.” 

Other examples of well-meaning but unhelpful strategies include:

  • Trying to calm yourself with deep breathing or progressive relaxation (which can unintentionally signal to your brain that there is an emergency).
  • Over-relying on mindfulness as a form of escape instead of using it to anchor in the present moment.
  • Searching the internet endlessly for reassurance or the “right” way to recover.
  • Following unverified influencers or programs promising fast results.

Medication alone isn’t enough

Medications, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), can help relieve symptoms for some people, but it doesn’t completely replace therapy. Ibrahim says OCD is a condition that requires you to learn how to behave your way out of it, which is something meds can’t do on their own.

What you can do on your own

Now that we’ve covered the not-so-great strategies for managing OCD on your own, here are a few things you can do without making your symptoms worse:

  • Learn how OCD works: NOCD has a library of clinician-backed articles, videos, and community resources to help you better understand your symptoms and treatment process.
  • Track your patterns: Keep a journal or use the note app on your phone to log obsessions, triggers, and compulsions. Doing this can help you recognize patterns and prepare for ERP in the future.
  • Use reputable, self-guided content: Tools like the NOCD blog, YouTube channel, the IOCDF’s resource library, or CBT School offer expert-backed strategies you can learn from.
  • Practice sitting with discomfort: Try delaying or resisting a small compulsion and take note of how the anxiety changes over time. Remember to start small—this is about building tolerance, not pushing yourself too hard.
  • Avoid “quick fixes”: Be cautious of content that promises to “cure” OCD with supplements, hacks, or just exposure alone. OCD treatment is a journey, not a shortcut.
  • Seek community: The NOCD Community is a forum where anyone can share their experiences managing OCD and provide support to others. You can also seek free support groups, such as those offered by the IOCDF, that can help you learn more about OCD, stay accountable, and help you feel less isolated.

Self-serve tools support therapy, but they’re not a replacement

Self-management strategies can be very powerful if you’re just getting started or waiting for ERP therapy. They can help you build awareness, reduce avoidance, and start practicing small wins. But they aren’t designed to replace therapy.

Many people may delay or avoid ERP therapy altogether because of myths and scary stories online. But in reality, ERP starts small, is tailored to your comfort level, and is led by trained professionals.

“If you’re afraid to start ERP therapy, you’re probably looking at the wrong things online,” says Ibrahim. “We start at the bottom of your list of fears and work our way up at a pace that makes sense for you therapeutically. It’s about finding out what your situation is and how we can help you.”

ERP isn’t jumping into the deep end—it’s about learning to sit with uncertainty in small, safe, and manageable ways.

Bottom line

You don’t need to wait to start healing, but OCD is not a condition to manage on your own forever. While self-guided strategies can help you cope and prepare for therapy, evidence-based treatment like ERP is key to long-term recovery. When you’re ready, the right therapist will work with you to face your fears in a safe and supportive manner.

Key takeaways

  • ERP therapy is the most effective treatment for OCD, but some self-guided tools can help you get started or bridge gaps in access.
  • Exposure without response prevention can backfire, causing more anxiety and reinforcing OCD’s grip.
  • Trusted, evidence-based resources (like NOCD, IOCDF, and CBT School) are essential for self-education and safe support.
  • Fears about ERP are common but often based on misinformation; real therapy starts small and moves at your pace.

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