Unravelling Existential OCD: Understanding the Loop of Unanswerable Questions

What Is Existential OCD?

Have you ever found yourself caught in late-night musings about reality, consciousness, or the meaning of life? For most, these are fleeting thoughts - curiosities that pop up and fade away. But for those experiencing existential OCD (EOCD), these philosophical ponderings become a relentless, anxiety-provoking loop. As I explain in a recent video (see below), EOCD transforms innocent questions like "What if nothing is real?" or "Does life have any meaning?" into urgent, intrusive obsessions that are almost impossible to shake.

EOCD is a subset of obsessive-compulsive disorder in which the obsessions are deeply rooted in life's biggest, often unanswerable, questions. Unlike casual curiosity, these thoughts don’t spark wonder - they create a sense of being trapped in mental quicksand. You might feel that you simply can’t move forward in life until you’ve solved these abstract riddles. The trouble is, these are questions humanity has debated for millennia -there aren’t definitive answers. For sufferers, this uncertainty can be debilitating.

The Cycle of Doubt: Obsessions and Compulsions

At the heart of EOCD lies a torturous loop. The onset is often the sudden appearance of a philosophical doubt. For example, “How do I know I’m really here?” or “What if this is just a simulation?” This triggers panic, anxiety, and an overwhelming urge to find certainty.

The compulsions that follow are varied but recognizable:

• Relentless Googling: Searching for philosophical, scientific, or religious 'evidence.'

• Endless Debating: Internally or with others, trying to argue yourself into certainty.

• Reassurance-Seeking: Asking friends or family for their take on reality or existence.

• Avoidance: Steering: clear of triggering conversations, movies, or media.

• Mental Reviewing: Going over life memories to 'prove' existence or reality, or reality-checking to see if you or the world are “really real.”

Each time a person tries to 'resolve' the doubt, the relief is short-lived - minutes, sometimes seconds - before the next doubt, or a new angle on the same question, emerges.

The Added Burden: Derealization and Depersonalization (DPDR)

Existential OCD often comes hand-in-hand with feelings of unreality, known as derealization (the world feels unreal) and depersonalization (feeling detached from oneself). These experiences amplify the distress and can make the obsessional loop even more consuming, making daily life, work, and relationships feel impossible.

Why Seeking Answers Doesn’t Help

A frustrating aspect of EOCD is that using logic, reasoning, and research to counter doubts can actually worsen the cycle. Each attempt to 'solve' or 'prove' reality becomes a compulsion in itself. Logic, it seems, becomes another form of mental quicksand.

There is often a critical shift needed for recovery: recognizing that uncertainty - especially about life’s biggest questions - is not only normal, but also survivable. You don’t need to eradicate the doubt to move forward.

Effective Strategies and Treatment Approaches

Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is the gold-standard treatment for all OCD subtypes, and EOCD is no exception. ERP involves systematically exposing yourself to the triggering thoughts without engaging in compulsive behaviours, learning that anxiety fades on its own over time.

This could look like sitting with thoughts such as “Maybe life has no meaning,” and not immediately seeking to 'fix' or answer them. Over time, this practice builds resilience to uncertainty.

Additional techniques include:

• Grounding and Sensory Work: Redirecting your focus to the present moment through your five senses—what you can see, hear, touch, and feel. This anchors you in reality and reduces spiralling doubts.

• Journaling (reflectively): Rather than listing every worry, observe the patterns in your thoughts—what triggers the doubts, and which compulsions follow.

• Reducing Reassurance-Seeking: Experiment with delaying or skipping your usual checking rituals or conversations, even briefly.

• Practicing Self-Compassion: Recognize that suffering with EOCD is not a fault. Offer yourself the same kindness you’d offer a friend in distress.

The Takeaway: Living With Uncertainty

Existential OCD convinces you that certainty is a prerequisite for living fully, but the opposite is true: freedom comes from accepting that some questions may remain unanswered. With practice and the right support, you can learn to live a vibrant life - even with uncertainty in the background.

Seeking Further Support

If these patterns sound familiar and are interfering with your life, seeking professional support is crucial. Remember, accepting doubt - and doing so with compassion - is the first step to taking your power back.

Get in touch today if you need help with any of the issues I've talked about today

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