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Untangling Obsessional Reasoning: Overcoming Inferential Confusion in OCD

by | Sep 11, 2023 | OCD

Inference Based CBT for OCD

Introduction: Understanding Inferential Confusion and Obsessional Reasoning

Inferential Confusion, also known as Obsessional Reasoning, happens when people confuse what they imagine with what’s real. This mix-up comes from how people think, especially when they’re stuck in repetitive, ruminative thoughts. When people are stuck in these thoughts, they tend to ignore the data that’s available for them through their senses in the here-and-now. Obsessional Reasoning uses possibilities of things that might happen but aren’t real right now.

Caught in the Web of Possibility: An Example of Obsessional Reasoning

Let me give you an example. Let’s imagine I am driving down the road and OCD throws this thought at me: “You might hit and kill a child while driving”. Immediately, I’m caught in this thought. I notice myself over-relying on possibility, after all, it IS possible that I hit a small child. I mean, I read about someone who went to jail for that. I check my mirrors and don’t see anything but maybe the child is hidden.

The Imagination vs. Reality Dilemma: Trusting Senses and Common Sense

See what’s happening? I am over-relying on possibility- the fact that it IS possible to hit a small child with my car. I don’t trust my senses even though I can clearly see that there’s nothing on the road. I also don’t trust my common sense, which is telling me that if I hit a child, I would know. I am listening to my imagination, not what’s real right now.

OCD tricks us with this trap, making us believe the silly stories it creates.  Once we’re in this trap, we start acting like these made-up stories are true. This is when I become inferentially confused.  I use a broken way of thinking that ignores important facts and gives too much importance to imagination.

Image of a woman driving to illustrate hit and run OCD

Inferential Confusion: The Result of Faulty Thinking

This faulty way of thinking is what we call obsessional reasoning. In daily life, we use our common sense as well as our five senses to make sense of the world. We know what to buy at the store by seeing and touching items. I have never gone to the store and doubted that the white liquid with M-I-L-K written on it isn’t actually milk. Why? Because I trust my senses. But with OCD, I use a faulty way of thinking that ignores real evidence and relies on imagination.

OCD makes this faulty thinking easy to fall into by using our Feared Self Narrative. Each of us has an ideal self, the person we want to be, the person that embodies our values. The Feared Self is the opposite of that. It’s the loving person fearing they’re mean, or the careful person fearing they’re careless. OCD always makes us fear that we are the opposite of what we want to be. This is why it is hard to spot this faulty thinking process and why it is so easy to get sucked into it. We become confused about who we are and what we are doing because this way of thinking ignores real-world facts and gives too much value to imagined evidence.

Inference-Based Cognitive Behavior Therapy (I-CBT): A Path to Clarity

Inference-Based Cognitive Behavior Therapy is a form of therapy that was designed specifically to treat Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. With I-CBT, we learn to trust our senses in the present moment. I-CBT teaches clients how to notice the faulty reasoning process. Clients learn to recognize the faulty reasoning as it starts to happen before the OCD cycle has even begun. After being aware of the tricks OCD plays on our minds, clients learn to use real-sense data in the present moment to dispute any doubts. I-CBT believes that individuals with OCD have evidence about who they are and what’s real as long as they don’t take the leap from reality to imagination. 

Ready to Begin? Contact Our Therapists to Schedule an I-CBT Session

I-CBT is supported by research and has been proven to be effective as a treatment for OCD. I-CBT is a good alternative to Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), which has for decades been the go-to treatment for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Many individuals have gotten relief from their symptoms that ERP did not resolve through I-CBT. If you are curious about I-CBT and want to give it a try, contact one of our therapists to schedule a session.

OCD Therapy Houston Texas 77006

At the Houston Center for Valued Living, we offer therapy in Houston for a variety of life’s challenges. Our team of compassionate therapists offer a variety of therapeutic specialties including: 

We are located at 4203 Montrose Blvd in Houston, Texas 77006. You can reach us at 713-331-5538 or info@hcfvl.com