Why OCD Thoughts Feel Logical (Even When They Aren’t)
- Omkar Naik
- 6 hours ago
- 4 min read
When people think of OCD, they usually imagine repeated handwashing or checking locks again and again. But what many don’t realize is that OCD is not about being irrational.
In fact, people with OCD often sound very logical. They can give long explanations for why they are doing something — avoiding an exam, rechecking something, asking for reassurance, or following a rule in their head. And honestly? Sometimes their reasons even sound convincing. So then the question becomes: If the logic sounds okay, why does it still cause so much anxiety and suffering? This is something I started noticing again and again while working with patients.
“But my reason makes sense, right?”
Many patients can explain their OCD behavior like this:
“It’s better to avoid this than take a risk.”
“What if something goes wrong?”
“I’m just being careful.”
“Anyone would think this way.”
And when someone tells them, “Hey, this doesn’t really make sense,” they don’t back down. They try even harder to prove that their thinking is logical. But while listening carefully, I noticed something important: Some part of the logic never fully made sense. It looked logical on the surface — but when you looked deeper, something was missing.
Why friends often agree with OCD logic
Another interesting thing I noticed was this: When patients explain their thoughts to friends or family, people often say:
“Yeah, that actually sounds reasonable.”
But that doesn’t mean the thought is healthy. The reason this happens is simple: Friends don’t know that the thought is part of an OCD or anxiety cycle. They only hear the final explanation — not where it came from. Therapy is different. In therapy, we don’t just hear what the thought is. We try to understand where it came from.
A real-life example
A patient of mine was working nearly 15 hours a day and had an important exam coming up. She decided she might skip the exam and report a medical emergency instead.
Her logic was:
“A fail grade looks worse than an absent grade.”
“If I get an F, interviewers might think I’m careless.”
“A medical reason sounds more acceptable.”
On the surface — this sounds logical. But when we slowed it down, we found something else underneath.
She admitted:
Even with less study, she would probably still pass.
She wasn’t even planning to attend interviews soon.
She could re-give the exam later.
So then why avoid it? Because underneath all that logic was one thing: Fear of scoring low. Not logic. Not planning. Anxiety. Once we addressed that fear directly, the “logical plan” slowly fell apart.
What I realized about OCD thoughts & the thinking process
Over time, I noticed a pattern. When people think normally, their mind usually works in three steps:
Step 1: Emotions
These are raw and automatic. Things like: fear, anxiety, embarrassment, shame, threat.
Emotions are fast. They don’t wait for permission. They are strongly connected to memory and past experiences.
Step 2: Processing & Data Collection
This is where the brain asks questions like:
What’s actually happening?
What evidence do I have?
Have I handled this before?
What are the real consequences?
The more data we collect, the clearer the picture becomes.
Less data → more assumptions. More data → better understanding.
Step 3: Logic
Logic should ideally come after emotions are understood and data is collected. When that happens, we reach balanced conclusions.
What happens in OCD and anxiety
In OCD, this order often breaks. Instead of:Emotion → Data → LogicThe brain jumps straight from: Emotion → Logic
For example:
“I feel unsafe → so something must be dangerous.”
“I feel anxious → so something bad will happen.”
“This discomfort means I should avoid.”
This is where pseudo-logic forms. It sounds logical — but it’s built on emotion, not evidence.
Pseudo-logic: logic without data
Pseudo-logic means:
The conclusion sounds smart
The reasoning sounds detailed
But the data behind it is missing or ignored
It’s not stupidity. It’s not a lack of intelligence. In fact, many people with OCD are extremely intelligent. The problem isn’t thinking too little — it’s thinking without checking where the thinking started.
What healthy processing looks like
If emotions are processed properly, the person might ask:
“Why am I feeling this anxious?”
“Is this fear realistic or emotional?”
“What am I assuming instead of checking?”
In the exam example, healthy processing would have revealed:
The anxiety was about fear of failure
Not about the exam itself
Not about career damage
Not about logic
Once emotion is identified correctly, logic naturally improves.
The key idea
OCD does not mean “bad logic.” It means logic being used for the wrong purpose. When emotions aren’t understood, logic tries to protect the person — but ends up trapping them instead. The goal of therapy isn’t to argue with thoughts. It’s to slow them down, and allow us to ask ourselves -
Where did this thought come from?
What emotion started it?
What data am I missing?
Because when emotions, data, and logic work together — clarity returns naturally.
~ Omkar Naik Director - CINQ.IN
For a therapist or counsellors who can offer you both support & growth, reach out to CINQ.IN @ +91 8007566553 or visit our centre in Baner, Pune.