For many struggling with Existential OCD, the anxiety doesn’t show up as fear of contamination or harming a loved one—it shows up as an overwhelming, all-consuming need to make sense of life itself.
What does it mean to exist?
Where in my head am I thinking from?
Why does everything feel foggy, disconnected, and unreal?
What if I never figure it out and feel this confused forever?
If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone—and you’re not going crazy. You may be dealing with a form of OCD that fixates on unanswerable philosophical questions, creating a sense of mental claustrophobia that feels like you’re trapped inside your own head.
What Is Existential OCD?
Existential OCD is a lesser-known subtype of OCD where obsessions revolve around big-picture questions—like the nature of reality, consciousness, time, or identity. These thoughts aren’t just occasional late-night musings; they hijack your mental focus, demanding answers you can’t provide, and pulling you into an exhausting spiral of overthinking.
Some common obsessions include:
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What is the meaning of life?
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What if nothing is real?
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Where do my thoughts come from?
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What if I’m stuck in a dream or simulation?
And with obsessions come compulsions—often in the form of mental rituals like:
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Repetitive philosophical rumination
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Googling or researching existential ideas
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Checking if things “feel real”
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Reassuring yourself that others also have these thoughts
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Hyper-focusing on vision (e.g., “I can only look at one thing at a time—what’s wrong with me?”)
The Core Fear
For many with Existential OCD, the underlying fear isn’t really about life’s mysteries—it’s the dread of being stuck in a permanent state of confusion, disconnection, or mental chaos.
You might say:
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“I feel like my mind is broken.”
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“Everything looks strange and off.”
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“Where do I even think from?”
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“I’m scared I’ll never feel connected or clear again.”
These intrusive thoughts often come with an intense urge to figure it out, which only reinforces the cycle.
How ERP Can Help
Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is the gold-standard treatment for all forms of OCD—including existential themes.
ERP helps you practice letting go of the need for certainty. You learn to sit with the discomfort of confusion and resist the urge to analyze, seek reassurance, or fix the way you feel.
Here’s how ERP might look in practice:
Examples of Existential ERP Exercises:
Exposure:
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Reading or listening to quotes that highlight uncertainty (e.g., “No one really knows what existence is.”)
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Watching videos about the weirdness of consciousness
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Looking at yourself in a mirror and sitting with the strange feeling of being a self-aware being
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Writing down thoughts like “Maybe I’ll always feel this disconnected” or “What if I never figure out what thinking is?”
Response Prevention:
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Resist the urge to ruminate or mentally check if things “feel normal”
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Stop searching online for answers
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Allow the feeling of being “trapped in your head” to be there without trying to escape it
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Practice redirecting attention even when the discomfort remains
A Key Shift: From Solving to Accepting
ERP teaches your brain that confusion is not dangerous, and you don’t have to solve the mysteries of the universe to feel okay. Over time, your brain stops interpreting existential discomfort as a threat.
You start to realize:
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It’s okay to feel disconnected sometimes.
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You can live a meaningful life even without perfect clarity.
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You can notice a strange thought… and still go make a sandwich.
Final Thought
If you’ve been silently struggling with existential OCD, thinking no one could possibly understand what you’re going through—know this: you are not alone, and you are not broken.
Your brain got stuck in a loop trying to protect you from uncertainty. ERP can help you step out of that loop and back into your life.
You don’t need to figure everything out to find peace. You just need to practice being okay with not figuring it all out.
