Most people have fleeting moments where something about their own body or senses feels strange.
Maybe you’ve had a random thought like, “Isn’t it weird that I’m seeing the world through these two small openings in my head?”
Or a split-second curiosity about where in your brain your thoughts are happening.
These quick blips of awareness usually pass unnoticed, like background static.
But for individuals struggling with Somatic OCD — particularly those hyper-focused on vision or the awareness of thinking — these moments don’t just pass. They stick. They grow louder, feel weirder, and can eventually hijack day-to-day living.
Today, we’re focusing on examples of Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) activities that can help when Somatic OCD is centered around intense awareness of seeing, thinking, and feeling trapped “behind” one’s own eyes.
Understanding Somatic OCD: Stuck on the Normal Made Strange
At its core, Somatic OCD magnifies normal bodily awareness into a source of profound distress. The act of seeing, thinking, or feeling your body move — things that are automatic and seamless — suddenly feel like a problem to solve.
The brain gets tricked: If I could just stop noticing this, I could feel normal again.
Unfortunately, the harder you try to “unnotice,” the more trapped you feel.
ERP works by helping you lean into the discomfort rather than running from it — retraining your brain to stop treating normal sensations as dangerous threats.
Sample ERP Activities for Somatic OCD with Vision and Thinking Awareness
Here are some exposure ideas for working with an adult client who feels:
- Constantly aware of the sensation of seeing
- Hyper-focused on “where am I thinking from?”
- Terrified of feeling stuck behind their own eyes
- Disturbed by urges like “wanting to poke my eyes out” (not as a genuine plan but as a distressing intrusive thought)
1. Imaginal Exposure: “I Will Always Be Stuck Behind My Eyes”
Write a detailed imaginal script describing the feared outcome:
“I will always feel disconnected from life. I will live trapped behind my own eyes, never fully experiencing the world. People around me will seem real but I will feel separate, stuck inside my head forever.”
Have the client read or listen to this script daily, allowing the anxiety to rise without trying to fix or reassure themselves. Over time, anxiety will decrease naturally.
Goal: Teach the brain that even thinking about permanent disconnection isn’t dangerous — it’s uncomfortable, but not life-threatening.
2. Distorted Glasses Exposure: Playing with Visual Distortion
Use objects like:
- Swim goggles smeared with petroleum jelly
- Over-the-counter “drunk vision” glasses
- Light funhouse mirrors
- Apps that distort live video feeds
Have the client intentionally amplify the sensation of distorted seeing, sitting with the strange visual input rather than trying to “correct” it.
Goal: Teach the brain that weird visual sensations are survivable and can even become less threatening over time.
3. Amplify the Avoided Sensation: Find It, Feel It, Stay With It
Ask the client:
- “What exactly are you trying not to feel right now?”
- “What do you wish would just go away?”
Once they name it (e.g., “the awareness of the back of my eyes” or “the pressure in my forehead”), design activities that seek out that feeling on purpose. For example:
- Staring at one spot for a prolonged time to increase eye fatigue.
- Gently tapping on the forehead to heighten awareness of that area.
- Reading complicated text upside down to disrupt the usual “flow” of thinking.
Goal: Reverse the natural tendency to avoid the feeling and instead invite it.
4. Mindfulness-Based Exposure: Notice Without Fixing
During exposures, encourage simple phrases like:
- “This is seeing.”
- “This is thinking happening.”
- “This is me being aware of awareness.”
No judgment, no fixing, no trying to get it “back to normal.”
Goal: Separate having a strange sensation from needing to react to it.
Final Thoughts: You Are More Than Your Awareness
The truth is, being human is weird sometimes.
You are looking through two little holes in your skull.
Your thoughts do emerge from somewhere you can’t fully map or control.
That’s not a glitch — it’s part of the magic of being alive.
And with ERP, you can teach your brain to feel less trapped, less fearful, and more at peace inside your own incredible (and occasionally strange) mind.
