Setbacks in OCD Recovery: How ACT Helps Us Grow Through the Storm

If you’re navigating recovery from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), chances are you’ve experienced what I like to call a “setback.” This may look like a return of intrusive thoughts, compulsions, or distress after a period of progress. It can feel discouraging, even defeating. But here's what’s essential to remember: setbacks are not failures. They’re a natural and expected part of the journey.

In Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), we view setbacks not as a sign that something has gone wrong, but as part of the process of learning, growing, and deepening our awareness. In fact, some of the most meaningful insights and progress emerge through these very experiences.

Why Setbacks Happen

Life is constantly shifting. Stress increases, sleep gets disrupted, we face transitions, or even experience joyful milestones that stir up uncertainty. These shifts can create a space where OCD symptoms start to resurface. That doesn’t mean you’re "back at the beginning." It simply means your brain is responding to discomfort in familiar ways, and now you have tools to meet it differently.

ACT as a Guide Through Setbacks

ACT offers a compassionate, flexible roadmap for navigating setbacks with openness instead of judgment. Here’s how:

1. Acceptance

Instead of resisting discomfort or trying to control your internal experience, ACT invites you to make space for it. Feelings of fear, frustration, or sadness during a setback are valid. You don’t need to push them away, you can allow them to be there without letting them dictate your behavior.

2. Cognitive Defusion

When old OCD thoughts resurface, they may feel just as sticky and convincing as ever. ACT teaches us to step back from these thoughts rather than buy into them. Try noticing: “I’m having the thought that I can’t handle this,” instead of “I can’t handle this.” This simple shift creates room to choose how you want to respond.

3. Contact with the Present Moment

Setbacks often pull us into mental time travel by ruminating about the past or fearing the future. Grounding yourself in the present moment brings clarity. What’s happening right now? What sensations are in your body? What’s around you that you can see, hear, or feel?

4. Self-as-Context

You are more than your thoughts, emotions, or setbacks. You are the steady observer behind it all. ACT helps you connect to this perspective. The one of stability and wholeness, even when storms are raging inside.

5. Values

Your values are the compass that guide you through uncertainty. What matters to you, even in this moment of struggle? Whether it’s being a loving parent, living with honesty, or building a life of courage, reconnecting with your values gives you a reason to keep moving forward.

6. Committed Action

Setbacks can be powerful reminders to return to what works: your ACT tools, your exposure practices, your support system. Even the smallest step in a values-based direction is an act of strength. You don’t have to do it perfectly. You just have to keep showing up.

The Power of Self-Compassion

Setbacks are hard. But the suffering often deepens when we add layers of self-judgment: “I shouldn’t be here again.” “I’m failing.” “I should be stronger.”

ACT encourages us to meet those voices with kindness. What would it look like to treat yourself as you would a friend, offering patience, understanding, and care? Self-compassion isn’t weakness; it’s a vital part of resilience. It’s the warmth that allows us to keep walking when the road gets rough.

What Setbacks Can Teach Us

While setbacks feel discouraging in the moment, they can also offer valuable information:

• New insights into lingering fears or vulnerabilities

• Reinforcement of tools and practices that support long-term resilience

• Practice in choosing how to respond, even when it's hard

Each time you face a setback and recommit to your values, you’re not starting over. You’re starting from experience.

Recovery from OCD isn’t linear. It’s full of twists, turns, and yes, setbacks. But each moment offers a new opportunity to return to what matters, to practice openness, and to act with intention.

So if you’re in the middle of a setback right now, know this:
You are not broken. You are not failing. You are learning.
Take a breath. Come back to your tools. And take the next small step in the direction of your values.

You’ve done this before, and you can do it again.