Mind Overview

OCD thoughts originate in the mind, so it helps to begin with a simple understanding of how the mind works. This page lays that foundation, and the conscious and subconscious pages provide the fuller explanation.

To understand that foundation, it helps to know that the mind is made up of two parts: the conscious and the subconscious.

The conscious makes up about 5% of the mind, with the subconscious accounting for the remaining 95%.

The conscious mind is where our intelligence sits, and it’s the part of us that can handle complex or unfamiliar problems. You can think of it as the adult part of the mind.

The subconscious mind is the part that is responsible for the safety and efficient running of the body, and it only needs a small amount of intelligence to do this, so you can say it is child-like.

Its reactions are always about keeping the body running safely and smoothly.

Most of the subconscious operates outside our awareness. The only time we notice its activity is when it brings a thought into our awareness. These thoughts appear as pop‑up thoughts — moments where you’re not deliberately thinking about anything in particular, and a thought suddenly comes to mind. For example, you might be focused on an important task at work when the thought ‘I need to buy my friend a birthday card’ pops up.

Most pop‑up thoughts don’t create any emotion and pass through quickly, just like the birthday‑card thought in the earlier example. Some pop‑up thoughts do create emotion, and this is completely normal when the emotion matches what’s happening — for example, if you step into a busy road, you naturally feel fear. But sometimes a pop‑up thought feels emotionally strong in a way that doesn’t match the situation you’re actually in — for example, sitting safely at home when the thought ‘What if I left the front door unlocked?’ suddenly appears, even though you remember locking it.

Since the subconscious makes up about 95% of the mind, most of our daily thoughts come from it. And because our behaviour follows our thoughts, much of what we do is influenced by a part of the mind that works in a simple, automatic, almost child-like way — meaning it reacts quickly and instinctively, not analytically.

OCD thoughts, however, sit in a different category entirely. They aren’t meant to guide behaviour, and in the case of harm‑OCD thoughts, they never do.

The subconscious is where all of our beliefs are stored — not just beliefs about right and wrong, but also beliefs about ourselves, such as whether we feel we are good, capable, or worthy. For some people, unhelpful or inaccurate self-beliefs can play a role in the development of OCD, not because the stress they create directly produces OCD thoughts, but because that ongoing stress can interfere with how well the brain keeps the body functioning, which is one of the indirect conditions that can lead to OCD thoughts. I explain this in more detail in the psychoanalysis page.

These self-beliefs usually develop at two key stages in a person’s life. These two stages are early childhood and later life experiences. Both can shape the beliefs we hold about ourselves, and both can influence how the subconscious responds to the world around us.

The first period is early childhood, before the age of eight. During this time, the conscious (intelligent) mind isn’t developed enough, so the child relies almost entirely on the subconscious. And because the subconscious is simple and non-analytical, it can’t interpret situations objectively. For example, if a parent has to work long hours and can’t spend as much time with their child, the child’s subconscious might form the belief ‘my mum doesn’t love me’. The child isn’t aware this belief is forming — it simply feels true because it comes from within.”

“Later, even as an adult with a fully developed conscious mind who can look back and understand the situation logically, that early belief can still remain. Once a belief has been held in the subconscious for a long time, logical thinking alone doesn’t undo it, because the subconscious doesn’t work through logic.

The second period is adulthood, when a person isn’t actively using their conscious (intelligent) mind, often because they’re busy, distracted, or on autopilot. In these moments, the subconscious takes the lead, and it can absorb beliefs that are common in society.

One example is materialism: the idea that if you’re not rich, or not constantly striving to become rich, then you’re somehow failing. If someone were using their conscious mind, they would see that wealth doesn’t guarantee happiness. In fact, if they tend to compare themselves to others, there will always be someone richer, which can leave them feeling inadequate even if they are doing well. And they may also realise that constantly chasing money can take time away from family, friends, and the things that genuinely bring fulfilment.”

I explore how these mistaken self-beliefs contribute to OCD in more detail on the psychoanalysis page.

In the next page, we discuss the conscious mind in more detail, please click the below button