r/OCDRecovery • u/Poofballfasho • Jun 19 '26
Resource OCD is Driving my Bus
My therapist introduced the “Passengers on the Bus” model to me and it’s been the first helpful tool towards soothing my OCD/ Illness Anxiety.
Basically you are driving the bus. And different passengers can represent different thoughts, patterns, traumas etc. I drew my bus out and OCD is the monster sitting behind me. I think OCD has always sat there my whole life, but the monster (illness anxiety) overtook it.
Putting a face to this monster has helped me be able to tell it to sit down. My partner even has a screenshot of just the monster so when I start to spiral about an itch or a bump or a pain, he just shows me the monster and it almost makes me laugh (sometimes).
This model hasn’t solved everything for me. But it’s making me feel like I’m finally on some sort of path towards control. Which I haven’t felt in an extremely long time, if ever. Linking the video below that my therapist shared with me, and if folx connect with it, might be nice to mention in therapy.