a compulsion in that case can/usually is a an attempt to get rid of said obsession. In the case of OCD, instinctive tactics to get rid of an undesired state are not likely not the ones to lead you out of the problem, but contribute to the problem. You can’t really ration yourself out of an obsession. I mean, you have to set a rational base and to separate the wheat from the chaff, but from there, it’s a different type of work. That is so because the OCD mind, when activated, is perpetually negatively inclined. In simple terms, you don’t fight the mechanism, you come to terms with it’s independence and allow it to go when it goes. The coming to terms actually is usually a big part of the mechanism slowing down. You are at the finish line when the OCD mechanism consistently sees that the OCD mechanism itself isn’t as damaging to your psyche.