<p>There is a special condition of some people where they imagine a thread that retraces the path where they have been before and feel compelled to not entangle it.  They feel compelled to leave a place using the same entry where they entered.  They feel uncomfortable if they leave a car from a different door from where they came in, because that means now the thread is forever going thru the car.  That thread is flexible though, if they walk a full circle around a flagpole that isn't a problem as the thread can pass over the flaghole.  But anything forming a closed loop where you go thru would causes a concern.  They feel an urge to go back the other way.</p>
<p>A discussion about this can be found on reddit r/ocd:<br />
<a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/OCD/comments/1ve309/invisible_thread_attached_to_my_back_am_i_the/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.reddit.com/r/OCD/comments/1ve309/invisible_thread_attached_to_my_back_am_i_the/</a></p>
<p>It triggers testimonies of people who have it or had it when they were younger.  It doesn't look uncommon.</p>
<p>My question is: Is there a name for this condition?  Has it been studied or described clinically?  Any reference?</p>
<p><strong>Background</strong></p>
<p>The reason I am asking this question is because of the xkcd strip
<a href="https://xkcd.com/2679/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://xkcd.com/2679/</a>.</p>
<p>I understood this strip as related to the condition I described above.  I explained this on a site devoted to explain this comic strip, <a href="https://explainxkcd.com/2679/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://explainxkcd.com/2679/</a>.  But the explanation was discarded because it wasn't backed by trustworthy sources.</p>
<p>So I am looking for references for research that has been done on this precise syndrome with an imaginary string, or just describing it, to show this is a real thing.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-10-02T00:41:51.843Z
Welcome to Psychology.SE. Has this question originated from the Reddit discussion or from someone you know? If so, [for a number of reasons outlined in this meta post](https://psychology.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/502/why-was-my-self-help-question-closed-as-off-topic) we can not, and will not, give advice or potential diagnoses for any specific individual. If you or anyone else has a question regarding personal mental health, advice from a doctor should be sought. For further information on how this site is supposed to work, what is on-topic or not, you can visit the [ask] page.
Chris Rogers
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-10-02T09:01:34.730Z
This is not about a diagnosis or searching for a therapy.  I edited the post to describe the reason behind the question.
Florian F
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-10-02T10:51:56.680Z
Uhm. How common is this? I understood the Xkcd as purely absurdist, as some of his strips are. Have you tried actually asking the author rather than trying to guess what he was thinking?
keshlam
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-10-02T13:08:14.457Z
@keshlam I have.  But since he is a quite successful cartoonist he is a bit difficult to reach.  I had no reply so far.  I don't know how common it is, but I have heard of it before.  The reddit threads are the only mentions I found on Internet, so, pretty uncommon.  But the reddit threads seem to trigger a few "me too" comments and likes.
Florian F
<behavior><compulsive>
What is this condition where you imagine a string retracing your path in space and that you feel compelled to untangle?
Florian F
# What is this condition where you imagine a string retracing your path in space and that you feel compelled to untangle?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2022-10-01)

There is a special condition of some people where they imagine a thread that retraces the path where they have been before and feel compelled to not entangle it. They feel compelled to leave a place using the same entry where they entered. They feel uncomfortable if they leave a car from a different door from where they came in, because that means now the thread is forever going thru the car. That thread is flexible though, if they walk a full circle around a flagpole that isn't a problem as the thread can pass over the flaghole. But anything forming a closed loop where you go thru would causes a concern. They feel an urge to go back the other way.

A discussion about this can be found on reddit r/ocd:  
<https://www.reddit.com/r/OCD/comments/1ve309/invisible_thread_attached_to_my_back_am_i_the/>

It triggers testimonies of people who have it or had it when they were younger. It doesn't look uncommon.

My question is: Is there a name for this condition? Has it been studied or described clinically? Any reference?

**Background**

The reason I am asking this question is because of the xkcd strip
<https://xkcd.com/2679/>.

I understood this strip as related to the condition I described above. I explained this on a site devoted to explain this comic strip, <https://explainxkcd.com/2679/>. But the explanation was discarded because it wasn't backed by trustworthy sources.

So I am looking for references for research that has been done on this precise syndrome with an imaginary string, or just describing it, to show this is a real thing.

**Tags:** behavior, compulsive

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Welcome to Psychology.SE. Has this question originated from the Reddit discussion or from someone you know? If so, [for a number of reasons outlined in this meta post](https://psychology.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/502/why-was-my-self-help-question-closed-as-off-topic) we can not, and will not, give advice or potential diagnoses for any specific individual. If you or anyone else has a question regarding personal mental health, advice from a doctor should be sought. For further information on how this site is supposed to work, what is on-topic or not, you can visit the [ask] page.  
> **username_0**: This is not about a diagnosis or searching for a therapy.  I edited the post to describe the reason behind the question.  
> **username_2**: Uhm. How common is this? I understood the Xkcd as purely absurdist, as some of his strips are. Have you tried actually asking the author rather than trying to guess what he was thinking?  
> **username_0**: @username_2 I have.  But since he is a quite successful cartoonist he is a bit difficult to reach.  I had no reply so far.  I don't know how common it is, but I have heard of it before.  The reddit threads are the only mentions I found on Internet, so, pretty uncommon.  But the reddit threads seem to trigger a few "me too" comments and likes.  

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