I am surprised that your therapist's were surprised by your sensations. I would expect that many OCD'rs have a similar experience, though in a different way, or location. For instance, if I think my hands have been contaminated, I experience a sensation on the skin of my hands until I wash them. My mind will be obsessed with the surface of my hands until they're clean, and they tingle.

OCD, to me, manifests in a person having the ability (for better or worse!) to focus their mind like a magnifying glass on something, very minutely, whatever the object is, and hold it there. It gets locked in. And, the more that pattern is practiced, the more it is ingrained and expands, elaborates itself. It's like a whole mental reality is created by that focusing in and keeping focused in.

Does this make sense? Is it similar?

I am also recovering from alcohol and drug abuse, for many years. It is possible! One of the things that helped me with that was the fellowship of AA. I had to replace the people and places I spent my time with. Good luck with that.