The problem I am having with this comparison is that so often the things we do to relieve our anxiety, in the context of OCD actually trap us and make it worse.

In my personal experience can be so severe it is debilitating because if I do the things that relieve the anxiety it reinforces the cycle; if I do not engage in these things the anxiety itself can be debilitating. Therapy and meds are not cure-alls. There are still a lot of break through symptoms and episodes.

Keep in mind this is based on a few years ago, but what I have read previously re: "everyone has intrusive thoughts" is this:
upwards of 90% of the general population experiences intrusive thoughts. However, in a neurocognitive context, how certain individuals recognize, process and assign importance to these thoughts is different.

The individuals who assign greater importance [a good deal of this mechanism is initiated by the BRAIN, not the MIND, so the theory goes] are identified as experiencing OCD.

With that said, we can still do things with the effects of this that we experience. CBT does work on a level and for some who experience mild to moderate OCD. Some individuals need both CBT and medication however to fully address what is going on.

In regards to therapies other than CBT- they may be helpful on a case by case basis to address other associated issues, but if OCD specifically is being addressed, thus far [as far as talk therapy goes] CBT has been shown to be most successful in treating OCD specifically.

I don't much agree with the article that prompted this thread for many reasons, one of them being that the summary seems a bit removed from the research it is referring to [though maybe I have a gross misunderstanding of the article].