The OCD Stories

In episode 371 I chat with Dr Michael Greenberg. Michael is a clinical psychologist who specialises in Rumination-Focused ERP.   We discuss what is Malan's model of OCD, the triangle of conflict and the triangle of the person, he shares why this model is not parent shaming, why nothing real is ideal and that's ok, how Malan's ideas can inform exposure and response prevention therapy (ERP), why OCD...

In episode 370 I chat with Kristen Bailey who has kindly agreed to share her OCD story with us.   We discuss her OCD story, how a panic attack triggered OCD, obsessing over hearing songs, harm intrusive thoughts, the fear of going crazy, exposure and response prevention therapy (ERP), doing acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and compassion focused therapy (CFT), dealing with sneaky compulsion...

In this midweek special episode I chat with Dr Jonathan Hoffman and Dr Katia Moritz who run the Neurobehavioral Institute (NBI) in Florida.   In this episode we discuss why are we working together, what is OCD?, a discussion around this and the varying views that came up, what are obsessions and compulsions, common themes, is there a difference between obsessions and intrusive thoughts, the idea o...

In episode 369 I chat with Nathan Peterson. Nathan is an OCD specialist who practices in Allen, Texas. He works with OCD, anxiety, tics and Tourettes, and BFRB's such as hair pulling and skin picking. He has a YouTube channel where he posts weekly videos about OCD and other anxiety related disorders. We discuss an update on him and his YouTube channel, what is emotional contamination themed OCD, m...

In episode 368 I chat Michael Schramm who has kindly agreed to share his OCD story.   We discuss his story, his earliest OCD memory, his varying OCD worries in childhood, getting his OCD diagnosis, getting into advocacy for OCD, doing exposure and response prevention therapy (ERP), what's helped him the most recently, and much more. Hope it helps.   Show notes: https://theocdstories.com/episode/mi...

In episode 367 I chat with Dr Chad LeJeune. Chad is a professor of psychology at the University of San Francisco, and author of the books The worry trap, and more recently, "Pure O" OCD: Letting Go of Obsessive Thoughts with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. We discuss what is Pure O, what is acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), his book, when does a thought become an obsession, skills to def...

In episode 366 I chat with Dr Michael Greenberg. Michael is a clinical psychologist who specialises in Rumination-Focused ERP.   In this episode we discuss Integrating psychoanalytical and behavioural perspectives, OCD and attachment theory, the fear of losing attachment, Malan's model of OCD, unacknowledged normal healthy feelings, we both share a couple examples from our own lives, healthy aggre...

In episode 365 I chat with Nils who has kindly agreed to share his story with us.   We discuss Nil's OCD story, including OCD themes: Hit and run OCD, contamination OCD with HIV fears, harm OCD, relationship OCD, and peadophile themed OCD. We discuss what helped him, seeing 9-10 psychologists and psychiatrists who didn't identify OCD, Nils is a medical doctor (GP) so we discuss how he is helping h...

In episode 364 I chat with Jenny who has kindly agreed to share her story with us.   We discuss her OCD story including themes false memory OCD and relationship OCD. Jenny shares her experience of Exposure and Response Prevention therapy (ERP), depression, how her fiancé responds in a helpful way to her OCD, and so much more. Hope it helps.   Show notes: https://theocdstories.com/episode/jenny-364...

In episode 363 I interviewed Lydia who has kindly agreed to share her OCD story with us. In this episode we discuss her story, including OCD themes: religious, relationship, somatic, contamination, peadophile, and health anxiety. Lydia talks about dermatillomania (skin picking), chronic pain, breath work, surfing, pilates, her faith, exposure and response prevention therapy (ERP), and much more. H...

In episode 362 I chat with Jonny Say. Jonny is a UK based therapist.  We discuss what he learned at the Sigmund Freud museum, secondary spikes in OCD with examples, recycling resistance, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) skills for secondary spikes, a theory on why the brain is doing this, and we discuss depression. Some secondary spikes discussed: Obsession switches form, analysing the tech...

In episode 361 I chat with Dr Patricia Zurita Ona. Patricia is director of the East Bay Behavior Therapy Center and adjunct professor at the Wright Institute. She is the author of several books including 'Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Borderline Personality Disorder'.   We discuss what is borderline personality disorder (BPD) and super-feelers, what it's like being a super-feeler, what is...

In episode 360 I interviewed Penny who has kindly agreed to share her OCD story with us. In this episode we discuss her story, sexual orientation themed OCD, relationship themed OCD, figuring out it's OCD, getting married, Exposure and Response Prevention therapy (ERP), working on issues in the relationship without OCD blowing them out of proportion, yoga, a reading of something she wrote, and muc...

In episode 359 I chat with Dr Steven Phillipson. Steven is a licensed clinical psychologist who specialises in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for OCD. Steven is the Clinical Director at the Center for Cognitive Behavioral Psychotherapy in New York. We discuss what's new with Steve, the top 6 emotions often involved in OCD: anxiety, guilt, shame, depression, anger, and disgust. He discusses depersona...

In episode 358 I interviewed Jess who has kindly agreed to share her OCD story with us. In this episode we discuss her story, her themes of OCD, her earliest memory of OCD, religious obsessions, health obsessions, some of the difficult experiences that exacerbated her OCD, relationship obsessions, the different therapies she did, figuring out her identity, medication, using NOCD therapy, creating...

In episode 357 I interviewed Brooke who has kindly agreed to share her OCD story with us. In this episode we discuss her story and journey through therapy, medication, exposure and response prevention therapy (ERP), panic, control and OCD, relationship themed OCD, over exercising as a punishment, developing intrusive thoughts around her therapist, having a psychotic episode, self harming, getting...

In episode 356 I interviewed Dr Amy Mariaskin. Amy is a licensed clinical psychologist and director at The Nashville OCD & Anxiety Treatment Center.  In this episode we discuss her new book, ways OCD can affect intimacy, when taboo intrusive thoughts interrupt sex, issues with orgasms, sexual kinks and fantasies and how these may trigger OCD, obsessively worrying about getting pregnant, over analy...

In episode 355 I interviewed Psychotherapist Joshua Fletcher (Anxiety Josh). We discuss his therapy story and mental health journey including OCD, what is anxiety, adrenaline and cortisol, panic attacks, wilful tolerance, meerkat mode, OCD taboo intrusive thoughts, and much more. Hope it helps.   Show notes: https://theocdstories.com/episode/anxiety-josh-355   The podcast is made possible by NOCD...

In episode 354 I interviewed Chris who has kindly agreed to share his OCD story with us. We discuss his OCD Story, depression, how seeing a therapist that didn't understand OCD triggered his OCD, panic attacks, not being able to get a question out of his mind, seeing an old therapist again who noticed it was OCD, sexual orientation OCD, exposure and response prevention therapy (ERP), rumination, t...

In episode 353 I interviewed Jon Hershfield. Jon is a psychotherapist and the director of The Center for OCD and Anxiety, at Sheppard Pratt. He is the author of six OCD books. We discuss what's new with Jon, his new book, Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), OCD and BPD, common overlaps in traits, causes of BPD, how BPD may complicate therapy for OCD and how to navigate this, Dialectical behavio...

In episode 352 I invited 18 past guests to share their words of wisdom or hope with you to celebrate reaching 5 million downloads since 2015. Thank you to all my past guests for sharing their stories or expertise, and thank you to you for listening or spreading the show with others. I hope this episode educates and inspires.   Therapists and advocates on this episode (in order) are: Dr Jon Abramow...

In episode 351 I interviewed Dr Robert Hudak. Robert is a psychiatrist, and Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the university of Pittsburgh.   We discuss his therapy story, what is schizophrenia, what is psychosis, he defines what hallucinations and delusions are, how to differentiate between an obsession and a delusion, how exposure and response prevention therapy (ERP) is modified for OCD when...

In episode 350 I interviewed Charlene Colwell. Charlene is a therapist who uses Exposure and Response Prevention therapy (ERP) and Internal Family Systems therapy (IFS - level 1 trained) for OCD.   We discuss her therapy story, what is IFS, how IFS maps the mind, another way to view OCD, how IFS may be helpful for OCD, using IFS alongside ERP, and much more. Hope it helps. Show notes: https://theo...

In episode 349 I chat with Anna who has kindly agreed to share her story with us.   We discuss some of her childhood mental health experiences, school anxiety, how OCD affected her work, she details some of her specific OCD experiences, depression, medication, postnatal/postpartum experiences of OCD, getting diagnosed, getting therapy, harm themed OCD, a relapse, hit and run themed OCD, getting th...

In episode 348 I chat with Shaun Flores who has kindly agreed to share his story with us.   We discuss his story, how a dream triggered OCD in a big way, sexual orientation themed OCD, suicidal themed OCD, harm themed OCD, ADHD, some of the possible reasons why people of colour are under represented in the OCD community, how he's doing now, his advocacy, and much more. Hope it helps. Show notes: h...