Christian Faith and OCD, Scrupulosity, Intrusive Thoughts, Compulsions, ICBT

In this episode, Carrie sits down with Ashley Lawrence, a wife, mom, homeschooler, and artist who shares her journey with OCD, and how God met her in the middle of years of fear, doubt, and unanswered questions. Episode Highlights: How scrupulosity can mimic a “faith problem” when it is actually OCD What mental compulsions can look like, including rumination, internal checking, and reassurance see...

In this episode, Carrie sits down with Blessing Afa Jumbo, a wife, mother, and writer, who shares her courageous journey with OCD—how intrusive thoughts, postpartum struggles, and performance-based faith shaped her view of God, and how grace, proper treatment, and healthier theology have brought healing and hope. Episode Highlights: How OCD can disguise itself as spiritual conviction, warfare, or...

In this episode, Carrie reflects on insights from the listener survey and shares how that feedback is shaping the direction of the show in 2026. She also explores what healing can look like for Christians with OCD and how to take meaningful steps forward. Episode Highlights: What the listener survey revealed about where listeners are in their OCD journey How listener feedback is guiding the podcas...

In this episode, Carrie explores how Christians can navigate year-end regret with both honesty and grace, especially when OCD keeps pulling them back into “what ifs” and past decisions. Episode Highlights: How to acknowledge regret without getting stuck in rumination or shame. Why accepting God’s forgiveness is more powerful than trying to “forgive yourself.” A simple four-step process for moving...

In this Christmas episode, Carrie dives deep into a truth we often miss in the middle of all the holiday noise, and what Immanuel—God with us truly means for those moments when we don’t feel His presence.  Episode Highlights: The meaning of Immanuel and Jesus’ humble arrival. How to trust God’s nearness even when you don’t feel Him How God draws close to the brokenhearted and understands every lay...

In this episode of Christian Faith and OCD , Carrie shares the unexpected grief she’s walking through as she steps away from individual therapy. She reflects on how God is leading her into a new chapter and explores how you can move through your own transitions with faith, courage, and compassion. Episode highlights: Why Carrie is no longer offering weekly individual therapy and what this shift ha...

In this episode, Carrie welcomes a special guest, Nikole Krueger, LCSW, to explore the often-overlooked overlap between OCD and ADHD. They share practical tools and guidance for understanding your neurodiversity with clarity, compassion, and a Christ-centered sense of hope. Episode Highlights: How Nikole defines ADHD as attention dysregulation rather than a true “deficit” of attention, and what th...

In this heartfelt 200th episode, Carrie reflects on five years of podcasting and God’s steady faithfulness through seasons of loss, doubt, and unexpected grace. She shares two “secret weapons” for overcoming discouragement and finding renewed strength when life feels heavy. Episode Highlights: -Honest reflections on the highs and lows of podcasting for five years Two biblical “secret weapons” to h...

In this episode, Carrie welcomes Greg and Stacey Oliver from Awaken Recovery to share their journey of faith, healing, and recovery from compulsive sexual behavior.  Episode Highlights: How faith and community play a vital role in recovery from compulsive sexual behavior. Why isolation fuels addiction and how authentic connection brings healing. The difference between forgiveness and true healing...

As we continue the Healthy Perspectives on Sex series, Carrie explores what it means for Christians with OCD to face intrusive sexual thoughts with faith and honesty. She opens up a deeper conversation about shame, healing, and renewal in Christ. Episode Highlights: How OCD can distort normal sexual thoughts and create unnecessary guilt. The key differences between intrusive thoughts and sinful th...

As The Healthy Perspectives on Sex series continues on Christian Faith and OCD, Carrie explores what healthy sexual development looks like from birth through age 25. She discusses how OCD can complicate perceptions of sexuality and calls for open, grace-filled dialogue about faith, the body, and healing. Episode Highlights: What healthy sexual development looks like from birth through age 25. How...

In this episode, Carrie launches the Healthy Perspectives on Sex Series, opening up about her personal journey of recovering from purity culture and how its messages shaped her faith, identity, and view of sexuality. She also explores how purity culture has impacted many Christians struggling with OCD and intrusive sexual thoughts, offering insight, grace, and hope for those seeking healing and fr...

In this episode, Carrie and her husband Steve celebrate their 5th anniversary by sharing 5 lessons they’ve learned in marriage—practical insights shaped by parenting, challenges, and everyday life, all while keeping Christ at the center of their relationship. Episode Highlights: -How the little things can strengthen connection -The value of communicating with grace and being intentional with your...

In this episode of Christian Faith and OCD, Carrie is joined by Joe Feldman, founder of Cover My Mental Health, who shares his family’s battle with insurance companies and how that experience led to creating free resources that help others get the care they deserve. Episode Highlights: What “medical necessity” means and how it impacts your insurance coverage for OCD and other mental health care Wh...

In this episode, Carrie shares how our brains link colors, numbers, and events in ways that can trigger OCD. She offers relatable stories and practical tools to help break these patterns. Episode Highlights: How everyday experiences can form powerful associations in our brains. How trauma can create associations that fuel OCD symptoms. Examples of how OCD attaches meaning to colors, numbers, and r...

Carrie is joined by Rachel Kuchem Woodward, LCSW, a therapist with lived experience of OCD, to discuss how pastors can better support those who struggle through insights on discipleship, treatment, shame, and spiritual warfare. Episode Highlights: -Rachel’s personal journey with OCD and how her faith community played a role in her healing. -How pastors can discern between normal spiritual wrestlin...

In this episode, Carrie explores the hidden stories and emotions that make letting go of items so difficult. Drawing from conference insights and personal experiences, she shares practical wisdom to help anyone declutter and create a home that feels peaceful, joyful, and welcoming. Episode Highlights: The stories we tell ourselves about objects, including how joy, identity, and memory influence wh...

In this heartfelt episode, Carrie sits down with her husband Steve to talk about one of life’s hardest challenges: living with uncertainty. They dive into what it looks like to live with faith, peace, and joy in the face of an unpredictable future. Episode Highlights: -How uncertainty impacts whether you struggle with OCD, chronic illness, or everyday worries—and why acceptance is such a key step...

In this episode, Carrie explores the link between overworking and OCD, sharing warning signs of burnout and offering biblical wisdom and practical strategies for balance, rest, and healthy boundaries. Episode Highlights: How overworking and OCD are often connected. Key warning signs of burnout to watch for. Common beliefs that keep Christians stuck in unhealthy work habits. Why rest, boundaries, a...

In this episode, Carrie goes “off script” to explore a Dialectical Behavioral Therapy skill—radical acceptance—and why it’s a powerful tool for Christians navigating OCD, grief, and life’s hard realities. Episode Highlights: What radical acceptance really means—and what it doesn’t. How fighting reality keeps you emotionally stuck (and what to do instead). Biblical perspectives on suffering and end...

In this episode, Carrie explores how to recognize when it might be time to move on from your therapist. She unpacks both major red flags and quieter signs that the fit isn’t right, offering practical, faith-based insight for clients, loved ones, and fellow professionals.  Episode Highlights: What red flags signal it's time to immediately leave and report a therapist Why dual relationships and...

In this episode, Carrie explores how to identify and overcome all-or-nothing thinking, a common challenge for those with OCD. She offers practical strategies for developing flexible thinking to foster peace and recovery. Episode Highlights: How to recognize all-or-nothing thinking in yourself. Mindfulness exercises to help detach from obsessive thoughts. The importance of taking different perspect...

In this episode, Carrie unpacks what it really means to take a thought captive and why that verse can feel confusing for Christians navigating OCD. She brings biblical clarity, challenges common misconceptions, and shares a more grace-filled way to respond to intrusive thoughts. Episode Highlights: What that “take every thought captive” verse actually means in context—and why it’s not about perfec...

In today’s episode, we’re wrapping up our Personal Story Summer Series with Michael Kier, author of Waging War Against OCD: A Christian Approach. Michael shares his honest journey through scrupulosity, intrusive thoughts, and how grace—not striving—transformed his view of God and mental health.  Episode Highlights: What it’s like to live with scrupulosity (religious OCD) from childhood into adulth...

As part of the Personal Story Summer Series, we’re bringing back Carrie’s powerful conversation with Amber Williams Van Zuyen, who shares her journey through harm OCD, intrusive thoughts, and the difficult decision to take medication during pregnancy. Amber’s story is relatable, faith-filled, and a reminder that you’re not alone in the struggle. Plus, don’t miss Carrie’s upcoming live webinar Calm...