FearCast Podcast

Today’s audio question is from a listener who has questions about approaching an issue that overlaps their OCD and trauma histories. How do you treat an obsession when it is also a trigger to a past trauma? Luckily, I was able to have clinical psychologist Dr. Caitlin Pinciotti join me to discuss her expertise in the OCD, trauma, and PTSD landscape. To learn more about her research: The National O...

Today’s question comes from a listener who’s afraid that they’ve been exposed to radioactive material at some point and struggles to deal with the anxiety that he might develop cancer or otherwise harm his family. This is a struggle for a lot of people who are concerned with environmental contaminants too. Hypochondria (Health Anxiety) The post #163- Potential Radiation Exposure And Dealing With T...

My uploading system is off! So sorry for the delay of this episode! Today’s listener question comes from a man who wants to know how to balance their awareness that their health anxiety is driving them to compulsively call doctors or check in on minor physical ailments with the fear that they could potentially miss catching a life threatening illness early! It’s a real conundrum for those sufferin...

Today I answer two listener questions. The first is from a woman who’s SO-OCD is quieted by believing she is bisexual, and she wants to know whether this is compulsive. The second question comes from someone who went through a number of health issues, including eating disorder, and they fear that their health issues have caused eye-floaters. They are obsessing about their responsibility in it and...

I made a goof! I accidentally uploaded the wrong audio file for this episode. Blerg. So, I’m updating the original episode page and uploading the correct file for this episode! Check it out! Today’s episode is a contamination focused question about how to deal with an obsession that can’t reasonably be disproved, or proved! This is relevant to a lot of people as well who struggle with existential...

Today’s listener question comes from a man who wants to know how to balance their awareness that their health anxiety is driving them to compulsively call doctors or check in on minor physical ailments with the fear that they could potentially miss catching a life threatening illness early! It’s a real conundrum for those suffering with health anxiety, and a reality for every person living. I disc...

Today’s episode covers the ins and outs of the OCD subtype focused on moral and ethical issues, more commonly known as Moral Scrupulosity. This is a very special episode as not only do we go over the subtype and answer a question related to Moral Scrupulosity, but I get to have Jon Hershfield, MFT, join me to go over it all with us! This is a good start to OCD week 2023! The post #160- Moral Scrup...

Two questions from two different listeners. One, should they start dating knowing they have SO-OCD, or should they hold off until they sort it all out? Question two, OCD has them in a bind to give money to charity to save people, or to hoard money to save her own family. Either way, they are responsible for harming someone (so says OCD). To learn more about Sexual Orientation OCD (SO-OCD), please...

Today I answer two, but really kinda three, questions from listeners. The first is from a woman on her way to a date and she’s wondering if her ROCD is acting up and trying to sabotage the date from the start, or if she’s genuinely picking up on some red flags. The next question is about Depersonalization and Derealization (DPDR) and whether its a symptom or a form of Hyperawareness OCD. Furthermo...

Today’s guest is Dr. Jeremy Shuman, PsyD, who joins me to talk about his urgency for consider neurodivergent traits when treating OCD and anxiety spectrum disorders. Dr. Shuman discusses a broadened yet refined view of neurodiverse traits and how including a neurodivergent lens in our treatment of OCD and anxiety spectrum sufferers will make treatment more specific, compassionate, and successful....

Today’s question is an audio question from a listener who struggles to get help with her obsession. She worries that thinking gory thoughts will make her pass out while she’s driving. Oh, and she’s passed out before from seeing gory images! She’s seen a therapist who recommends ERP, but she’s still driving. What can she do? I offer some guidance on where she can look to get some help and some othe...

Today’s episode is a contamination focused question about how to deal with an obsession that can’t reasonably be disproved, or proved! This is relevant to a lot of people as well who struggle with existential obsessions because we may never be able to see the outcome of an obsession in life, so how do you do ERP when you can’t see the feared outcome happen or not happen?! The post #155- Coping, An...

Today I was joined by Mike Heady, LCPC, to talk about shame. This conversation really broadened by understanding of the emotional experience of shame, and how the weaponized Toxic Shame can destroy someone from within. Mike is a wonderfully clear communicator and dives deep into a subject that we all know one way or another, whether we want to or not. The post #154- Shame And Toxic Shame In OCD Wi...

Today’s audio question comes from Sarah. She wants to know how to deal with the returning hyperawareness theme focusing on the items on her desk while she studies. It is really getting in the way of her ability to study. She made some progress before, but with a big upcoming test the theme is back! What can she do? The post #153- New Hyperawareness Theme? Old Theme? Or Same Old Theme? appeared fir...

Today, bass player Brian Killeen joined me to talk about his experience as a working musician and his journey through anxiety and OCD recovery. The Anxiety In The Arts series is focused on amplifying voices of artists, musicians, performers, and creative people as they navigate their way through anxiety as they strive to express themselves. This was a fun conversation and I really enjoyed speaking...

Today I speak with Michelle Massi, MFT, about the differences between different types of treatment programs, what sets them apart from one another, and why you might be interested in one level of care over another. This was a really fun conversation and Ms. Massi expertly explained the range of treatment options. For anyone who is just starting out in treatment, or someone just learning about ther...

Today’s audio question comes in from a listener who has been working hard on their obsessions and has made a bunch of progress toward recovery, but is noticing that she’s experiencing Maladaptive Daydream. She wants to know if I can offer any suggestions on how to address Maladaptive Daydreaming, so I give a brief discussion of what it is, how it differs from the regular daydreaming we all know ab...

Today’s audio question comes from Max. He went a long time without his obsessive thoughts, but now they are back! He wants to know how to stop all his efforts to monitor his obsessions and anxiety levels. He worries he’ll never be able to go back to the guy he used to be, and how to simply deal with the fact that he’s obsessing. The post #149- Returning Obsessions: Never Going Back To Who I Was, A...

For today’s audio question, I was joined by Bronwyn Shroyer, LCSW, to talk about the EMDR treatment modality. The questioner noticed their OCD was re-activated by some EMDR treatment for trauma and wanted to know why that happened and what she can do about it. Bronwyn was kind enough to join me to share her expertise about EMDR, how and why it works for treating trauma, where it is similar to CBT/...

Today’s episode is a mixed audio and emailed question. The first audio question comes from someone who wants to know how to move forward in their long distance relationship (LDR) when their obsession makes them question the future and the very basis of the relationship! The next question is from a listener who wants to know what to do when their OCD recovery suddenly becomes the obsession itself!...

For today’s episode, I answered two questions from one person! This listener wanted to know two things. First, where can they find good resources for therapy? They’ve tried therapist (too expensive). They’ve tried books (too impersonal). They’ve tried podcasts (still, too impersonal). So, where can they get help for their OCD? Their next question is about whether Christianity can cause OCD. I expa...

Today’s question is another audio question plus a bonus question from an email! The first question comes from a listener who wants to know what the right ERP method would be to address a situation in which her worst fear actually keeps happening. The next question is about how to deal with an staring obsession where they fear they will look at, stare at, and get caught looking at someone’s various...

This week’s audio question comes from William. While his question is centered around ROCD, the topics are relevant to anyone with OCD or an anxiety disorder. He struggles with knowing what to do when he has anxiety and panic symptoms but doesn’t have the typical intrusive thought. He wonders what to do with intermittent numbness that shows up every now and then. Lastly, how can he tell his partner...

On Today’s episode, I get another audio question about ROCD. The questioner shares that they are starting to think they have ROCD because of their fixation over their partner’s hair and that it is different than their typical attraction patterns. So, is he experiencing ROCD, or does he just have a type and should continue searching for the perfect partner? The post #143- ROCD, Fixating On A Partne...

For today’s episode, I interview Rich Gallagher, MFT, about his recent article the IOCDF news letter about Disgust-Based OCD. His article offers an overview of what Disgust-Based obsessions are and how his Mastery focused treatment differs from the traditional Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) based treatment. We additionally discuss the growing body of research for alternative treatment meth...