FearCast Podcast

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...

Today’s audio question comes from Roger. He’s having a unique situation where his sensorimotor obsessions are becoming associated with activities he likes, which then trigger his obsession/ compulsion routine when he does those activities. He further asks the question about how he can habituate to his breathing, or any other somatic obsession, and whether there is a right or wrong way to do it, an...

This week’s audio question comes in as a complex one. For someone experiencing ROCD, which issues should the listener treat as OCD issues, and which should they treat as relationship issues? Should the listener address the anxiety and uncertainty over potentially “sketchy” behavior as their typical ROCD, or should they address it? If they let it go as an OCD thing, what if they miss something impo...

For today’s question, I answer an audio question sent in through Instagram. The listener asks what they can do about their SO-OCD that keeps screaming that she is a lesbian even though she identifies as bi-sexual. She asks about whether she can know her sexuality and whether she’ll get that clarity after therapy as her therapist suggests. Also, she wants to know how to deal with the feeling of unc...

Today I answer a question from a listener who has a question about how they can help their wife deal with their ROCD. Along with answering their question, I expand out a little to discuss how someone can help a family member or loved one who is struggling with OCD. If you have feedback about this episode, or would like to offer some tips on what helped you with your loved one, or what a loved one...

For today’s episode, I was joined by Dr. Megan Faye, PsyD, to discuss Avoidant/ Restrictive Food Intake Disorder. This is a disorder that falls in the Venn diagram between disordered eating, sensory integration, and OCD. Dr. Faye was kind enough to spend some time discussing what ARFID is, what treatment looks like, and how to help both adults and children take on their challenges with food. The p...

On today’s episode, I spoke with Meshulem Epstein, a leading voice for OCD treatment within Orthodox Judaism and Religious Scrupulosity. He joined me to help me tackle a listener question about exposures that can be done to help their OCD as they’ve been given permission to masturbate by a rabbi. Meshulem offered some wonderful insights into the world Orthodox Judaism and how it impacts OCD treatm...

On today’s episode, I answer two listener questions and share a success story! The first is from a listener who heard that SO-OCD (they refer to it as HOCD) could be fake, so they want to know what to do if if is fake, and then what to do if it isn’t! Next, I answer a question from someone who thinks their partner has ROCD, but the listener struggles with how to convince them they have ROCD and ar...

Today, I was joined by Rev. Katie O’Dunn to discuss issues relating to treating Religious Scrupulosity. Rev. O’Dunn is an interfaith chaplain, OCD advocate, Disney fan, and marathon runner, and her credentials can go on and on. I had a great time discussing her work with Scrupulosity and how she helps people toward recovery through her very unique perspective. The post #134- Religious Scrupulosity...

On this episode, I answered three listener questions. The first question is about how to deal with contamination obsessions that are effecting the listener’s eating routines. How can they stop checking their food and overall being hyperaware of what gets in, or already is in, their food. The next question is about getting family on board and supportive for treatment, how to do it, and whether it’s...

For today’s episode, I was joined by Lauren Rosen, MFT, to discuss dating and relationships while dealing with OCD. This is in response to last week’s episode where I discussed dating and some listeners thought I could have gone into more detail, so Lauren and I spent 45 minutes talking about it. We discuss all sorts of topics related to dating, including when to tell someone you have OCD, dating...

Another audio question for this week! For this week, I answer two questions, one from an audio submitter, and another from Instagram. The first question is about Partner Focused ROCD and being obsessed about whether her partner was moral, or moral enough. The next question is about exposure suggestions for SO-OCD (they refer to it as HOCD in the question), and they also want to know about whether...

Today is a full episode! I answer four, that’s right, FOUR listener questions. Out of order, I answer a question about what recovery looks like and if recovery is even possible. Next, I give some tips and advice to someone wondering how to give back to the OCD community and help others without having to go through a full degree program to become a therapist. I discuss a question about how to deal...

Today’s episode features two listener questions with the first being an audio question. The first questioner asks whether OCD can stop you from feeling or experiencing love. I have plenty to say about this and even consulted a few colleagues on the subject. The next question is an ROCD question about how the listener can deal with rapidly changing obsessional themes within their ROCD. Is their par...