Just Checking

Does trauma cause OCD? We're answering the question everyone's been asking. This week Laura compares OCD to herpes (you'll have to listen to find out why), and we dig into the real relationship between trauma and OCD- including why OCD and PTSD get mixed up, what complex PTSD looks like alongside OCD, and how EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) fits into treatment. We...

Sex and OCD; the topic everyone's thinking about but nobody wants to bring up in session. Jess and Laura get into how sex shows up across intrusive thoughts and compulsions, the impact on relationships and intimacy, and the trickier corners like groinal responses, kink fears, and bestiality-themed intrusions. They also talk SSRIs, communication, and why therapists need to get comfortable bring...

If your intrusive thoughts have ever convinced you that you're secretly dangerous- welcome to Harm OCD. This is the subtype that makes loving, gentle people terrified of their own minds. This week Jess and Laura dig into one of the most misunderstood and shame-soaked corners of OCD- where caring deeply about not hurting anyone gets twisted into "proof" that you might. Harm OCD can in...

What does the latest OCD research actually tell us, and what does it mean for the people living with it and treating it? This week Jess and Laura dig into the key findings from the recent Orchard OCD International Conference, translating the science into something genuinely useful. They cover a lot of ground: the economic cost of OCD, which brain areas are involved and what that means for treatmen...

For the first time ever, there are international guidelines for how OCD should be treated — and in this episode, we break them down. Fresh from the Orchard OCD International Conference, Jess and Laura unpack what these landmark guidelines actually say: which treatments are recommended, in what order, and what this means for people with OCD and the clinicians supporting them. From ERP and medicatio...

This week Jess is joined by Joshua Munn, a therapist specialising in OCD and ADHD, for a conversation that's long overdue on this podcast. They get into how to tell OCD and ADHD apart (spoiler: it's not always straightforward), why adapting ERP for ADHD brains actually makes therapy better for everyone, and how ACT and compassion-focused approaches fit into the picture. Expect honest chat...

If you've found yourself Googling "does my child have OCD?" at 11pm, this episode is for you. This week, Laura takes the lead whilst her and Jess take a dive deep into OCD in children and young people — what it looks like, how it hides, and what actually helps. Whether you're a parent trying to make sense of what you're seeing, a young person wondering if what you're expe...

If you Googled something terrifying about your baby and ended up here, you're in the right place. This week Jess and Laura are talking about one of the most misunderstood and underdiagnosed presentations of OCD — perinatal OCD. Whether you're pregnant, postpartum, or supporting someone who is, this one's for you. We get into why OCD loves to latch onto the thing you love most, what&#39...

Got OCD questions? Same. This week Jess and Laura tackle the listener mailbag from Laura's Tiktok live— covering how to get tested for OCD, accessing treatment, the serotonin myth, the OCD-ADHD connection, contamination OCD, and false attraction. Laura shares an insight into her feelings around her own OCD journey. There's also a free children's resource on neurodivergence, a children&...

This week Jess and Laura tackle one of the most stigmatised “taboo” OCD subtypes around — POCD, - and because we don’t want to get shadow banned, we will refer to it as “PDF File” – but we are not using this term as avoidance, or to avoid triggering anyone - just so you know! It shows up most as intrusive, unwanted sexual thoughts, images, doubts, words about children.   This is the one that sends...

Description: ⚠️ Content warning: this episode contains discussion of suicidal ideation and themes that some listeners might find distressing.  pOCD — pedophilia-themed OCD — is one of the most misunderstood and stigmatised subtypes out there, and Molly Lambert has lived it. In this episode, Molly shares what her intrusive thoughts actually looked and felt like: from existential anxiety to fears ab...

Are you a terrible person, or does your brain just really, really want you to think so? This week Jess and Laura get into moral scrupulosity OCD — the subtype where intrusive thoughts aren't about harm or contamination, but about your fundamental character, your values, and whether you've done something unforgivable. Laura gets personal about her own moral OCD compulsions (yes, really), an...

Ever wondered what goes on behind the therapy room door? This week Jess and Laura answer your questions about therapist life — from why therapy costs what it does to whether we actually have our own therapy (spoiler: yes). It's honest, a little unfiltered, and probably not what you'd expect. Dive in and get to know us better, and listen to what we worry about in OCD therapy too. Podcast by...

Do you love your partner? Are you sure? What about now? Still sure? If your brain won't stop cross-examining your own feelings, this one's for you. In this episode, Jess and Laura dig into relationship OCD (rOCD) — the subtype that turns love into a courtroom and your own mind into the world's most annoying prosecutor. We cover what rOCD actually looks like, why it's so easy to mis...

Ever watched someone you love spiral and had no idea what to do — so you just… answered the question? Yeah. This week we're talking directly to the OCD support squad: partners, parents, siblings, and anyone else who's been accidentally colluding with OCD while trying to be a good human. We cover why OCD feels the way it does (brain spam, basically), the sneaky reassurance traps even the mo...

Convinced you'll be the one person who does Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) wrong? This one's for you. Jess Hayes and Laura Mole walk through how ERP actually works — who picks the exposures, how scary they need to be, and why you genuinely cannot fail — plus what happens when therapy ends. Exposure and Response Prevention is all about exposing yourself to your OCD fears (exposure)...

Come with us, Laura Mole and Jess Hayes, as we explore the 'checking' in 'Just Checking'. You get to hear about a day in the life of Shenrique, as we talk all about how they check to make sure that they aren't a bad person, then take a lesson from vampire superstitions to break the OCD loop. As always, you also get a look into our brain spam, and get to shout out your weekly OC...

Join us, Laura Mole and Jessica Hayes, to really pick apart an OCD subtype that isn't talked about much. False memories and real-event OCD gets explored in this episode, you'll get to understand mental and invisible compulsions, and you even get a look into Jess' dog frustrations and Laura's big brain fails to get to know us more. We hope you have as much fun with it as we did.  Ti...

In this episode, we go through some of the wider factors that can make someone more susceptible to OCD, and some things that might have made previous therapy unsuccessful. Laura Mole talks through a way to build some self-compassion and Jessica Hayes shares some tips for those who are neurodivergent too. As always, we talk things through with a bit of humour and a whole lot of validation. So grab...

Join us, Laura Mole and Jessica Hayes, as we start to challenge myths around OCD and share some tips around what help can look like. Just two friends having a chat about something we are passionate about, hopefully in a way that makes you feel heard. You can listen to Laura pranking Jess and come along for the ride while we firm up some new features, and give you some food for thought around OCD t...

An episode where you get to know us, Jess Hayes and Laura Mole, and our wonderful guest host, Jess Marriner. Grab a coffee and listen to three friends and therapists talk all things OCD and let us share some interesting insights you might not have considered. Prepare for some swearing, tangents, and genuinely useful knowledge too.  Time Stamps: 00:00 Intro and theme 03:00 Things our d*ckhead brain...