The OCD Stories

In episode 347 I interviewed Chrissie Hodges. Chrissie is a Peer Support specialist, founder of OCD Gamechangers, and Author of 'Pure OCD: The Invisible Side of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder'. Chrissie was awarded the hero award at the 24th IOCDF conference in San Fran. We discuss some of the physical symptoms of OCD, worrying about telling her therapist about the physical symptoms that were manif...

In episode 346 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 her new book 'Acceptance and Commitment Skills for Perfectionism and High-Achieving Behaviors: Do Things Your Way, Be Yourself, and Live a Purposeful Life'. We discuss what are perfectionistic, an...

In episode 345 I chat with Dr Sam Greenblatt. Sam is a licensed clinical psychologist. We discuss an update on his past relapse, his fire metaphor, processing the trauma of OCD, meta OCD, PTSD and OCD, identity and OCD, the idea of perceived fragility, loss and grief around OCD, figuring out what is normative, and much more. Hope it helps.   Show notes: https://theocdstories.com/episode/ greenblat...

In episode 344 I chat with Courtney Newman who has kindly agreed to share her story with us.   We discuss her story, going to therapy, learning what OCD is, mental compulsions, harm worries around her family, covid related contamination worries, having a clean world and a dirty world, and much more. Hope it helps.   Show notes: https://theocdstories.com/episode/ courtney-344   The podcast is made...

In episode 343 I chat with Robert Fox. Rob is a therapist (LMHC) practicing in Woburn, USA. He specialises in internal family systems and EMDR therapy.  We discuss what is internal family systems (IFS), the idea of parts of us, feeling feelings, the positive intention of our parts, the idea that OCD is a sign post to something deeper that needs healing or attention, pushing down feelings in childh...

In episode 342 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 why sleep is the hostage of anxiety, desperation around sleep, what is sleep and the stages of sleep, how sleep medication, alcohol, and benzo...

In episode 341 I chat Dr Lynne Drummond. Lynne is an honorary consultant psychiatrist at south west London and St George's NHS Trust, and visiting Professor at the University of Hertfordshire . We discuss her therapy story, her new book "Everything you need to know about OCD", the stigma around OCD, raising awareness around OCD, a historical view of how OCD has been viewed, working with patients w...

In episode 340 I chat with Liam who has kindly agreed to share his story with us.   We discuss his story, pedophile themed OCD (pOCD), violent intrusive thoughts, attending a support group, grief and loss, learning to see OCD not as a bully, his therapy journey and what he learned, setting up his own OCD support group, a suicide attempt, advocating about OCD at his work, and so much more. Hope it...

In episode 339 I chat to Dr Heather Sequeira. Heather is a consultant psychologist specialising in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). We discuss her therapy story, trauma and OCD, what is post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), what is complex or developmental trauma, what's going on in the brain with trauma, disgust in trauma and OCD, doubt and uncertainty, treating OCD and trauma together, the...

In episode 338 I chat ​Dr Jordan Levy and Dr Tatyana Mestechkina. Both Jordan and Tatyana are licensed clinical psychologists who treat OCD.   We discuss their therapy story, we chat about the thought of what if this is not OCD and other thoughts that get in the way of therapy, such as, What if this time is different? What if I'm doing therapy the wrong way? What if this is the piece of "evidence"...

In episode 337 I chat with Geoff who has kindly agreed to share his story with us.   We discuss his story, depression, spending 20 years with a traditional psychoanalyst who did not help or recognise OCD within him, the red flags of this therapy for OCD, realising that there are different schools or types of therapy, and the trauma caused by this particular therapy relationship for Geoff, eventual...

In episode 336 I chat with Lily Bailey about her new book 'When I See Blue'. Lily also wrote the book called, 'Because We Are Bad'.   We discuss her new book, Lily reads us a section of chapter 1 from her book, how the main character was inspired by some of Lily's own story, the themes of OCD the main character Ben experiences, why Lily wrote more back story for Ben including other struggles, we d...

In episode 335 I chat with Traci who has kindly agreed to share her story with us.   We discuss her story, misophonia, perfectionism, religious scrupulosity, starting with therapy, ADHD, sexual intrusive thoughts, unwanted arousal, groinal, needing to get therapy perfect, rumination, and so much more. Hope it helps.   Show notes: https://theocdstories.com/episode/ traci-335 The podcast is made pos...

In episode 333 I chat with Jonny Say. Jonny is a UK based psychotherapist.   We discuss how he's doing, Jonny's mental health and how he practices self-compassion daily, we discuss shame around intrusive thoughts and in doing compulsions, the inner critic, self-compassion and how it can help, building up psychological flexibility skills before exposure and response prevention therapy (ERP), values...

In episode 333 I chat with Dr Roberto Olivardia. Roberto is a Clinical Psychologist and Clinical Instructor of Psychology at Harvard Medical School. He also maintains a private psychotherapy practice. We discuss his therapy story, and personal story with ADHD, the school system and ADHD, what ADHD is, the comorbidity of OCD and ADHD together, how ADHD can feed into OCD, common OCD themes he sees w...

In episode 332 I chat with Kim and Jack Vincenty who have kindly agreed to share their story, from the perspective of mother and son.   We discuss Jack's story, Kim's story as the parent, moral scrupulosity, being surrounded by triggers, going through multiple rounds of exposure and response prevention therapy (ERP), going to Colorado to do his biggest exposure, depression, where Jack's at now, we...

In this special midweek episode of the podcast which was recorded at the OCD in Society event recently. I chat with these 3 OCD advocates and artists about who they are, what their creative expression for OCD is, dealing with imposter syndrome and self doubt, the benefits of creative expression, how art can help spread information about OCD, and much more. Hope it helps.   Show notes: https://theo...

In episode 331 I chat with Amanda who has kindly agreed to share her story.   We talk about her story, growing up catholic, sexual intrusive thoughts, fears of sinning, seeking help from her priest, some of her compulsions, hitting rock bottom and considering suicide, doing exposure and response prevention therapy (ERP), how her grandmother helped her, her grandmother's own struggles, what else he...

In episode 330 I chat with Dr Amita Jassi. Amita is a Consultant Clinical Psychologist at the National and Specialist OCD, BDD and Related Disorder Service for Children and Young People (South London and Maudsley NHS Trust).   We discuss her therapy story, adapting OCD therapy for people with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder), she shares what ASD is, how rigid thinking in ASD can impact treatment, br...

In episode 329 I chat Maya Tadross who has kindly agreed to share her story with us. We discuss her OCD story, being in residential treatment, her experiences of exposure and response prevention therapy (ERP), managing OCD alongside studying, living by her values, we talk about perfectionism, OCD symptoms changing form, her well being priorities, getting an ADHD diagnosis later in life, her experi...

In episode 328 I chat with Dr Russ Harris. Russ is a medical practitioner, author of the international best-selling self-help book 'The Happiness Trap' (as well as nine others), and is a world-renowned trainer of Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT).  We discuss his book The Happiness Trap, the new second edition of the book, how ACT can help reduce rumination, Russ's view of rumination, noticing...

In episode 327 I chat with Elise who has kindly agreed to share her OCD story with us.   We discuss her story, her OCD themes, we chat about mental compulsions, compassion, the problem with comparing recovery journeys, learning to manage her workload, her advocacy brand OCDOPUS, being an advocate, when family don't understand, words of hope, and much more. Hope it helps.   Show notes: https://theo...

In episode 326 I chat with Geoff who has kindly agreed to share his OCD story with us.   In this episode we discuss his OCD story, harm obsessions, postnatal harm obsessions, working through grief for his brother, suicidal themed OCD worries, his compulsions, his advocacy in New Zealand, and much more. Hope it helps.   Show notes: https://theocdstories.com/episode/ geoff-326 The podcast is made po...

In episode 325 I chat with Jessica Serber. Jessica is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist as well as the founder of Mindful CBT California. In this episode we discuss her therapy story, being a sibling of someone with OCD, how she supported her sister, how Jessica brings mindfulness into the therapy room, working with mindfulness sticking points, she shares an ice cube exercise for learning t...

In episode 324 I chat with Pamela who has kindly agreed to share her OCD story with us.   We discuss her OCD story, stress in childhood, growing up in a religious upbringing, getting a diagnosis, trichotillomania, depression and PTSD, her compulsions and worries, medication and exposure and response prevention therapy (ERP), and much more. Hope it helps.   Show notes: https://theocdstories.com/epi...