The OCD Stories

In episode 279 I chat with Sheryl Paul. Sheryl is a counselor informed by Jungian depth psychology, and author of the book The wisdom of anxiety. In this episode we chat about her story, transitions such as marriage, birth, death and the anxiety they can bring. We discuss the highly sensitive person, we talk a lot about relationship anxiety, we explore differing views of OCD and the integration of...

In episode 278 I chat with Eeva Edds. Eeva is a licensed professional counselor. In this episode, we talk about her therapy story, what is caregiver burnout, how to prevent caregiver burnout, self-care, understanding your loved one's experience of OCD, understanding accommodation, how the loved one can help the person with OCD, self-compassion, values, and much more more. Hope it helps.  Show note...

In episode 277 I interviewed Kyle who has kindly agreed to share his story with us.  In this episode, we talk about his story, health/contamination worries, panic attacks, work stress, worries of harm coming to his kids, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), Inference Based Therapy (IBT), what else helps him, opening up to his wife, Acceptance and Commitment...

In episode 276 I interviewed Rachel Huber. Rachel has kindly agreed to share her story with us.  In this episode, we talk about her OCD story, maternal (Postpartum) OCD, worrying about the health and safety of her children, her therapy journey, and much more more. Hope it helps.  Show notes: https://theocdstories.com/episode/story-rachel-276 The podcast is made possible by NOCD . To find out more...

In episode 275 I interviewed Dr Steven Phillipson. Steven is a licensed clinical psychologist who specializes in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for OCD. Steven is the Clinical Director at the Center for Cognitive Behavioral Psychotherapy in New York. In this episode, we talk about his thinking around the brain voice vs gatekeeper voice, knowing the difference between the brain voice and the gatekeep...

In episode 274 I interviewed Shai Friendland. Shai is a clinical psychologist in Johannesburg, South Africa. He specialising in the treatment of OCD. In this episode we talk about his OCD story, contamination worries, what led him to become a psychologist, we talk about OCD in South Africa, increasing advocacy in the country, living with uncertainty, words of hope, and much more more. Hope it help...

In episode 273 I interviewed Dr Michael Twohig. Michael is the co-director of the USU ACT Research Group, a licensed psychologist in the state of Utah, and a Professor of Psychology at Utah State University. In this episode I chat with Michael about his research and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) story, his experience of training under Dr Steven Hayes, what is ACT, why he studied ACT init...

In episode 272 I interview Elke Atzpodien. Elke shared her story in episode 102 back in 2017, and she has come on to give us an update. In this episode I chat with Elke about an update on her story, her experiences of Exposure and Response Prevention therapy (ERP), group therapy, support groups, meeting Margot her therapy buddy, mixing exposure homework with valued activities, stopping asking for...

In episode 271 I interview Dr Ben Sedley. Ben is a clinical psychologist from New Zealand. He has authored two books, and runs a private practice called ACT Wellington. In this episode I chat with Ben about his therapy journey, what is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), how Relational Frame Theory (RFT) underpins ACT, how ACT can be useful for OCD, Ben gives examples of how ACT enhances ERP,...

In episode 270 I chat with Laura Johnson. Laura is the creator of OCD Doodles and has kindly agreed to share her story with us. In this episode I chat with Laura about her story, her earliest experience, existential and superstitious worries, how as a kid seeing a school shooting on TV triggered worries of harm coming to her family, how OCD impacted her family as a child, contamination worries, re...

In episode 269 I chat with Dr. Michael J. Greenberg. Michael is a licensed clinical psychologist.  He is the director of OCD Associates, a practice specializing in Rumination-Focused ERP. In this episode I chat with Michael about why rumination is a compulsion, rumination focused exposure and response prevention (RF-ERP), how his approach to treating OCD doesn't fit with the habituation model of E...

In episode 268 I chat with Neil Hemmer. Neil is a therapist with a masters in social work, and has plenty of personal experience with OCD. He has kindly agreed to share his story with us.  In this episode I chat with Neil about his story, his early memories, contamination OCD, he gives his candid account of intrusive thoughts, his faith, religious OCD, medication, self medicating with alcohol, rel...

In episode 267 I chat with  Lou who has kindly agreed to share her story with us. In this episode I chat with Lou about her story, ruminating, reassurance seeking, not feeling good enough, self medicating at a young age with alcohol and drugs, how the birth of her first child triggered an OCD episode, peadophile themed OCD (pOCD), worries of her and others harming her baby (postpartum OCD/maternal...

In episode 266 I chat with Dr Jonathan Abramowitz. Jonathan is a clinical psychologist with a private practice in Chapel Hill, NC specializing in the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). He is also Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of North Carolina. And author of several bookings including Getting over OCD, and The family guide to getting over OCD.  In this e...

In episode 265 I chat with Chance McNeely who has kindly agreed to share his story with us. In this episode I chat with Chance about his OCD story, themes - sexual orientation OCD, harm OCD, relationship OCD, pedophile OCD, growing up in an anxious household, compulsively overthinking things, finding out about intrusive thoughts, peer support, self-compassion as his saving grace, becoming a certif...

In episode 264 I chat with Mike Vatter who has kindly agreed to share his story with us. Mike is on the board of OCD Jacksonville. In this episode I chat with Mike about his OCD story, things having to be just right, panic attacks, hitting breaking point, pulling hair, how his first therapist thought he didn't have OCD, how a hit and run OCD episode helped him get an OCD diagnosis, using humour to...

In episode 263 I chat with Dr Steven Phillipson. Steven is a licensed clinical psychologist who specializes in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for OCD. Steven is the Clinical Director at the Center for Cognitive Behavioral Psychotherapy in New York. In this episode I chat with Steven about what is somatic (sensorimotor) OCD, neutral obsessions, obsessions and compulsions of this theme, how depersonal...

In episode 262 I chat with Chrissie Hodges. Chrissie is a certified peer and family support specialist in Colorado, and co-founder of OCDPeers.com. Chrissie was awarded the hero award by the IOCDF for her advocacy work.  In this episode I chat with Chrissie about what's new with her and her work, what's new with the OCD Gamechangers, what is (certified) peer support, what it is not, what does a pe...

In episode 261 I chat with Elizabeth who has kindly agreed to share her story. In this episode I chat with Liz about her story, her experiences growing up including the death of her dad, and school bullying, her experiences with OCD, the fear of being judged, contamination worries, getting a diagnosis, hit and run OCD, what's been helping her, her journey of finding the right treatment fit, dealin...

In episode 260 I chat with Ashley Annestedt and Felipe. Ashley is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker specializing in OCD, Anxiety, and Neurobehavioral Disorders. Ashley is the founder of Beyond Borders CBT. She is joined by Felipe Malaco de Oliveira a former client from Brazil who has agreed to share his story.  In this episode I chat with Ashley and Felipe about what is beyond borders CBT and why...

In episode 259 I chat with Jon Hershfield. Jon is a psychotherapist and the director of The Center for OCD and Anxiety, at Sheppard Pratt. He is the author six OCD books, including his most recent book the 2nd edition of "The mindfulness workbook for OCD", and his upcoming book "The OCD Workbook for Teens". In this episode I chat with Jon about what's new with him, The mindfulness workbook for OCD...

In episode 258 I chat with Dr Jonathan Hoffman. Jon is a licensed psychologist in the states of Florida, New York, and Utah. He is Chief Clinical Officer of the Neurobehavioral Institute (NBI) in South Florida, and director and founder of the NBI ranch residential program. He is author of the book Stuck: Asperger's Syndrome and Obsessive-Compulsive Behaviors. In this episode I chat with Jon about...

In episode 257 I chat with Stefan Batorijs. Stefan is an Integrative Psychotherapist and founder of Nature and therapy UK. He is an associate Lecturer at Plymouth University, where he teaches the role of Nature and benefits of natural immersion for mental health and recovery from trauma on the clinical psychology doctorate programme. In this episode I chat with Stefan about why he became a therapi...

In episode 256 I chat with Dr Sam Greenblatt. Sam specializes in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for OCD and other anxiety disorders. Sam works at the Center for Cognitive Behavioral Psychotherapy in New York. In this episode I chat with Sam about what got him into therapy, why some other therapies may not work for OCD, fully embracing the uncertainty of Exposure and Response Prevention therapy (ERP)...

In episode 255 I chat with Dr Patricia Zurita Ona. Patricia is director of the East Bay Behavior Therapy Center and host of the Playing It Safe podcast. She is the author of several books including "The ACT Workbook for Teens with OCD" and her new book "Living Beyond OCD Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: A Workbook for Adults".  In this episode I chat with Patricia about what is Acceptance...