The OCD Stories

In episode 421 I chat with Iona who has kindly agreed to share her OCD story with us.   We discuss her earliest OCD memory and it feeling like a premonition, her obsessions and compulsions, worries of harm coming to her family, wanting to normalise embarrassing compulsions, family support, medication, starting CBT as a teenager and having a tough time engaging and then being ready for therapy late...

In episode 420 I chat with Dr Sam Greenblatt. Sam is a licensed clinical psychologist.  We discuss an update on Sam, theories on relationship OCD, the nuances of therapy, the idea of trusting your gut, a review of the therapies that have an evidence base for OCD, the need for more longitudinal research, and much more. Hope it helps.   Show notes: https://theocdstories.com/episode/sam-420   The pod...

In episode 419 I chat with Saraa D. Lee who has kindly agreed to share her OCD story with us. Saraa is a therapist (LCSW) at Soul Spa Psychotherapy and is an OCD and Trauma specialist. We discuss her story, traumatic experiences in her childhood, her obsessions and compulsions, not getting a diagnosis, her therapy journey, and much more. Hope it helps.   Show notes: https://theocdstories.com/episo...

In episode 418 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 OCD in times of crisis, the terms of blood lust and guilt thrill, character indictment OCD, feeling bad because you're not giving any attentio...

In episode 417 I chat with Jesse Birnbaum and Sandy Robinson who have kindly agreed to share their OCD stories with us.   We discuss their OCD stories, living with OCD and chronic illnesses, going through therapy, self-compassion, setting up their special interest group for OCD and chronic illness, their experience of support groups, words of hope, and much more. Hope it helps. Show notes: https:/...

In episode 416 I chat with Jonny Say. Jonny is a UK based therapist and co-director at The Integrative Centre for OCD Therapy.  We talk about The OCD Camp, positive emotions and experiences as triggers, Jonny's personal experiences with this, perfectionism of experience, shame around positive emotions and experiences, therapy around this issue, he gives theme examples, self-compassion, and much mo...

In episode 415 I chat with Jack who has kindly agreed to share his OCD story with us.   We discuss his story, somatic themed OCD, contamination themed OCD, going through grief, ADHD, pure O, and much more. Hope it helps. Show notes: https://theocdstories.com/episode/jack-415   The podcast is made possible by NOCD . NOCD offers effective, convenient therapy available in the US and outside the US. T...

In episode 414 I chat with Duke who has kindly agreed to share his OCD story with us. Duke is a spoken word poet.   We discuss his story, his compulsions, drinking to cope, pOCD, real event themed OCD, a suicide attempt, getting treatment, therapy groups, how OCD targets numbers for him, Duke shares two spoken word pieces, we discuss type one diabetes, and how OCD latches onto his diabetes, the th...

In episode 413 I chat with 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 what's new with her, Chrissie's OCD research, shame and OCD, themes of OCD and their relationship to shame, the question...

In this midweek special episode I chat with licensed psychologist Dr Katia Moritz of the Neurobehavioral Institute (NBI) in Florida.   We talk about OCD and the holiday season, when excitement becomes a trigger for OCD, making values based choices, therapy homework over the holidays, how family can support their loved ones during the holidays, and much more. Show notes: https://theocdstories.com/e...

In episode 412 I chat with Laura who has kindly agreed to share her OCD story with us.   We discuss her story, relationship themed OCD, going inpatient, getting misdiagnosed, getting effective therapy for OCD, exposure and response prevention therapy (ERP), the inner critic, compassion focused therapy (CFT), and much more. Hope it helps. Show notes: https://theocdstories.com/episode/laura-412   Th...

In episode 411 I chat with Ben Eckstein (LCSW). Ben is a therapist in Durham, North Carolina, specialising in the treatment of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and anxiety disorders. Ben founded his therapy centre Bull City Anxiety, and recently published a book called, 'Worrying is optional'.   We discuss what is rumination, building awareness of when ruminating, keeping a log of rumination, w...

In episode 410 I chat with Benjamin who has kindly agreed to share his OCD story with us.   We discuss his story, sexual intrusive thoughts, existential themed OCD, going into an eating disorder rehab facility, suicidal thoughts, doing exposure and response prevention therapy (ERP), finding help in mixed martial arts, and much more. Hope it helps. Show notes: https://theocdstories.com/episode/benj...

In this midweek special episode I chat with Dr Jon Hoffman of the Neurobehavioral Institute (NBI) in Florida, and Dr Amirsaman Sajad, a neuroscientist at Vanderbilt University.   We discuss what is neuroscience, the difference between brain and mind, what goes on in the brain of OCD, how can neuroscience improve therapy for OCD, the importance of psychotherapy and neuroscience working together, wh...

In episode 409 I chat with Olivia Bamber, Mairéad Ruane, and Shaun Flores. This conversation was recorded live at The OCD Action conference.   You will hear the OCD Action CEO Leigh Wallbank at the start introducing the panel. Thank you to Leigh, Cara, Eden and the rest of the OCD Action team for making it possible. I ask my panel guests about road blocks to recovery, dealing with the highs and lo...

In episode 408 I chat with Jonny Say. Jonny is a UK based therapist and co-director at The Integrative Centre for OCD Therapy.  We discuss an update with Jonny, the concept of acceptance from acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), what do we mean by acceptance, resentment as a compulsion, acceptance misconceptions, blocks to acceptance and navigating them, and much more. Hope it helps.   Show no...

In episode 407 I interviewed Kimberley Quinlan. Kim is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who treats people with OCD and related disorders, Eating Disorders and Body Focused Repetitive Disorders. She runs her own podcast called Your Anxiety Toolkit. She also runs CBTschool.com.  We discuss an update on her, what is meditation, meditation compared to mindfulness, resistances and blocks to med...

In episode 406 I chat with Abi who has kindly agreed to share her OCD story with us.   We discuss her story, sexual intrusive thoughts, compulsive prayer, scrupulosity, emetophobia, trichotillomania, an eating disorder, what's helped her, support from her partner, intimacy and intrusive thoughts, and much more. Hope it helps.   Show notes: https://theocdstories.com/episode/abi-406 The podcast is m...

In this midweek special episode I chat with Dr Dee Franklin of the Neurobehavioral Institute (NBI) in Florida, and Dr David Tolin is the Founder and Director of the Anxiety Disorders Center at the Institute of Living.   We discuss their therapy journey, what is post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), complex PTSD, overlapping symptoms with OCD, high levels of anxiety, how PTSD and OCD interact with...

In episode 405 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 the things Steve wants you to know about OCD recovery, including why the OCD topics are irrelevant, we need to show the brain that the topic i...

In episode 403 I chat with Hannah Leib. Hannah is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and has kindly agreed to share her OCD story with us.   We discuss her OCD story, worries around her Dad, an eating disorder, getting a diagnosis and therapy, starting a support group initiative at college, becoming a therapist, domestic violence, working with OCD in children and adolescents, school anxiety, words...

In episode 402 I chat with Melissa Mose. Melissa is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who treats OCD. Melissa is president of the IOCDF affiliate OCD SoCal. We discuss her therapy story, what is Internal Family Systems therapy (IFS), the idea of parts of us, merging IFS with exposure and response prevention therapy (ERP), OCD being a cluster of parts, thinking about parts of self during exp...

In episode 401 I chat with Nicholas who has kindly agreed to share his OCD story with us.   We discuss his story, his early childhood experiences, substance use, worries about choking, suicidal themed OCD, peadophile themed OCD, going through exposure and response prevention therapy (ERP), group therapy, and much more. Hope it helps.   Show notes: https://theocdstories.com/episode/nicholas-401 The...

In this midweek special episode I chat with licensed psychologists Dr Katia Moritz and Dr Wilfredo Rivera-Perez of the Neurobehavioral Institute (NBI) in Florida.   We discuss what is suicide, some differences between being suicidal and experiencing suicidal OCD, when people experience both suicidal OCD or harm OCD and being actually suicidal, co-occurring disorders that may increase the risk for...

In episode 400 Nami (my wife) chats with me (Stuart, the host of the podcast) about my experience and learnings from the podcast over the last 400 episodes.   We discuss and reflect on the last 400 episodes, what episodes and concepts have stood out to me, my original hopes for the podcast, how the podcast has influenced me, what topics I hope to cover in the future, what I would put on a billboar...