Today’s episode feature Dr. Caitlin Pinciotti, PhD, and Jon Hershfield, MFT in our discussion of the National OCD Survey. The goal of the National OCD Survey is to gather information about the demographic differences in OCD subtypes across the United States in alignment with identified cultural groupings within the United States. This was a really fun episode to record and is full of fascinating information about OCD and the way people experience it differently.

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Ellie reached out to ask about how to help her 14 year old who is struggling with a fear of becoming like other people. Emotional Contamination the name we often apply to the OCD subtype where someone is afraid they will take on the unwanted characteristics of other, or specific, people. To help, I discuss what Emotional Contamination is, how obsessions and compulsions sometimes present, and what Exposure and Response Prevention looks like in these cases.

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Ward emailed me to share a struggle he’s going through related to his SO-OCD. He notes that he’s in therapy and making progress, but the anxiety is impacting his performance in the bedroom and his libido is much lower than he wants. Anxiety can have serious negative impacts on someone’s sexual life. I discuss how the expectations of sexual performance impacts performance, how health and lifestyle changes can help with overall anxiety and subsequently sexual performance, and some exposure ideas to help him along the way.

For more about Sexual Orientation OCD (SO-OCD), check out this article from the California OCD and Anxiety Treatment Center

The post #239- SO-OCD Is Leading To Troubles In The Bedroom. Help! appeared first on FearCast Podcast.

Payton reached out with a voice question on Instagram with a question that a lot of people who listen to this podcast can understand. She struggles with what she believes is Hyperawareness OCD/ Sensorimotor OCD and is fixated on the fact that she can see the tip of her nose. While it may seem harmless, like all other obsessions in the category, she agonizes over her awareness of it, when it will go away, and whether it will ruin her future. So, it’s hardly just about her nose being there, it’s about her future not being there.

For more on Sensorimotor OCD and Hyperawareness OCD, check out this article from the California OCD and Anxiety Treatment Center

The post #238- Will Payton Ever Be Able To See Life Past Her Nose Again? appeared first on FearCast Podcast.

Alana messaged me recently and asked about how she can tackle her perfectionism. It’s stopping her from sending in assignments, writing papers, and even makes her write down all the words she hears to make sure she knows them. Perfectionism can be awful, time consuming, and shame inducing. To try to help, I discuss perfectionism, some things to think about when challenging the thoughts that support perfectionism, and offer some exposure ideas.

The post #237- Alana’s Perfectionism Is Driving Her Nuts! appeared first on FearCast Podcast.

Ever wonder what it’s like to be the partner of someone with Relationship OCD (ROCD)? Well, one listener did too, and they reached out to me and asked if I could have someone on to talk about their experience. So, Danielle Cohen, LMFT, joined me to talk about her experience with someone who struggles with ROCD. Danielle was kind enough to share her experience, her struggles, and her wins, which she shares with her husband, over ROCD’s efforts to derail them.

The post #236- Being The Other Person In An ROCD Relationship With Danielle Cohen, LMFT appeared first on FearCast Podcast.

Rick reached out to me recently to ask a very simple question with a not-so-simple answer. He wanted to know if it’s normal to have intrusive thoughts on purpose? It got me thinking about a lot of my clients who ask similar questions about their thoughts and why they have them and what their responsibility is to them. Did they want them, so they came? Now that they are there, are they really THEIR thoughts, or just a thought that have? Why do those thoughts go away when they are doing other things? So many questions, so I got into intrusive vs intentional thoughts, what they mean for us, and what we can do about them.

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Abby reached out to me via Instagram to ask a question that starts off a little Harm OCD, but ends up a little Sensorimotor/ Hyperawareness OCD. She wants to know how to deal with her intrusive, looping thoughts that focuses on harm related thoughts toward a family member. She knows it’s her OCD, so she’s not doing compulsions, but she hates that they are even there. Does she need to do ERP, and if so how? I offer some ideas on how she can approach the situation with some Cognitive Behavioral Therapy skills, some ACT skills, and of course offer some ideas on exposures she can try.

To Learn More About Harm OCD, Check Out This Article From The California OCD And Anxiety Treatment Center

The post #234- How Do I Stop, And Do ERP With, These Looping Violent Thoughts appeared first on FearCast Podcast.

M messaged me recently to ask about a situation that is all too common. They struggle with POCD, but are terrified to go see a therapist for treatment because what if the therapist 1) doesn’t diagnose them with POCD but actually thinks they are their worst fear, and 2) they actually are their worst fear and they don’t fully and clearly communicate their symptoms and they mistakenly get diagnosed with POCD and not… you know… that other thing. Either way, it’s a fear of getting misdiagnosed, not getting the right treatment, and suffering needlessly. This happens with POCD as well as any number of other taboo subtypes, so it is very relatable across the board.

For more about POCD, check out this article from The California OCD and Anxiety Treatment Center

The post #233- POCD: What If Therapist Actually Thinks I’m… You know?! appeared first on FearCast Podcast.

Struggling Artist emailed me with an admittedly long question. They want to become a full time artist but are struggling to take the leap because their Religious and Moral Scrupulosity OCD is trying to overtake their life. Obsessions about moral perfection are leading to checking compulsions, donating art sales profits, excessive confession, and mental rumination. Can they learn to work around it, or are they doomed to give up on their dream?

For more about Moral Scrupulosity and Religious Scrupulosity, check out this article from The California OCD and Anxiety Treatment Center

The post #232- How Can I Be A Full Time Artist Without Scrupulosity Destroying Me? appeared first on FearCast Podcast.