Dan reached out with an audio question to ask about what he can do when his interests and values happen to also be the focus of his obsession. Hijacking your values, hobbies, and interests is a really common tactic of OCD, but does that mean you have to give it all up to get better? What happens then if you value intimacy in a relationship? Is Dan doomed? I discuss what people can do to grow their awareness about their obsessions and how to short circuit the obsession/ compulsion cycle when it hits. However, I also discuss some other, broader, relationship considerations that may be at play.

The post #248- When Obsessions Are Also Your Interests And Values- ROCD Edition appeared first on FearCast Podcast.

Just in case the threats of the Rapture didn’t get you down (or amped up with anxiety) enough, GS comes along to ask the question about what to do, and how to move on with life, now that, apparently, science proves that we have no free will. So, GS struggles to know what to do with this information. Luckily, this isn’t my first rodeo, and I’ve got just the right chaps and spurs for this question. We talk about Existential OCD, what to do with scary information like this, how to challenge the thoughts, and how to live a meaningful life with the looming threat of meaninglessness.

For more about Existential OCD, check out this article from the California OCD and Anxiety Treatment Center.

The post #247- Science Proves We Don’t Have Free Will… Now What?! appeared first on FearCast Podcast.

For today’s episode, I got a relatively simple question; what are the differences between the compulsions and other behaviors found in Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) and how do they differ from those in Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). While this was a pretty quick answer, it spun out into a comparison between OCD and GAD, how they differ diagnostically, and how they are really similar! You can have both, and sometimes it’s hard to see the differences between the two.

For more on Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), check out this article from the California OCD and Anxiety Treatment Center

The post #246- Are Generalized Anxiety Compulsions Different Than OCD Compulsions? GAD vs OCD! appeared first on FearCast Podcast.

Dr Jeremy Shuman, PsyD, joins me today to discuss OCD treatment for those on the Autism Spectrum. Dr. Shuman offers a wealth of knowledge, insights, and encouragement to clinicians, families, and individuals alike. We discuss some of the diagnostic complications with the overlap of OCD and Autism symptoms, obstacles in the way of using CBT and ERP, and ways to adapt common treatment methods for OCD to meet the unique needs of the Autism community.

The post #245- OCD Treatment And The Autism Spectrum With Dr. Jeremy Shuman, PsyD appeared first on FearCast Podcast.

Alan sent me a message asking me about how he can deal with a spike in Real-Event OCD themes. He’s a reporter who used AI to help with his grammar, but his anxiety latched on about violating AI policies at work. He struggles to let go of the obsession and get back to appreciating his craft again. We go over Real-Event OCD and how it differs from other obsessions, the use of AI in treatment, and some ways he can disconnect from his guilt through acceptance and compassionately making space for his anxiety.

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

The post #244- Real-Event OCD: I Used AI And All I Got Was Guilt And Anxiety appeared first on FearCast Podcast.

Annie reached out to me as a follow up to a previous question she had about her toenail fungus and her obsession about it. She noticed that after all her ERP treatment she continues to have an obsession because she continues to get infections! How frustrating!? I talk about the expectations of ERP and anxiety treatment, how we can deal with the possibility (and reality) that bad/ unwanted things happen no matter how much exposure we do, and how to practice acceptance with situations we really don’t want to accept.

The post #243- Toenail Fungus Obsession… Again, and Still! appeared first on FearCast Podcast.

I recently got a follow up question from the Emotional Contamination episode (#240) asking about what to do if/ when someone actually believes their OCD fear is absolutely real. In Therapy-Land, we call this a high Fixity of Beliefs, or their thoughts are highly rigid or fixed. I know a word that doesnt sound like a word. I talk about what can be done when someone has high Fixity of Beliefs, what it looks like, and how treatment is the same and different than in typical OCD/ CBT/ ERP treatment.

The post #242- What If You Actually Believe Your Obsessive Thoughts? appeared first on FearCast Podcast.

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.

The post #241- The National OCD Survey with Dr. Caitlin Pinciotti and Jon Hershfield appeared first on FearCast Podcast.

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.

The post #240- Emotional Contamination For Ellie’s 14 Year Old appeared first on FearCast Podcast.

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.