We've all learned real skills from watching YouTube videos and listening to podcasts. Some of us have earned college, and even graduate degrees in asynchronous university programs, in which we've read and wrote and watched prerecorded lectures. The idea of DIY-learning is not new. What if there were a way for you to learn a structured process and formal, therapeutic skills? What if you could be your own behavior-therapist and treat your own OCD or anxiety-symptoms? OCD Straight Talk is launching Subscriber-Based Content that will walk users through the same process that Chris uses in therapy. Chris will walk with you as you put together, and do your own exposures. He'll not just encourage you as you work to stop compulsions, but even help you identify them in the process. You'll even be able to measure the severity of your symptoms as you go, to confirm that you're making progress. 

If you've found OCD Straight Talk helpful, consider giving this a shot. The fee is $4.99 monthly; and there's no commitment. What do you have to lose ... other than the severity of your symptoms? 

Subscribe at: https://anchor.fm/chris-leins/subscribe

MAJOR OCD STRAIGHT TALK ANNOUNCEMENT coming tomorrow.

Chris responds to a listener's question, and discusses the concepts of distinguishing between obsessional and ruminitive thinking in so-called "pure-o OCD, and of mental contamination. 

feel free to reach out with any questions you have to [email protected].

Chris responds to a patient's question, Is one compulsion better than another? Good question. The short answer is, No; but the long answer is, Yes. 

Feel free to reach out with any questions you might have to [email protected].

If you've found OCD Straight Talk helpful, consider giving us a 5-star rating, and supporting the podcast to help us produce more content.

**Major OCD Straight Talk announcement coming November 1, 2022.

Chris discusses the question of, After I stop compulsions and mental rituals (e.g., ruminating), and I stop arguing with my thoughts, what I am supposed to do with them? The answer is not easy but simple. He ultimately presents a hard truth: the unabated acceptance of the future's uncertainty. 

Feel free to reach out with any questions you might have to [email protected]

If you've found OCD Straight Talk helpful, consider giving us a 5-star review, and supporting the podcast to help us produce more content. 

*** Big OCD Straight Talk Announcement coming November 1, 2022.

Chris discusses a really common response OCDers have to their intrusive thoughts. The conversations we have with ourselves can often happen almost outside of our conscious awareness. Certain responses can be instinctive or reflexive. But does that mean that they're not compulsive? But wait, does it mean they are? These are important questions, as arguing with our compulsions can be a very common response to the experience of obsessions. 

Feel free to reach out with any questions you might have to [email protected].

If you've OCD Straight Talk helpful, consider giving us a 5-star rating, and supporting the podcast to help us produce more content.

Chris deals with a common question in therapy: What do I do: I have anxiety, not OCD. The Cognitive Model provides a useful roadmap for understanding anxiety-related symptoms; and it offers a practical, step-by-step guide for beginning to change their severity. 

Feel free to reach out with any questions you might have. [email protected]

If you found OCD Straight Talk helpful, consider giving us a 5-star rating and supporting the podcast to help us produce more content.

Chris responds to a listener's question about how to manage "just right"-OCD. It's important, first and foremost, to remember that OCD is OCD; and although OCD often appears in so-called "subtypes," the condition is largely treated the same way. Chris explains how just right-OCD is distinct from other subtypes, and discusses managing the "feeling" of "just right."

Feel free to reach out with any questions you might have. 

If you've found OCD Straight Talk helpful, consider giving us a 5-star rating, and supporting the podcast to help us produce more content. 

At the request of a listener, Chris returns to the question of, How do I stop ruminating? He provides a specific technique, but explains the importance of first distinguishing between different kinds of thinking. It is a compulsion to block intrusive thoughts; but it is not a compulsion to stop a compulsion (e.g., rumination). 

Feel free to reach out with any questions you might have. [email protected]; @ocdstraighttalk.

If you've found OCD Straight Talk helpful, consider giving us a 5-star rating, and supporting the podcast to help us produce more content. 

Chris responds to a question regarding perceived memory loss and obsessional distress, and incorporates various clinical observations and explanation into his response. 

Feel free to reach out with any question you might have to [email protected], or @ocdstraighttalk.

If you've found OCD Straight Talk helpful, consider giving us a 5-star rating, and supporting the podcast to help us produce more content. 

Chris discusses his understanding of the dreaded phrase, "I can't" in relation to the resistance of compulsions, and discloses his battle with OCD. But an important difference is to be highlighted between the notion that you can't and the empowering idea that you won't. One points to power and therefore the possibility of a different tomorrow. 

Feel free to reach out with any questions you might have to [email protected], or @ocdstraighttalk.

If you've found OCDST helpful, consider giving us a 5-star rating and supporting the podcast to help us produce more content.