OCD Straight Talk

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. 

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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."

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Chris discusses the Cognitive Model and how it applies to depressive and anxious symptoms. Distinguishing between symptoms that we can directly control and symptoms that we can't is an essential first step to making progress. The questions become, Where do you have control? and, What are you doing to feed the bear? 

Feel free to reach out with any questions you might have to [email protected]; or message Chris on Instagram @ocdstraighttalk.

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Chris sits down with Dr. Kathleen Rupertus, Clinical Director of the Anxiety & OCD Treatment Center in Wilmington, DE, and coauthor of the acclaimed Loving Someone with OCD. Together they discuss a range of topics, from the difference between OCD thoughts and real-world concerns, the so-called "disconfirmation of beliefs" in the treatment of OCD versus the concept of accepting uncertainty; and how family members can love and support their symptomatic loved ones without participating in their compulsive patterns.

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

If you've found OCDST helpful, feel free to give us a 5-star rating, and support the podcast to help us produce more content. 

Chris is on Instagram (@ocdstraighttalk)!

On this episode, Chris explains the idea that we're not really doing exposure therapy if we're also doing compulsions (or OCD minus the "C" equals Exposure and Response Prevention), and presents the concept from a few points of view. But some people get stuck on the idea of stopping compulsions. Afterall, certain things are easier said than done. So he provides two pointers. 

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

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Chris sits down with Dr. Edna Foa, a psychological scientist who needs no real introduction. To those who are even somewhat familiar with the literature relative to the treatment of OCD, the anxiety disorders, and posttraumatic stress disorder, Dr. Foa is internationally recognizable as one of the great contributors to evidence-based psychotherapy. She is among those who will go down in psychological history as one of the greats. 

Two schools of thought are apparent among OCD- and anxiety disorders-treatment specialists. Nowhere are these differences more visible than at the issue of "the disconfirmation of beliefs" vs. the acceptance of uncertainty. Listeners to the podcast will hear subtle references to these schools of thought. 

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

If you've found OCD Straight Talk helpful, feel free to give us a 5-star rating, and support the podcast to help us produce more content. 

Chris discusses the symptomatologic reality that individuals can't manage their anxiety and manage their compulsions: they're either working to keep their anxiety in check, and in so doing they're engaging compulsions; or they're identifying, resisting, and preventing compulsions when they feel anxious, and facing the anxiety head-on. They can't do both; and neither can you.  Feel free to reach out with any questions you might have to [email protected]. And view my recent interview with the Anxiety Commander at (6) OCD Interview with Chris Leins | OCD Treatment Specialist - YouTube. If you've found OCD Straight Talk helpful, feel free to give us a 5-star rating, and support the podcast to help produce more content.