What is Shame? An inaccurate & debilitating interpretation of our limitations as humans. Trying to avoid it with perfection makes it worse. In this episode we distinguish shame from guilt and and explore how to override it. 

If we aren't open to experience we miss chances to connect, explore, and learn. Quickly rejecting anything "not just right" costs us enriching experiences.  We explore the concepts of Not Just Right Experience, and Openness to Experience as investigated in the Five-Factor Model of personality. 

Demand sensitivity is a lens which distorts our sense of what others want from us. This lens misinterprets the most benign hopes for us as demands, and we sacrifice out own needs to meet what we mistakenly think are the expectations of others. 

In this episode of the The Healthy Compulsive Podcast we explore the relations between ideals, rules and commandments. People with Obsessive-Compulisve Personality may try to remedy insecurity by becoming overly conscientious. They may convert ideals into commandments, and good guidelines become rigid & destructive. 

Understanding whether you have OCPD can be helpful not only in managing your symptoms, but also finding meaning in your personality. It's also helpful to distinguish between obsessive and compulsive, and obsessions and compulsions. 

Your ego may not be serving you well. But it's not about being egotistical. It's about whether it supports a balanced personality, or insists on control & order.  

Narcissistic and obsessive-compulsive personalities may similar at first glance, but a closer look reveals differences, with implications for treatment and relationships.  

The question you really need to ask yourself when you partner has threatened to divorce you, is not just whether you are ready to divorce, or what you will do to keep your partner. It's also about what you would want to change for your own well-being. 

People with obsessive-compulsive personality are not all alike. Four typical types are leaders, workers, servers, and thinkers. Each type has healthy and unhealthy potential. Developing each of these rather than relying on just one type helps us to live healthier, more balanced lives. 

Vacationing can be a trial for perfectionists, obsessive-compulsives, and Type A personalities. Things rarely go according to plan, and the struggle to let go can be difficult. This episode includes two blog posts:  A Short Guide to Vacationing for Workaholics, Compulsives, and Type A’s, and There Will Be Roosters: A Personal Story about Obsessing.