In episode 483 I chat with Dr Jonathan Abramowitz. Jonathan is a clinical psychologist with a private practice in Chapel Hill, NC specializing in the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). He is also Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of North Carolina. And author of several books including Getting over OCD, The family guide to getting over OCD, and Living well with OCD. 

We discuss his latest research on postpartum OCD, his new book - Living well with OCD, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), urge surfing, competing responses, self monitoring, defusion, self compassion, inference-based CBT (I-CBT), words of hope, and much more. Hope it helps. 

Show notes: https://theocdstories.com/episode/jon-483

The podcast is made possible by NOCD. NOCD offers effective, convenient therapy available in the US and outside the US. To find out more about NOCD, their therapy plans and if they currently take your insurance head over to https://learn.nocd.com/theocdstories 

Join many other listeners getting our weekly emails. Never miss a podcast episode or update: https://theocdstories.com/newsletter  

Thanks to all our patrons for supporting our work. To sign up to our Patreon and to check out the benefits you’ll receive as a Patron, visit: https://www.patreon.com/theocdstoriespodcast 

In episode 482 I chat with Rebekah who has kindly agreed to share her OCD story with us. 

We discuss her early compulsions, trauma, an eating disorder, social anxiety and depression, agoraphobia, panic, being told she wouldn’t recover, her mum advocating for her, involuntary hospitalisation, diagnosis, joining support groups, exposure and response prevention therapy (ERP), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), harm and contamination OCD, dealing with shame, premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), what helps her, her advocacy, and much more. Hope it helps.

Show notes: https://theocdstories.com/episode/rebekah-482

The podcast is made possible by NOCD. NOCD offers effective, convenient therapy available in the US and outside the US. To find out more about NOCD, their therapy plans and if they currently take your insurance head over to https://learn.nocd.com/theocdstories 

Join many other listeners getting our weekly emails. Never miss a podcast episode or update: https://theocdstories.com/newsletter  

Thanks to all our patrons for supporting our work. To sign up to our Patreon and to check out the benefits you’ll receive as a Patron, visit: https://www.patreon.com/theocdstoriespodcast 

In episode 481 I chat with Zoey who has kindly agreed to share her OCD story with us. 

We discuss fears of choking and swallowing, obsessing over her partners porn use, therapy, exposure and response prevention therapy therapy (ERP), aligning therapy with her values, body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), seeing her therapist through NOCD, and much more. Hope it helps. 

Show notes: https://theocdstories.com/episode/zoey-481

The podcast is made possible by NOCD. NOCD offers effective, convenient therapy available in the US and outside the US. To find out more about NOCD, their therapy plans and if they currently take your insurance head over to https://learn.nocd.com/theocdstories 

Join many other listeners getting our weekly emails. Never miss a podcast episode or update: https://theocdstories.com/newsletter  

Thanks to all our patrons for supporting our work. To sign up to our Patreon and to check out the benefits you’ll receive as a Patron, visit: https://www.patreon.com/theocdstoriespodcast 

In episode 480 I chat with Chrissie Hodges. Chrissie is a Peer Support specialist, founder of OCD Gamechangers, and Author of ‘Pure OCD: The Invisible Side of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder’. Chrissie was awarded the hero award at the 24th IOCDF conference in San Fran.

We talk advocacy, censorship, stigma, the need for advocates to talk about all experiences of OCD to normalise all experiences including taboo themes, the difficulties of opening up, how cancel culture may have hindered advocacy, encouragement to share the whole picture of OCD, the topic of advocacy or influencer, how to handle criticism online, having an advocacy mission statement, and much more. 

Show notes: https://theocdstories.com/episode/chrissie-480 

The podcast is made possible by NOCD. NOCD offers effective, convenient therapy available in the US and outside the US. To find out more about NOCD, their therapy plans and if they currently take your insurance head over to https://learn.nocd.com/theocdstories 

Join many other listeners getting our weekly emails. Never miss a podcast episode or update: https://theocdstories.com/newsletter  

Thanks to all our patrons for supporting our work. To sign up to our Patreon and to check out the benefits you’ll receive as a Patron, visit: https://www.patreon.com/theocdstoriespodcast 

In episode 479 I chat with Jonny Say. Jonny is a UK based therapist and co-director at The Integrative Centre for OCD Therapy. 

We discuss an update on him, we talk about ideas for when people struggle with therapy for OCD. We discuss the length of therapy, he normalises the time frame, trying other approaches, therapists, or a combination of therapies. Increasing motivation through active reflection, building up skills around psychological flexibility, self compassion, and much more. 

Show notes: https://theocdstories.com/episode/jonny-479

The podcast is made possible by NOCD. NOCD offers effective, convenient therapy available in the US and outside the US. To find out more about NOCD, their therapy plans and if they currently take your insurance head over to https://learn.nocd.com/theocdstories 

Jonny ACT and compassion skills training for therapists: https://www.integrativecentreforocd.co.uk/live-trainings-therapists/act-and-compassion-skills-for-erp-and-ocd-recovery-with-jonny-say 

Join many other listeners getting our weekly emails. Never miss a podcast episode or update: https://theocdstories.com/newsletter  

Thanks to all our patrons for supporting our work. To sign up to our Patreon and to check out the benefits you’ll receive as a Patron, visit: https://www.patreon.com/theocdstoriespodcast 

In episode 478 I chat with Dr Josh Spitalnick. Josh is a licensed psychologist, owner and clinical director at the Anxiety Specialists of Atlanta, an outpatient clinic. He is co-author of “The Complete Guide to Overcoming Health Anxiety”.

We discuss what’s new with him, his book, the title of the book, this idea of mental health - health anxiety, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), exposure and response prevention therapy (ERP), living life regardless of fears, social media’s impact on health anxiety, the different variations of health anxiety, therapy for health anxiety, and much more. Hope it helps. 

Show notes: https://theocdstories.com/episode/josh-478

The podcast is made possible by NOCD. NOCD offers effective, convenient therapy available in the US and outside the US for children and adults. To find out more about NOCD, their therapy plans and if they currently take your insurance head over to https://learn.nocd.com/theocdstories 

Join many other listeners getting our weekly emails. Never miss a podcast episode or update: https://theocdstories.com/newsletter  

Thanks to all our patrons for supporting our work. To sign up to our Patreon and to check out the benefits you’ll receive as a Patron, visit: https://www.patreon.com/theocdstoriespodcast 

In episode 477 I chat with Jakob who has kindly agreed to share his OCD story with us. 

We discuss his story, panic, derealisation, the fear of ‘going crazy’, existential OCD, his advocacy work, exposure and response prevention therapy (ERP), and much more. Hope it helps.  

Show notes: https://theocdstories.com/episode/jakob-477

The podcast is made possible by NOCD. NOCD offers effective, convenient therapy available in the US and outside the US. To find out more about NOCD, their therapy plans and if they currently take your insurance head over to https://learn.nocd.com/theocdstories 

Join many other listeners getting our weekly emails. Never miss a podcast episode or update: https://theocdstories.com/newsletter  

Thanks to all our patrons for supporting our work. To sign up to our Patreon and to check out the benefits you’ll receive as a Patron, visit: https://www.patreon.com/theocdstoriespodcast 

In episode 476 I chat with Megan who has kindly agreed to share her OCD story with us. 

We discuss her story, worries of choking, hyperawareness of swallowing, her compulsions, other themes including existential and religious OCD, accepting and navigating relapses, OCD getting in the way of medication, health anxiety and fears of other mental health conditions, low insight, thoughts of suicide, and much more. Hope it helps. 

Show notes: https://theocdstories.com/episode/megan-476

The podcast is made possible by NOCD. NOCD offers effective, convenient therapy available in the US and outside the US. To find out more about NOCD, their therapy plans and if they currently take your insurance head over to https://go.treatmyocd.com/theocdstories

Join many other listeners getting our weekly emails. Never miss a podcast episode or update: https://theocdstories.com/newsletter  

Thanks to all our patrons for supporting our work. To sign up to our Patreon and to check out the benefits you’ll receive as a Patron, visit: https://www.patreon.com/theocdstoriespodcast 

In episode 475 I chat with Nate Gruner and Meaghan Cleary. Nate is a staff behavioural therapist at the obsessive-compulsive disorder institute at McLean hospital. Meaghan is a licensed mental health counselor and a registered dance and movement therapist. She is also a behavioural therapist and group facilitator at the obsessive-compulsive disorder institute at McLean hospital. 

We discuss what is functional analytic psychotherapy (FAP), the rules of FAP, using the therapeutic relationship to create change in OCD, what FAP looks like in a session, case examples, the therapist training we are running through the centre I co-run, integrating FAP with exposure and response prevention therapy (ERP) and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), why I’m interested in FAP, and much more. Hope it helps. 

Show notes: https://theocdstories.com/episode/nate-and-meaghan-475 

FAP training for therapists: https://www.integrativecentreforocd.co.uk/live-trainings-therapists/fap-for-ocd

The podcast is made possible by NOCD. NOCD offers effective, convenient therapy available in the US and outside the US. To find out more about NOCD, their therapy plans and if they currently take your insurance head over to https://go.treatmyocd.com/theocdstories

Join many other listeners getting our weekly emails. Never miss a podcast episode or update: https://theocdstories.com/newsletter  

Thanks to all our patrons for supporting our work. To sign up to our Patreon and to check out the benefits you’ll receive as a Patron, visit: https://www.patreon.com/theocdstoriespodcast 

In episode 474 I chat with Catherine Goldhouse. Catherine is a licensed independent clinical social worker (LICSW) who specialises in anxiety, OCD, and relationships. 

We discuss Catherine’s OCD story, inference-based CBT (I-CBT), exposure and response prevention therapy (ERP), reality sensing, the idea that I-CBT cares about the why, this concept of the feared self, understanding the concept of inferential confusion, the question of whether you can combine ERP and I-CBT, and much more. Hope it helps. 

Show notes: https://theocdstories.com/episode/catherine-474

The podcast is made possible by NOCD. NOCD offers effective, convenient therapy available in the US and outside the US. To find out more about NOCD, their therapy plans and if they currently take your insurance head over to https://go.treatmyocd.com/theocdstories

Join many other listeners getting our weekly emails. Never miss a podcast episode or update: https://theocdstories.com/newsletter  

Thanks to all our patrons for supporting our work. To sign up to our Patreon and to check out the benefits you’ll receive as a Patron, visit: https://www.patreon.com/theocdstoriespodcast