The OCD Stories

By Stuart Ralph

What's The OCD Stories about?

Welcome to The OCD Stories, hosted by Stuart Ralph. The podcast has been heard over 4million times globally. Check out your first episode from our existing hundreds of episodes featuring experts, and people experiencing symptoms just like you today. If you do, you may just feel understood, heard and possibly help you identify your next step in your own personal journey to healing.

Disclaimer - this podcast is not a replacement for therapy. Please seek treatment from a licensed mental health professional.

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LAST EPISODE

Story: SJ (#373)

03.19.2023

In episode 373 I chat with SJ who has kindly shared their story with us. We discuss their early OCD experiences, nightmares, SJ details many of their compulsions including praying, counting, organising visually, finding good numerical patterns, patterns of 3, ...

The OCD Stories episodes:

03.19.2023 Story: SJ (#373) In episode 373 I chat with SJ who has kindly shared their story with us. We discuss their early OCD experiences, nightmares, SJ details many of their compulsions including praying, counting, organising visually, finding good numerical patterns, patterns of 3, ...
03.12.2023 Story: Jeff (#372) In episode 372 I chat with Jeff who has kindly shared his story with us. We discuss his story, getting a diagnosis, emetophobia, his role as a mental health counselor, suicidal themed OCD, peadophile themed OCD, sexual orientation themed OCD, ...
03.05.2023 Dr Michael Greenberg: Malan’s model of OCD (Part 2) (#371) In episode 371 I chat with Dr Michael Greenberg. Michael is a clinical psychologist who specialises in Rumination-Focused ERP. We discuss what is Malan’s model of OCD, the triangle of conflict and the triangle of the person, he shares why ...
02.26.2023 Story: Kristen Bailey (#370) In episode 370 I chat with Kristen Bailey who has kindly agreed to share her OCD story with us. We discuss her OCD story, how a panic attack triggered OCD, obsessing over hearing songs, harm intrusive thoughts, the fear of ...
02.22.2023 Dr Jonathan Hoffman and Dr Katia Moritz: What is OCD? In this midweek special episode I chat with Dr Jonathan Hoffman and Dr Katia Moritz who run the Neurobehavioral Institute (NBI) in Florida. In this episode we discuss why are we working together, what is OCD?, a discussion around this ...
02.19.2023 Nathan Peterson - Emotional Contamination OCD (#369) In episode 369 I chat with Nathan Peterson. Nathan is an OCD specialist who practices in Allen, Texas. He works with OCD, anxiety, tics and Tourettes, and BFRB’s such as hair pulling and skin picking. He has a YouTube channel ...
02.12.2023 Story: Michael Schramm (#368) In episode 368 I chat Michael Schramm who has kindly agreed to share his OCD story. We discuss his story, his earliest OCD memory, his varying OCD worries in childhood, getting his OCD diagnosis, getting into advocacy for OCD, doing ...
02.05.2023 Dr Chad LeJeune: “Pure O" OCD: Letting Go of Obsessive Thoughts with ACT (#367) In episode 367 I chat with Dr Chad LeJeune. Chad is a professor of psychology at the University of San Francisco, and author of the books The worry trap, and more recently, “Pure O" OCD: Letting Go of Obsessive Thoughts ...
01.29.2023 Dr Michael Greenberg: Malan’s model of OCD (#366) In episode 366 I chat with Dr Michael Greenberg. Michael is a clinical psychologist who specialises in Rumination-Focused ERP. In this episode we discuss Integrating psychoanalytical and behavioural perspectives, OCD and attachment theory, the fear of losing attachment, Malan’s model ...
01.22.2023 Story: Nils Thiessen (#365) In episode 365 I chat with Nils who has kindly agreed to share his story with us. We discuss Nil’s OCD story, including OCD themes: Hit and run OCD, contamination OCD with HIV fears, harm OCD, relationship OCD, and peadophile ...
01.18.2023 The OCD Camp 2023 (UK) Applications are now open for the 2023 camp (UK residents 18 and over). Applications close on the 31st January 2023. If interested please find out more and apply here: https://theocdcamp.com/ Thanks as always for listening! If outside the UK and ...
01.15.2023 Story: Jenny (#364) In episode 364 I chat with Jenny who has kindly agreed to share her story with us. We discuss her OCD story including themes false memory OCD and relationship OCD. Jenny shares her experience of Exposure and Response Prevention therapy ...
01.08.2023 Story: Lydia (#363) In episode 363 I interviewed Lydia who has kindly agreed to share her OCD story with us. In this episode we discuss her story, including OCD themes: religious, relationship, somatic, contamination, peadophile, and health anxiety. Lydia talks about dermatillomania (skin ...
01.01.2023 Jonny Say: Secondary spikes in OCD (#362) In episode 362 I chat with Jonny Say. Jonny is a UK based therapist. We discuss what he learned at the Sigmund Freud museum, secondary spikes in OCD with examples, recycling resistance, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) skills for secondary ...
12.24.2022 Dr Patricia Zurita Ona: ACT for BPD and OCD - super-feelers, and emotional regulation (#361) In episode 361 I chat with Dr Patricia Zurita Ona. Patricia is director of the East Bay Behavior Therapy Center and adjunct professor at the Wright Institute. She is the author of several books including 'Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for ...
12.18.2022 Story: Penny (#360) In episode 360 I interviewed Penny who has kindly agreed to share her OCD story with us. In this episode we discuss her story, sexual orientation themed OCD, relationship themed OCD, figuring out it’s OCD, getting married, Exposure and Response ...
12.11.2022 Dr Steven Phillipson: The top 6 emotions of OCD (#359) In episode 359 I chat with Dr Steven Phillipson. Steven is a licensed clinical psychologist who specialises in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for OCD. Steven is the Clinical Director at the Center for Cognitive Behavioral Psychotherapy in New York. We discuss what's ...
12.04.2022 Story: Jess (#358) In episode 358 I interviewed Jess who has kindly agreed to share her OCD story with us. In this episode we discuss her story, her themes of OCD, her earliest memory of OCD, religious obsessions, health obsessions, some of the ...
11.27.2022 Story: Brooke Miller (#357) In episode 357 I interviewed Brooke who has kindly agreed to share her OCD story with us. In this episode we discuss her story and journey through therapy, medication, exposure and response prevention therapy (ERP), panic, control and OCD, relationship ...
11.20.2022 Dr Amy Mariaskin - OCD and Sexual Intimacy (#356) In episode 356 I interviewed Dr Amy Mariaskin. Amy is a licensed clinical psychologist and director at The Nashville OCD & Anxiety Treatment Center. In this episode we discuss her new book, ways OCD can affect intimacy, when taboo intrusive ...
11.13.2022 Joshua Fletcher (Anxiety Josh) - What is Anxiety? (#355) In episode 355 I interviewed Psychotherapist Joshua Fletcher (Anxiety Josh). We discuss his therapy story and mental health journey including OCD, what is anxiety, adrenaline and cortisol, panic attacks, wilful tolerance, meerkat mode, OCD taboo intrusive thoughts, and much more. ...
11.06.2022 Story: Chris (#354) In episode 354 I interviewed Chris who has kindly agreed to share his OCD story with us. We discuss his OCD Story, depression, how seeing a therapist that didn’t understand OCD triggered his OCD, panic attacks, not being able to ...
10.30.2022 Jon Hershfield: OCD and Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) (#353) In episode 353 I interviewed Jon Hershfield. Jon is a psychotherapist and the director of The Center for OCD and Anxiety, at Sheppard Pratt. He is the author of six OCD books. We discuss what's new with Jon, his new ...
10.23.2022 5 million downloads: 18 guests (Wisdom & Hope) (#352) In episode 352 I invited 18 past guests to share their words of wisdom or hope with you to celebrate reaching 5 million downloads since 2015. Thank you to all my past guests for sharing their stories or expertise, and ...
10.16.2022 Dr Robert Hudak: OCD and Schizophrenia (#351) In episode 351 I interviewed Dr Robert Hudak. Robert is a psychiatrist, and Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the university of Pittsburgh. We discuss his therapy story, what is schizophrenia, what is psychosis, he defines what hallucinations and delusions are, ...
10.09.2022 Charlene Colwell: Integrating ERP with IFS for OCD (#350) In episode 350 I interviewed Charlene Colwell. Charlene is a therapist who uses Exposure and Response Prevention therapy (ERP) and Internal Family Systems therapy (IFS - level 1 trained) for OCD. We discuss her therapy story, what is IFS, how ...
10.02.2022 Story: Anna Geldard (#349) In episode 349 I chat with Anna Geldard who has kindly agreed to share her story with us. We discuss some of her childhood mental health experiences, school anxiety, how OCD affected her work, she details some of her specific ...
09.25.2022 Story: Shaun Flores (#348) In episode 348 I chat with Shaun Flores who has kindly agreed to share his story with us. We discuss his story, how a dream triggered OCD in a big way, sexual orientation themed OCD, suicidal themed OCD, harm themed ...
09.18.2022 Chrissie Hodges: Groinal and other physical symptoms of OCD (#347) In episode 347 I interviewed 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 ...
09.11.2022 Dr Patricia Zurita Ona: Perfectionism and High-Achieving Behaviours (#346) In episode 346 I chat with Dr Patricia Zurita Ona. Patricia is director of the East Bay Behavior Therapy Center and adjunct professor at the Wright Institute. She is the author of several books including her new book ‘Acceptance and ...
09.04.2022 Dr Sam Greenblatt: In the wake of OCD (Trauma, identity, loss) (#345) In episode 345 I chat with Dr Sam Greenblatt. Sam is a licensed clinical psychologist. We discuss an update on his past relapse, his fire metaphor, processing the trauma of OCD, meta OCD, PTSD and OCD, identity and OCD, the ...
08.28.2022 Story: Courtney Newman (#344) In episode 344 I chat with Courtney Newman who has kindly agreed to share her story with us. We discuss her story, going to therapy, learning what OCD is, mental compulsions, harm worries around her family, covid related contamination worries, ...
08.21.2022 Robert Fox: IFS - Witnessing the positive intent of parts (#343) In episode 343 I chat with Robert Fox. Rob is a therapist (LMHC) practicing in Woburn, USA. He specialises in internal family systems and EMDR therapy. We discuss what is internal family systems (IFS), the idea of parts of us, ...
08.14.2022 Dr Steven Phillipson: Sleep… the hostage of anxiety (#342) In episode 342 I chat with Dr Steven Phillipson. Steven is a licensed clinical psychologist who specialises in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for OCD. Steven is the Clinical Director at the Center for Cognitive Behavioral Psychotherapy in New York. We discuss why ...
08.07.2022 Dr Lynne Drummond: Everything you need to know about OCD (#341) In episode 341 I chat Dr Lynne Drummond. Lynne is an honorary consultant psychiatrist at south west London and St George's NHS Trust, and visiting Professor at the University of Hertfordshire. We discuss her therapy story, her new book “Everything ...
07.31.2022 Story: Liam Moore (#340) In episode 340 I chat with Liam who has kindly agreed to share his story with us. We discuss his story, pedophile themed OCD (pOCD), violent intrusive thoughts, attending a support group, grief and loss, learning to see OCD not ...
07.24.2022 Dr Heather Sequeira: Trauma and OCD (PTSD, Complex and Developmental trauma) (#339) In episode 339 I chat to Dr Heather Sequeira. Heather is a consultant psychologist specialising in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). We discuss her therapy story, trauma and OCD, what is post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), what is complex or developmental ...
07.17.2022 Dr Jordan Levy & Dr Tatyana Mestechkina: What if this is not OCD?: Doubting the “Doubting Disease” (#338) In episode 338 I chat Dr Jordan Levy and Dr Tatyana Mestechkina. Both Jordan and Tatyana are licensed clinical psychologists who treat OCD. We discuss their therapy story, we chat about the thought of what if this is not OCD ...
07.10.2022 Story: Geoff (#337) In episode 337 I chat with Geoff who has kindly agreed to share his story with us. We discuss his story, depression, spending 20 years with a traditional psychoanalyst who did not help or recognise OCD within him, the red ...
07.03.2022 Lily Bailey: When I See Blue (#336) In episode 336 I chat with Lily Bailey about her new book ‘When I See Blue’. Lily also wrote the book called, ‘Because We Are Bad’. We discuss her new book, Lily reads us a section of chapter 1 from ...
06.26.2022 Story: Traci (#335) In episode 335 I chat with Traci who has kindly agreed to share her story with us. We discuss her story, misophonia, perfectionism, religious scrupulosity, starting with therapy, ADHD, sexual intrusive thoughts, unwanted arousal, groinal, needing to get therapy perfect, ...
06.19.2022 Jonny Say - Self-compassion, and building up psychological flexibility in OCD treatment (#334) In episode 333 I chat with Jonny Say. Jonny is a UK based psychotherapist. We discuss how he’s doing, Jonny’s mental health and how he practices self-compassion daily, we discuss shame around intrusive thoughts and in doing compulsions, the inner ...
06.12.2022 Dr Roberto Olivardia - ADHD and OCD (#333) In episode 333 I chat with Dr Roberto Olivardia. Roberto is a Clinical Psychologist and Clinical Instructor of Psychology at Harvard Medical School. He also maintains a private psychotherapy practice. We discuss his therapy story, and personal story with ADHD, ...
06.05.2022 Story: Kim and Jack (#332) In episode 332 I chat with Kim and Jack Vincenty who have kindly agreed to share their story, from the perspective of mother and son. We discuss Jack’s story, Kim’s story as the parent, moral scrupulosity, being surrounded by triggers, ...
06.01.2022 Art as healing: A live podcast with Catherine Benfield, Lily Bailey and Laura Johnson In this special midweek episode of the podcast which was recorded at the OCD in Society event recently. I chat with these 3 OCD advocates and artists about who they are, what their creative expression for OCD is, dealing with ...
05.29.2022 Story: Amanda Arulanandam (#331) In episode 331 I chat with Amanda Arulanandam who has kindly agreed to share her story. We talk about her story, growing up catholic, sexual intrusive thoughts, fears of sinning, seeking help from her priest, some of her compulsions, hitting ...
05.22.2022 Dr Amita Jassi: OCD and ASD, and BDD (#330) In episode 330 I chat with Dr Amita Jassi. Amita is a Consultant Clinical Psychologist at the National and Specialist OCD, BDD and Related Disorder Service for Children and Young People (South London and Maudsley NHS Trust). We discuss her ...
05.15.2022 Story: Maya Tadross (#329) In episode 329 I chat Maya Tadross who has kindly agreed to share her story with us. We discuss her OCD story, being in residential treatment, her experiences of exposure and response prevention therapy (ERP), managing OCD alongside studying, living ...
05.08.2022 Dr Russ Harris: Rumination, urge surfing, and dropping anchor (#328) In episode 328 I chat with Dr Russ Harris. Russ is a medical practitioner, author of the international best-selling self-help book ‘The Happiness Trap’ (as well as nine others), and is a world-renowned trainer of Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT). ...
05.01.2022 Story: Elise Petronzio (#327) In episode 327 I chat with Elise who has kindly agreed to share her OCD story with us. We discuss her story, her OCD themes, we chat about mental compulsions, compassion, the problem with comparing recovery journeys, learning to manage ...

Older episodes

The OCD Stories

What's The OCD Stories about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

The OCD Stories episodes:

Story: SJ (#373)

Story: Jeff (#372)

Dr Michael Greenberg: Malan’s model of OCD (Part 2) (#371)

Story: Kristen Bailey (#370)

Dr Jonathan Hoffman and Dr Katia Moritz: What is OCD?

Nathan Peterson - Emotional Contamination OCD (#369)

Story: Michael Schramm (#368)

Dr Chad LeJeune: “Pure O" OCD: Letting Go of Obsessive Thoughts with ACT (#367)

Dr Michael Greenberg: Malan’s model of OCD (#366)

Story: Nils Thiessen (#365)

The OCD Camp 2023 (UK)

Story: Jenny (#364)

Story: Lydia (#363)

Jonny Say: Secondary spikes in OCD (#362)

Dr Patricia Zurita Ona: ACT for BPD and OCD - super-feelers, and emotional regulation (#361)

Story: Penny (#360)

Dr Steven Phillipson: The top 6 emotions of OCD (#359)

Story: Jess (#358)

Story: Brooke Miller (#357)

Dr Amy Mariaskin - OCD and Sexual Intimacy (#356)

Joshua Fletcher (Anxiety Josh) - What is Anxiety? (#355)

Story: Chris (#354)

Jon Hershfield: OCD and Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) (#353)

5 million downloads: 18 guests (Wisdom & Hope) (#352)

Dr Robert Hudak: OCD and Schizophrenia (#351)

Charlene Colwell: Integrating ERP with IFS for OCD (#350)

Story: Anna Geldard (#349)

Story: Shaun Flores (#348)

Chrissie Hodges: Groinal and other physical symptoms of OCD (#347)

Dr Patricia Zurita Ona: Perfectionism and High-Achieving Behaviours (#346)

Dr Sam Greenblatt: In the wake of OCD (Trauma, identity, loss) (#345)

Story: Courtney Newman (#344)

Robert Fox: IFS - Witnessing the positive intent of parts (#343)

Dr Steven Phillipson: Sleep… the hostage of anxiety (#342)

Dr Lynne Drummond: Everything you need to know about OCD (#341)

Story: Liam Moore (#340)

Dr Heather Sequeira: Trauma and OCD (PTSD, Complex and Developmental trauma) (#339)

Dr Jordan Levy & Dr Tatyana Mestechkina: What if this is not OCD?: Doubting the “Doubting Disease” (#338)

Story: Geoff (#337)

Lily Bailey: When I See Blue (#336)

Story: Traci (#335)

Jonny Say - Self-compassion, and building up psychological flexibility in OCD treatment (#334)

Dr Roberto Olivardia - ADHD and OCD (#333)

Story: Kim and Jack (#332)

Art as healing: A live podcast with Catherine Benfield, Lily Bailey and Laura Johnson

Story: Amanda Arulanandam (#331)

Dr Amita Jassi: OCD and ASD, and BDD (#330)

Story: Maya Tadross (#329)

Dr Russ Harris: Rumination, urge surfing, and dropping anchor (#328)

Story: Elise Petronzio (#327)