The OCD Stories

In episode 548 I chat with Rebecca and Dr Jeremy Rowe. Rebecca kindly agreed to share her OCD story and her therapy work with Dr Jeremy Rowe with us. Jeremy is a chartered psychologist and clinical director of Ark Psychology, a UK-based independent practice providing specialist OCD treatment, ADHD and autism assessments, psychological therapy, and coaching. With over 25 years' experience across the NHS, private practi...

In episode 547 I chat with Nathaniel Wood. Nathaniel is an English professional mixed martial artist who competes in the UFC. He has kindly agreed to share his OCD story with us.

We discuss his OCD story, hit and run themed OCD, intrusive thoughts, health anxiety, religious themed OCD, medication, fighting in the UFC, having things to focus on, therapy, what helps Nathaniel, words of hope and m...

In episode 546 I chat with Dr Peter Aston. Dr. Pete Aston is a Clinical Assistant Professor at Stanford University School of Medicine, where he specialises in the treatment of OCD, health anxiety, and related conditions using exposure and response prevention (ERP). He is also the co-founder of California Psychology Center, a Bay Area group practice focused on OCD and anxiety disorders. In addition, Pete...

In episode 545 I chat with Duke Al. Duke is a spoken word artist and OCD advocate.

In this episode Duke reads some of his poems about OCD and explains the meanings behind them, including a new one partially inspired by a bit of my own story, he talks the power of poetry, and how he used poetry as a self-therapy, and much more. Hope it helps.

Poems read:

Poetry and rhyme 

In episode 544 I chat with Nicole Sophia who has kindly agreed to share her OCD story with us. 

We discuss suicidal themed OCD, getting diagnosed young, meeting Dan Siegel, sexual orientation themed OCD, relationship themed OCD, her music, mental compulsions, feeling her feelings, self-compassion, making friends with her OCD, expressing through being a singer song writer, using humour, and much more...

In episode 543 I chat with Jonny Say. Jonny is a UK based therapist and co-director at The Integrative Centre for OCD Therapy. 

We discuss self-compassion, integrating self-compassion into exposure and response prevention therapy (ERP), some benefits of self-compassion, the inner critical voice, shame, real event themed OCD, Jonny guides us through an exercise in self-compassion to the past, and muc...

In episode 542 I chat with Blakely Hunze-Austin. Blakely is a licensed professional counselor in the states of Colorado and Tennessee. She obtained her master's degree in clinical mental health counseling with a concentration in addictions. She's a nationally certified counselor who specializes in sex therapy, eating disorders, trauma, and OCD. She enjoys working with LGBTQIA, kink, and poly/ENM communities. She is co...

In episode 541 I chat with Brad Stulberg who has kindly agreed to share his OCD story with us. Brad is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who writes about mastery, meaning, and excellence.

We discuss his OCD story, beginnings of his OCD, health obsessions, self-harm themed OCD, finding a therapist for his OCD, exposure and response prevention therapy (ERP), acceptance and commitment therap...

In episode 540 I interview Alex Habens. Alex is a BABCP Accredited CBT Therapist, Clinical Supervisor and OCD Specialist. He also works with myself at The Integrative Centre for OCD Therapy.

We discuss why he became a therapist and his own OCD experiences, what is compassion focused therapy (CFT), compassion more generally, integrating CFT into OCD treatment, shame, connecting with compassion, fears bloc...

In episode 539 I interview Katie d'Ath. Katie is a cognitive behavioural therapist with a special interest in Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and anxiety disorders. She is also the co-author of "Managing OCD with CBT for Dummies"  and she has a popular YouTube channel where she shares OCD videos.

In this episode we discuss ...

In episode 538 I chat with Dr Ronald Nicholson. Ron is a clinical psychologist.

We discuss why he doesn't use somatic and sensorimotor OCD labels interchangeably, why he likes the label of sensory OCD, core fear vs the content, the idea of taking the B grade, the obsessions and compulsions around this theme, using exposure and response prevention therapy (ERP) on this theme, exposure scripting, and much ...

In episode 537 I chat with Shannon who has kindly agreed to share her OCD story with us. 

We discuss her earliest OCD memory, various themes of OCD, existential themed OCD, worrying everyone is an 'non-playable character (NPC)', finding out it was OCD, starting therapy for OCD, doing therapy homework, postpartum OCD, support groups, non-engagement responses, shame and much more. Hope it helps. 

In episode 536 I chat with Dr. Fugen Neziroglu. Fugen is a board-certified cognitive and behavior psychologist and the Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Bio Behavioral Institute in Great Neck, NY. Fugen has published more than 150 papers in scientific journals and authored or co-authored 15 books.

We discuss her rich background in the field of OCD, being mentored by the late Dr Edna Foa, the dosag...

In episode 535 I chat with Michael who has kindly agreed to share his OCD story with us. 

We discuss his OCD story, nightmares in childhood, relationship themed OCD, the onset of his OCD, harm themed OCD, getting therapy, experiencing a health condition, medical trauma, health anxiety, balancing real health conditions with health anxiety, trauma and OCD (PTOCD), living life and making choices, doing...

In episode 534 I chat with Rachel Kuchem Woodward (LCSW). Rachel is the owner of Re-Viving Lives Counseling, in Fort Worth. Rachel is a therapist holistically and clinically treating girls and women since 2019. Having her own 20+ year personal journey with OCD, Rachel is passionate about treating sufferers of OCD and educating faith circles on OCD, bridging the gap between biblical and clinical circles around this top...

In episode 533 I chat with Dr Steven Phillipson and his patient Sean. 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. He is joined by one of his patients, Sean, who has kindly agreed to share his story.

We discuss Sean's OCD story, Steve discusses the idea of Sarnos (psy...

In episode 532 I chat with Dr Sorcha O'Connor. Sorcha is a neuroscientist and PhD graduate from Imperial College London, where she led the PsilOCD study investigating low-dose psilocybin for OCD. 

We discuss Sorcha's background that led her to this work, what is psilocybin, the background to the study, what the actual study looked like for participants, the outcomes of the study, what's happening in...

In episode 531 I chat with Alex who has kindly agreed to share his OCD story with us. 

We discuss his OCD story, suicidal themed OCD, inference-based cognitive behavioural therapy (I-CBT), worries of harming others, existential themed OCD, how his wife helped, meditation, low self worth, understanding the past, peadophile themed OCD, health anxiety, self compassion, and much more. Hope it helps.&nbs...

In episode 530 I chat with Amy who has kindly agreed to share her OCD story with us. 

We discuss relationship themed OCD, harm themed OCD, contamination themed OCD, realising that what was going on was OCD, compulsions, disordered eating, how her husband helped, finding the OCD community, doing exposure and response prevention therapy (ERP), medication, and much more. Hope it helps.

Sh...