Moral Scrupulosity OCD — When Your Brain Decides You're a Bad Person

Are you a terrible person, or does your brain just really, really want you to think so? This week Jess and Laura get into moral scrupulosity OCD — the subtype where intrusive thoughts aren't about harm or contamination, but about your fundamental character, your values, and whether you've done something unforgivable.Laura gets personal about her own moral OCD compulsions (yes, really), and they unpack why this subtype hits so differently — the shame, the thought-action fusion, and why reassurance-seeking feels almost morally necessary in itself. Plus: a detour into horse willies, a neurodivergent shout-out, and an unexpectedly deep dive into manifesting.🧠 Brain Spam, an Exposure Lab, and a listener question about supporting a loved one with moral OCD round things out nicely.Podcast by Laura Mole, Adv. Dip, MBACP OCD specialist therapistandJessica Hayes, Msc PGDip, BABCP Accred OCD and perinatal specialist therapistEdited by Laura MoleTime stamps00:43 Stuff you might Google with Moral scrupulosity OCD02:50 Introduction and catch up09:00 Brain 🧠 Spam14:30 Horse willies15:30 What moral OCD is18:00 Laura's moral OCD compulsions 26:30 Why does it feel so bad?28:11 What if i have actually done something bad?31:35 Differences in therapy to help moral OCD; tolerating uncertainty, compassion, and thought-action-fusion. 40:46 Autistic shout-out42:00 OCD irony44:25 Manifesting and OCD50:22 Question from a listener: Supporting a loved one59:02 Exposure Lab1:02:45 Upcoming episode themes 1:03:23 Goodbyes Get in Touch:Got intrusive thoughts to share or questions for us:Email us at [email protected] us on Instagram and Tiktok: @justcheckingpodFor our individual OCD pages, you can find Laura on Tiktok and Instagram as @ocdtherapylaura and Jess as @jess_helps_your_ocdPlease check out our privacy policy https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YJZ4Sdh4OpxjRR9twGY6dOMH9n55Mq6qTqLBxOtN3Fw/edit?usp=sharing Content Warnings:We do reference some thoughts that people may find distressing so please listen with caution if this is you, and take a break if you need to. Disclaimer This podcast provides educational content only and is not a substitute for professional mental health support, please contact a mental health professional for advice and support.