Harm OCD: When Your Brain Screams "Monster" (You're Not One), Loss of Control, and/or Bad Things Happening to Loved Ones

If your intrusive thoughts have ever convinced you that you're secretly dangerous- welcome to Harm OCD. This is the subtype that makes loving, gentle people terrified of their own minds.This week Jess and Laura dig into one of the most misunderstood and shame-soaked corners of OCD- where caring deeply about not hurting anyone gets twisted into "proof" that you might. Harm OCD can include a fear of harming others, yourself, or a fear that harm will/has come to others because of you- this episode explores it all.We talk about what these thoughts actually sound like, why "possible" doesn't mean "probable," and why your brain treats a passing thought like a five-alarm fire. We also get into the messier stuff- anger, allergy and poisoning fears, and the compulsions that quietly creep in when you're trying to "just be sure." Plus: what real exposure work looks like for harm OCD, how to rebuild trust in yourself, and why badly-pitched exposures can do more harm than good.As always, there's Brain Spam, an Exposure Lab, a listener question, and a bit of social media chaos courtesy of Laura.Trigger warning: Please note that this episode contains discussions around harm and suicide, so please listen with caution.Podcast by:Laura Mole, Adv. Dip, MBACP OCD specialist therapistandJessica Hayes, Msc PGDip, BABCP Accred OCD and perinatal specialist therapistEdited by Christian NicksonTime Stamps:00:34 What we cover today01:26 Hellos and introductions02:42 Brain Spam07:02 What harm OCD thoughts sound like08:06 Compulsions in harm OCD 08:57 Harm OCD misunderstandings10:00 What if you experience anger with harm OCD?11:14 Common harm OCD themes12:29 Possible vs probable13:56 The meaning of harm OCD themes16:10 Why does it feel so real?18:10 How do we know you won't hurt someone?19:45 OCD vs actual risk of harm 24:15 Common compulsions for harm OCD28:44 Allergy and poisoning fears 29:39 What does therapy look like for harm OCD?33:31 Harm exposures or behavioural experiments 35:07 Trusting yourself again37:00 How exposures can be pitched wrong 39:00 Building up exposures and behavioural experiments 41:55 Harm OCD summary43:15 Laura's social media backlash 44:30 Next episode teaser 45:40 Compassionate work and rebuilding your life47:28 Question from the listeners 49:15 Exposure Lab53:20 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.