Treatment Resistant OCD: Building The Ultimate 8

Treatment Resistant OCD: 3 courses of therapy, 9 medications, and still needing help. Carl stopped waiting for the system and built his own. Samantha Bray, LCSW sits down with Carl, an OCD advocate from a small village in the UK, to walk through the eight pillar system he built for himself. The OCD Practice: https://www.youtube.com/@TheOCDPractice  Work with Samantha: https://www.ocdinsights.com/workwithme | All Episodes: https://www.ocdinsights.com/podcast Episode 6 | OCD Insights Content Note: this episode includes an open, educational discussion of contamination OCD, intrusive thoughts about accidentally harming others including one's own children, psychiatric medication, and alcohol use as a way of coping. About Carl Carl is an OCD advocate based in the UK and the creator of the YouTube channel The OCD Practice. He has lived with severe, treatment resistant OCD for years, was not diagnosed until his thirties, and has completed three rounds of group CBT with ERP and tried nine medications across six classes. Episode Description Rather than sit on another waitlist, Carl built something. He calls it the Ultimate 8: eight pillars with one job, to support his OCD recovery and overall wellness when there is virtually no clinical support available. Pillar one is ERP, which he calls both the most important and the hardest part. The other seven exist to take the edge off it and augment the ERP. The Ultimate 8 is a protocol Carl designed for himself while stuck between treatment courses. ERP, ACT values work, and mindfulness are the evidence based cornerstones. The lifestyle pillars are scaffolding that make the hard part more bearable and more effective for him. Connect With Carl YouTube, The OCD Practice: https://www.youtube.com/@TheOCDPractice Connect With OCD Insights Website: https://ocdinsights.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@OCDInsights Substack: https://ocdinsights.substack.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ocdinsights/ You'll Discover - Why OCD comes in waves, and a therapist's ocean analogy for the days you feel back at square one - What group ERP is genuinely like, including the social push that helps people go further - Carl's ERP Triple Threat: exercise, then the exposure, then a genuinely enjoyable reward - How ACT values work turns recovery from shrinking symptoms into building a life - What good partner support looks like: humor, listening, and a firm no to reassurance Timestamps 00:00 Intro 1:47 The childhood rituals nobody named 7:30 Two hours in the snow, and the day he was diagnosed 9:44 Medication, and the first round of CBT with ERP 11:41 Inside group ERP 15:05 The 2024 wave, and the whirlpool at the edge of the drain 19:30 Paddling or up to your neck, and the question of cure 27:47 Nine medications across six classes 29:56 Detached mindfulness, and the telephone you let ring 34:48 How the Ultimate 8 came together 42:35 What OCD took: cooking, lightning rods, and the fear of blame 50:41 Cold exposure as physical ERP 1:03:30 ACT values, and building a life so full OCD gets pressed to the edges 1:14:31 The OCD Practice, and how Carl's wife supports him   If this one lands with you, follow OCD Insights wherever you listen and leave a short review. It is how other people who feel like they have run out of options find their way here. Music licensed through PremiumBeat. "Bubble Shot" Code: QTI4W2UFPIY8CCPI Share Your OCD Story There are two ways to take part in OCD Insights. You can apply to be a guest and share your OCD journey, the messy, real, human parts of it, because your story could be exactly what someone else needs to feel less alone and find hope. Or you can send in a question to be answered on the show, either written or recorded as a short voice memo. Apply to be a guest or submit your question at ocdinsights.com/asksam (voice memos can also be emailed to [email protected]). Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for therapy, clinical diagnosis, or professional mental health treatment. If you are struggling, please seek support from a qualified mental health professional. © OCD Insights™