Episodes
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#292- When And How Is It “OK” To Gather Information, With Jon Hershfield, MFT
For a while I had a question that I needed answered, so naturally I call up Jon Hershfield, MFT. I often hear from clients in treatment that they are afraid of googling information, asking a question, or otherwise looking up information as it might become compulsive and set them back. But, does...
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#291- Stopping Groinal Sensations Will Prevent Me Harming People, Right?
Marie reached out to ask a few questions. Her main two questions are 1) Can groinal sensations show up in the context of OCD even when they go against someone’s values, and 2) Can I stop monitoring and questioning their meaning without feeling like I’m missing something important? These are two...
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#290- Emetophobia, Treatment, And Recovery With Jaina Cipriano
Documentarian, photographer, and artist, Jaina Cipirano, joined me today to talk all about Emetophobia. Not only is she the creator and director of the upcoming documentary on Emetophobia, she is also someone who has struggled with it, fought it through therapy, and come out the other side in...
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#289- Therapist Thinks I’m Done With Therapy. Am I Really Ready?
Rose reached out to me recently to ask a question that a lot of people also have. Her therapist let her know that she’s doing really well and the therapist thinks Rose is ready to go it alone without therapy. But, is Rose ready? So, how will she know she’s ready? Does she have the right tools?…
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#288- How Can I Tell When I’ve Checked Enough To Move On?
Jason messaged with a question any homeowner has had, and I’m willing to met pretty much anyone around the world has had. He wants to know when “enough is enough” to stop ruminating, checking, and thinking about potential problems around his house. I offer him some suggestions on how to limit his...
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#287- Aboulomania is stopping me from making decisions- Help!
Anna reached out with an audio question (and a follow up email) to ask a question about Aboulomania, or severe difficulty making decisions. She struggles making big choices and finds herself getting stuck. She wants to know how she can start making choices, trusting herself, and getting over this...
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#286-Is Accepting My Past Choices Agreeing That I Am Broken?
Mary messaged me with a question about how she can accept her past choices without having to also accept that she is fundamentally flawed for giving into her compulsion. Real Event OCD can be a monster because it forces you to accept a giant package of information, which all together feels wrong,...
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#285- Self Guided EMDR with Natalia Aiza, LPC
Today I had the pleasure of having on repeat guest, Natalia Aiza, LPC, to talk about her upcoming book for self guided EMDR. Natalia has been on the podcast before to talk about SPACE for children and adults, and her recent book on EMDR outlines what this treatment method looks like, how it…
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#284- Treatment Interfering Behaviors (TIBs) with Alec Pollard, PhD
Today I had the privilege to speak with Dr. Alec Pollard, PhD, and to pick his brain about Treatment Interfering Behaviors, or TIBs. Dr. Pollard is a well known researcher, speaker, and clinician who has a particular interest in helping people who struggle with the treatment process. We discuss...
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#283- ROCD Makes Me Think My Partner Will Leave Or Cheat
Today’s audio question comes from Joey. They ask a question that represents the middle ground between genuine relationship concerns and Relationship focused OCD (ROCD). In their call they note their obsession toward their partner and struggle with fears that their partner will leave or cheat.…
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#282- Can I Have POCD And Be Into Lolicon Anime?
Today’s question comes from Ann who asked a question that I’ve never been asked before. Ann shared that she has been diagnosed with POCD by her psychiatrist, but she questions this diagnosis because she is interested in a niche anime style that portrays young looking, or child coded, characters…
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281- I Overshared, What Do I Do, And Forgiving Myself For These Thoughts
Today I’m answer two questions. Anxious Questioner wants to know how to handle a situation where they shared some details about their OCD and now they are worried it has changed the way the other person views them, and they want to know what to do. To answer this, I do offer some direct advice…
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280- Casadastraphobia/ Phobias: Does Knowing It’s A Thing Make It Worse?
Peyton sent in a great question about their Casadastraphobia, but it also applies to other phobias, and the question is mainly in two parts. First, is it common for people to ignore their phobias because they think it’s just a crazy thought without ever knowing that it is a real fear/ phobia with…
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#279- Is ROCD Making Me More Attracted To Men?
Broken Record sent in an audio question about her struggle with ROCD and SO-OCD. She is struggling with a dilemma; is she actually not attracted to her female partner, or is she more attracted to the male body shape? Did I mention she identifies as Bi-sexual? Either way, she wants to know how to...
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#278- Habitually Checking My Groin, and OCD Causing Self Harm Thoughts
For today, I’m going to answer two questions! The first comes from Alex who wants to know whether his routine of checking his groin for potential arousal, and how it all started, is a normal process for someone with POCD. The next question comes from Salt & Pepper. They want to know whether OCD…
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#277- Rhinotillexomania And Picking The Right Treatment
Pick Me reached out to me to ask a question about picking (every pun intended) the right treatment for their Rhinotillexomania, or compulsive nose picking. I discuss the differences between OCD treatment and the treatment approaches for Body Focused Repetitive Behaviors, or BFRBs. I share a ton…
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#276- Academic Real Event OCD, Or Maybe Just False Guilt?
Marianne reached out with her question about some academic rumination that’s been plaguing her lately. She’s fixated on her time in college and whether or not she was dishonest in her academic performance. But, things aren’t so easy sometimes. The question flips between whether there was anything...
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275- Existential? Derealization? Schizophrenia? What’s The Fear?
Eve from the UK sent in her question in the hopes of trying to figure out what kind of obsession she has and what she can do about it. It seems to hover between the fear of whether or not her reality is real, whether she’s going crazy, whether others will think she’s crazy, or if she’s...
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274- Is This Last Trigger Weird, And Dishonesty ERP Without White Lies?
For today’s questions, I give a short answer to a long question, and a long answer to a short question. The first one has to do with the listener’s curiosity about their current and last hanging-on obsession. They want to know if it’s weird, and if other people deal with it. The next question is…
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#273- If I Know It’s An OCD Thought, Then I Know I’m Not Trans, Right?
Frank reached out recently with a follow up audio question. This time he wanted to know how you know whether it’s OCD thinking, or his rational and reasonable thinking. Simple enough question, right? But, how do you know? Can you know for sure? How much is you and how much is OCD? And is it a...
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#272- Getting Better and Staying Better, with Jenna Overbaugh, LPC
For today’s episode, I was joined by the one and only Jenna Overbaugh, LPC, to talk about what it means to get better from OCD and anxiety disorders, and how to stay better. We discuss the mindset and perspective shift necessary to meaningfully engage in CBT and ERP treatment, face your fears…
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#271- Am I, Or Am I Not, What My Obsession Says I am?
Today’s question was a bit of a tricky one, and deserves a tricky answer. There seems to be a mix of responses across the internet about whether you are what you fear. Some people saying, “No, you are not your fear and your fear is evidence of it not being you because obsessions are…
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#270- Treating Religious Scrupulosity With ICBT, feat. Claire Breedlove, LCSW
For today’s episode, Claire Breedlove, LCSW, joined me to talk about her work treating Religious Scrupulosity among the Latter Day Saints (LDS) population. Claire joined me on episode #189 where she discussed her work in general, but on this episode we do a deeper dive into her use of Inference...
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#269- Is My Porn Use Causing Me Become A Creepy Person?
Cheesecake Destroyer, no that is not their real name (probably), messaged me a question that is more complicated than it seems. They want to know whether their use of porn is causing them to be creepy toward women. They acknowledge they have had this obsession for while, but does that mean they...
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#268- Supporting Good Kids With Moral Scrup, With Elena Fasan, LCSW, and Jenny Foss, MA
To answer today’s audio question, I had on TWO experts on child development and OCD. The questioner who is in the middle of the delicate balance of supporting her daughter’s best moral development while not feeding the Moral Scrupulosity OCD beast. To answer the question I have on Elena Fasan,...
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#267- Is Anthony’s Girlfriend A Gargoyle, Or Is ROCD At It Again?
Anthony sent in an audio question where he shared that he’s having trouble with some thoughts about his girlfriend. He keeps wondering whether or not she’s unattractive, like really unattractive, and not his type. What’s worse is that they are planning on moving in together soon! Is he wasting…
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#265- What If My Values Aren’t Mine, Featuring Lauren Rosen, MFT
Lauren Rosen, MFT, joined me today to help answer Lemon’s question. Lemon wanted to know how she can move forward with her life, pursuing her values, etc., but what if her thoughts and values aren’t really her own? Lauren, the author of The Mental Compulsions Workbook for OCD was the perfect…
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#264- Paranoid Personality Disorder And ROCD Is Not Sophi’s Friend
Sophi sent in her audio question and had a question about how to best deal with this really unhelpful, bad-for-the-relationship, unwelcomed obstacle of ROCD and Paranoid Personality Disorder. This isn’t a common combination that we’ve talked about on the show but she reached out. She asked about...
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#263- ERP For Disordered Eating, What’s An Intrusive Thought, And More
This is a jam packed episode. I answer four questions from listeners across a wide range of topics. We discuss the differences between an obsession and an intrusive thought. Are they different, and if so, how, and is it important? Another listener wants to know whether someone identifying as gay/...
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#262- When “I’m Bisexual” Is Not Enough To Quiet ROCD/ SOOCD
Toblerone Girl messaged me with an audio question recently. Unfortunately, she’s struggling with the dreaded overlap of ROCD and SO-OCD that seem to be made for one another. She notices some genuine feelings, but OCD jumps in and demands the all or nothing of it, and doesn’t take “I’m must be...
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#261- Can I Do All Things Through Christ Who Strengthens Me?
Today I answer a twofer from Katie; both of them Religious Scrupulosity related. The first question is about how can someone “cast their cares on the Lord” and ask God for healing from OCD in a non-compulsive way. She also wants to know how she can “do all things through Christ who strengthens…
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#260- Medication For OCD And Anxiety With Dr. Sanjaya Saxena, MD
Today we are holding off on the questions to dedicate our time to talking about all things medication for OCD and anxiety disorders. Lucky for us, Dr. Sanjaya Saxena, MD, graciously gave his time and expertise to go over an exhaustive amount of information. We talk about what medications are most...
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#259- Chasing Sensorimotor Relief, And It’s Impossible To Deal With Death
John sent in an audio question. He wants to know whether his attempts to control, and even mentally play with, his Sensorimotor OCD obsession is helpful because he was able to do it once and it felt so empowering! Tied in, he wants to know whether he has to resign himself to never feeling fully...
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#258- Struggling With Her Twin Flame, and SO-OCD Or Denial?
I’m answering two questions today. Why not. The first is a follow up audio question from Spiritual Overthinker. She shares how her struggles have deepened as she has started to explore the world of Twin Flames and how her anxiety is preventing her from having an enjoyable relationship with...
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#257- Should We Avoid Others Or Face Taking On Their Obsessions?
For this first episode of 2026, I am answering a Sensorimotor OCD question from Dave. However, as many FearCast questions go, this one also applies to a great many other people struggling with OCD. In addition to wanting to how he can manage his obsessions, he wants to know whether or not he…
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#256- Rubi’s Self Harm OCD and Emily’s Therapist Directed Limerence
For the last episode of the year, I’m going to answer two, that’s right TWO, listener questions. These two questions from Rubi and Emily. They both share very personal obsessions that don’t get talked about a lot, so I’m really honored to have a chance to speak with them. First, Rubi shares her...
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#255- Ed’s Fear Of Being Socially Humiliated
Ed recently sent in an audio question where he expressed a fear of being socially humiliated. This fear was triggered during a conversation with a group of friends where he feared that he would be humiliated later on. So, Ed did the most reasonable thing; ruminate, and later send me this…
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#254- BDD Treatment With Kimbely Quinlan, MFT, and Chris Trondsen, MFT
Today’s episode is an exciting one! Kimberley Quinlan and Chris Trondsen joined me to talk about their new program focused on Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD). These two experts on BDD, eating disorders, and OCD (and pretty much everything else, too) discuss the differences between treating OCD and...
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#253- Your OCD And Tics Will Hate This Episode With Nathan Peterson
Nathan Peterson, therapist, youtuber, educator, and now author, joined me on this episode to talk about his upcoming book and upcoming video program on Tics and Tourettes Syndrome. He was such a delightful guest who was kind enough to come on to share his thoughts on OCD treatment, making…
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#252- Tina’s Question About Partner Focused ROCD
Tina recently reached out to ask a question about what she thinks is Partner Focused ROCD. She struggles with obsessions about her partner and is looking for approval from her friends and others about the relationship. She also finds herself ruminating about her partner and various minutia of…
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#251- How Can Melody Help Her Hypochondriac Boyfriend?
Melody sent me an audio question recently. She wants to know what she can do to best help her boyfriend who is struggling with health anxiety. He is just starting therapy, but she wants to know some best practices on what she can do to be a helpful partner. How great is that?! To answer this, I…
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#250- How Do I Trust My Intuition Again After Awkwardness?
I got an audio question from Burrito John who wanted to know he can deal with a situation. He’s obsessing about whether he actually liked someone, or whether he was just obsessing and didn’t. He is worried he made it awkward with his co-worker and now wonders whether he and trust his intuition...
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#249- How Choices When Young Help SO-OCD Haunt You Later
Jeffrey messaged me and wanted to know how to forgive himself for his obsessions and past choices so he can finally move on with his life past the grip of SO-OCD. His question has a lot going on, and includes elements of shame and guilt from his past behaviors, doubt and confusion about…
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#248- When Obsessions Are Also Your Interests And Values- ROCD Edition
Dan reached out with an audio question to ask about what he can do when his interests and values happen to also be the focus of his obsession. Hijacking your values, hobbies, and interests is a really common tactic of OCD, but does that mean you have to give it all up to get better? What happens...
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#247- Science Proves We Don’t Have Free Will… Now What?!
Just in case the threats of the Rapture didn’t get you down (or amped up with anxiety) enough, GS comes along to ask the question about what to do, and how to move on with life, now that, apparently, science proves that we have no free will. So, GS struggles to know what to do with this...
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#246- Are Generalized Anxiety Compulsions Different Than OCD Compulsions? GAD vs OCD!
For today’s episode, I got a relatively simple question; what are the differences between the compulsions and other behaviors found in Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) and how do they differ from those in Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). While this was a pretty quick answer, it spun out…
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#245- OCD Treatment And The Autism Spectrum With Dr. Jeremy Shuman, PsyD
Dr Jeremy Shuman, PsyD, joins me today to discuss OCD treatment for those on the Autism Spectrum. Dr. Shuman offers a wealth of knowledge, insights, and encouragement to clinicians, families, and individuals alike. We discuss some of the diagnostic complications with the overlap of OCD and Autism...
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#244- Real-Event OCD: I Used AI And All I Got Was Guilt And Anxiety
Alan sent me a message asking me about how he can deal with a spike in Real-Event OCD themes. He’s a reporter who used AI to help with his grammar, but his anxiety latched on about violating AI policies at work. He struggles to let go of the obsession and get back to appreciating his craft again....
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#243- Toenail Fungus Obsession… Again, and Still!
Annie reached out to me as a follow up to a previous question she had about her toenail fungus and her obsession about it. She noticed that after all her ERP treatment she continues to have an obsession because she continues to get infections! How frustrating!? I talk about the expectations of…
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#242- What If You Actually Believe Your Obsessive Thoughts?
I recently got a follow up question from the Emotional Contamination episode (#240) asking about what to do if/ when someone actually believes their OCD fear is absolutely real. In Therapy-Land, we call this a high Fixity of Beliefs, or their thoughts are highly rigid or fixed. I know a word that...
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