FearCast Podcast

Today’s episode is all about SPACE Treatment! Natalia Aiza, LPC, joined me to talk about her expertise using SPACE, or Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions, to help adolescents and parents better address anxiety and OCD. Natalia went through the treatment method, discusses how it differs from traditional Exposure and Response Prevention Treatment, addresses resistant children and teens and their resistant parents, how to address accommodation, and how to successfully end treatment. This was a wonderful interview with a ton of great and usable information. For more information about SPACE: https://www.spacetreatment.net Breaking Free Of Child Anxiety And OCD by Dr. Eli Lebowitz: https://a.co/d/8gwlrag The post #201- SPACE Treatment With Natalia Aiza, LPC appeared first on FearCast Podcast.

Today is so special, I thought I’d answer two listener questions! The first comes from a listener who is questing themselves as they notice they have the urge to Google someone they admire or look up to. Are they being wildly creepy, or is OCD accusing them of being a terrible person? Next comes an audio question from Cynthia who asks about how she can deal with her obsessions attacking her genuinely held interests. Are her hobbies and leisure ruined forever? For more on morality focused OCD, check out this article on Moral and Religious Scrupulosity from the California OCD and Anxiety Treatment Center The post #200- Am I Creepy Or Just Morally Obsessed, And OCD Ruining Interests appeared first on FearCast Podcast.

Today’s audio question comes from Spiritual Overthinker who has won the lottery with a wonderful guy with whom she clicks with on a deep, spiritual level. But, as it happens sometimes, OCD suddenly is showing up and making her question the relationship, herself, and their future together! What is she to do? I offer her some suggestions, guidance, and encouragement to challenging her distorted thoughts, leaning on her values, and living what she believes is true and right (all while ignoring OCD’s nonsense). To learn more and Religious and Moral Scrupulosity, check out this article on Scrupulosity from the California OCD and Anxiety Treatment Center The post #199- The Universe Put Us Together, But ROCD and SOOCD Is RUINING IT! appeared first on FearCast Podcast.

Today’s audio question comes in from Doubting Debbie who asks a great question: is this thought she’s having legitimate and worth investigating, or is it just an obsession and nonsense manifestation of her OCD? While a great question, sometimes with ROCD, SO-OCD, or pretty much any obsession, there can be many things going on work acknowledging, challenging, and accepting. The post #198- Is This Gut Instinct Legit Or Just My OCD? appeared first on FearCast Podcast.

Today’s question comes from Overthinker. She asks the question about how to beat her SO-OCD. She’s confident she’s narrowed down the core fear, she’s in therapy, she’s working on exposures and taking all the right steps, but she’s missing an important step that I try to highlight. This was a longer question, and unfortunately I didn’t realize there was a bunch of noise and background hiss in the recording, but hopefully you find it helpful and spot some ways Overthinker could do to help her in her progress too! For more on Sexual Orientation OCD (SO-OCD), check out this article from the California OCD and Anxiety Treatment Center The post #197-Trying To Beat SO-OCD, Despite All These Compulsions! appeared first on FearCast Podcast.

Today’s audio question comes from Frank. He wants to know whether Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) therapy can be helpful to someone who is actually in denial of their sexuality. Frank identifies as a cis-gay male, but obsesses about whether or not he is actually trans. So, is Frank actually trans and in denial, or is he obsessing about being trans and is who and how he identifies? I do my best to respectfully and delicately offer my thoughts. For more on Sexual Orientation OCD (SO-OCD), check out this article from the California OCD and Anxiety Treatment Center The post #196- Can ERP Be Helpful To Someone Who Is In Denial? appeared first on FearCast Podcast.

Today’s audio question comes from a listener who wants to know whether or not OCD can make them feel depressed, or if they just have depression, or if they have depression and OCD. Either way, Ab, the questioner, shares her deep struggle with feeling overwhelmed by a sense of depression alongside her other obsessions. This question gets a little personal for me, but I share some ideas on what she can do in the face of her experience, how to maintain a grounded perspective through depressive slumps, and how to thrive despite her struggle. The post #195- Depression, Or OCD Making Feel Depressed, Or Both? appeared first on FearCast Podcast.

Today’s episode is a timely one. I had the privilege of speaking with Elena Fasan, LCSW, about anxiety in kids, teens, and adolescents as they return to school. This was a fun conversation that addresses concerns for kids and parents from elementary school to college and touches on subjects of college pressure, perfectionism, social anxiety, OCD, and shame. The post #194- Back To School Anxiety In Kids, Teens, And Adolescents With Elena Fasan, LCSW appeared first on FearCast Podcast.

Today’s question comes from Tom. He messaged me and asked these questions three. How can he deal with the guilt and shame of having his particular taboo obsession and testing it compulsively? Should he tell his girlfriend about them? And finally, what if his obsession is no obsession at all, but what he actually wants? I hear questions like this all the time, and I’m willing to bet there are people out there who are struggling with similar questions and obsessions. The post #193- Guilt And Shame, Groinal Sensations, And Confessing It All? appeared first on FearCast Podcast.

For today’s episode, I answer two listener questions. The first question is about whether people with Scrupulosity tend to exaggerate their reassurance questions. I answer broadly about reassurance tendencies and address how someone struggling with this type of compulsion can work to reduce it. Next, I answer a question from someone struggling with SO-OCD following a friend trying to convince her that she’s actually a lesbian. The post #192- Quirks Of Reassurance, and Friend Convincing Her She’s Gay appeared first on FearCast Podcast.