
The OCD Stories
Welcome to The OCD Stories, hosted by Stuart Ralph. The podcast has been heard over 7million times globally. Check out your first episode from our existing hundreds of episodes featuring experts, and people experiencing symptoms just like you today. If you do, you may just feel understood, heard and possibly help you identify your next step in your own personal journey to healing.
Disclaimer - this podcast is not a replacement for therapy. Please seek treatment from a licensed mental health professional.
Latest episodes

Jun 13, 2021 • 39min
Dr Sam Greenblatt - A potential way of improving ERP: habituation model versus inhibitory learning theory (#281)
In episode 281 I interviewed Dr Sam Greenblatt. Sam is a licensed clinical psychologist. I chat with Sam about the effectiveness of exposure and response prevention therapy (ERP), the habituation model of ERP, why habituation isn’t always needed, what is the inhibitory learning theory model of ERP, why has it improved on the habituation model, how inhibitory learning theory looks in a therapy session, and much much more. Hope it helps. Show notes: https://theocdstories.com/episode/sam-greenblatt-281 The podcast is made possible by NOCD. To find out more about NOCD, their therapy plans and if they currently take your insurance head over to https://go.treatmyocd.com/theocdstories

Jun 6, 2021 • 1h 8min
Story: Brian Sullivan (#280)
In episode 280 I interviewed Brian Sullivan who has kindly agreed to share his story with us. I chat with Brian about his story, divorce, bullying, depression, medication, suicidal ideation, working with the wrong therapist, then finding a helpful therapist, hospitalisation and how Brian found that helpful, what Brian has learned in therapy about OCD and life, going back to studying, we talk about Asexuality, words of hope, and much much more. Hope it helps. Show notes: https://theocdstories.com/episode/story-brian-280

May 30, 2021 • 1h 26min
Sheryl Paul - The wisdom of anxiety (and intrusive thoughts) (#279)
In episode 279 I chat with Sheryl Paul. Sheryl is a counselor informed by Jungian depth psychology, and author of the book The wisdom of anxiety. In this episode we chat about her story, transitions such as marriage, birth, death and the anxiety they can bring. We discuss the highly sensitive person, we talk a lot about relationship anxiety, we explore differing views of OCD and the integration of certain therapies with CBT, we discuss a Jungian view of OCD, the spirituality and beauty of ERP (Exposure and Response Prevention) and facing fear as an innate human skill, the timetable of healing, emptiness, the Jungian idea of gathering gold, and much more more. Hope it helps. Show notes: https://theocdstories.com/episode/sheryl-paul-279 The podcast is made possible by NOCD. To find out more about NOCD, their therapy plans and if they currently take your insurance head over to https://go.treatmyocd.com/theocdstories

May 23, 2021 • 52min
Eeva Edds - Loved ones of people with OCD (#278)
In episode 278 I chat with Eeva Edds. Eeva is a licensed professional counselor. In this episode, we talk about her therapy story, what is caregiver burnout, how to prevent caregiver burnout, self-care, understanding your loved one’s experience of OCD, understanding accommodation, how the loved one can help the person with OCD, self-compassion, values, and much more more. Hope it helps. Show notes: https://theocdstories.com/episode/eeva-edds-278 The podcast is made possible by NOCD. To find out more about NOCD, their therapy plans and if they currently take your insurance head over to https://go.treatmyocd.com/theocdstories

May 16, 2021 • 45min
Story: Kyle (#277)
In episode 277 I interviewed Kyle who has kindly agreed to share his story with us. In this episode, we talk about his story, health/contamination worries, panic attacks, work stress, worries of harm coming to his kids, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), Inference Based Therapy (IBT), what else helps him, opening up to his wife, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and much more more. Hope it helps. Show notes: https://theocdstories.com/episode/story-kyle-277 The podcast is made possible by NOCD. To find out more about NOCD, their therapy plans and if they currently take your insurance head over to https://go.treatmyocd.com/theocdstories

May 9, 2021 • 47min
Story: Rachel Huber (#276)
In episode 276 I interviewed Rachel Huber. Rachel has kindly agreed to share her story with us. In this episode, we talk about her OCD story, maternal (Postpartum) OCD, worrying about the health and safety of her children, her therapy journey, and much more more. Hope it helps. Show notes: https://theocdstories.com/episode/story-rachel-276 The podcast is made possible by NOCD. To find out more about NOCD, their therapy plans and if they currently take your insurance head over to https://go.treatmyocd.com/theocdstories

4 snips
May 2, 2021 • 54min
Dr Steven Phillipson: Brain Voice vs Gatekeeper Voice (#275)
In episode 275 I interviewed Dr Steven Phillipson. Steven is a licensed clinical psychologist who specializes in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for OCD. Steven is the Clinical Director at the Center for Cognitive Behavioral Psychotherapy in New York. In this episode, we talk about his thinking around the brain voice vs gatekeeper voice, knowing the difference between the brain voice and the gatekeeper voice, we do a role play using one of the areas that cause me anxiety, he uses this role play to demonstrate the brain voice vs the gatekeeper voice, the idea of writing the headline with the gatekeeper, the paradox of anxiety, self-compassion for the brain voice, and much more more. Hope it helps. Show notes: https://theocdstories.com/episode/dr-phillipson-brain-voice-gatekeeper-voice-275 The podcast is made possible by NOCD. To find out more about NOCD, their therapy plans and if they currently take your insurance head over to https://go.treatmyocd.com/theocdstories

Apr 25, 2021 • 56min
Shai Friedland - OCD in South Africa (#274)
In episode 274 I interviewed Shai Friendland. Shai is a clinical psychologist in Johannesburg, South Africa. He specialising in the treatment of OCD. In this episode we talk about his OCD story, contamination worries, what led him to become a psychologist, we talk about OCD in South Africa, increasing advocacy in the country, living with uncertainty, words of hope, and much more more. Hope it helps. Show notes: https://theocdstories.com/episode/shai-friedland-274 The podcast is made possible by NOCD. To find out more about NOCD, their therapy plans and if they currently take your insurance head over to https://go.treatmyocd.com/theocdstories

Apr 18, 2021 • 1h 1min
Dr Michael Twohig - ACT for OCD (#273)
In episode 273 I interviewed Dr Michael Twohig. Michael is the co-director of the USU ACT Research Group, a licensed psychologist in the state of Utah, and a Professor of Psychology at Utah State University. In this episode I chat with Michael about his research and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) story, his experience of training under Dr Steven Hayes, what is ACT, why he studied ACT initially as a sole intervention for OCD and what he found, he breakdowns the 8 session ACT protocol he used in his research, we talk about psychological flexibility and why it’s important, we talk about cognitive defusion, integrating ACT with Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), how bringing in values into therapy can helpful, some of the metaphors he likes for OCD, and much much more. Hope it helps. Show notes: https://theocdstories.com/episode/michael-twohig-273 The podcast is made possible by and sponsored by NOCD. To find out more about NOCD, their therapy plans and if they currently take your insurance head over to https://go.treatmyocd.com/theocdstories

Apr 11, 2021 • 1h 19min
Story: Elke Atzpodien (#272)
In episode 272 I interview Elke Atzpodien. Elke shared her story in episode 102 back in 2017, and she has come on to give us an update. In this episode I chat with Elke about an update on her story, her experiences of Exposure and Response Prevention therapy (ERP), group therapy, support groups, meeting Margot her therapy buddy, mixing exposure homework with valued activities, stopping asking for reassurance, how her husband had also suffered and decided to go to therapy to help process the 20 years of experiencing OCD in the home, her peer support training, stigma and self stigma, dealing with OCD during supporting her father through cancer treatment, the ideas of OCD treatment that helped her, and much much more. Hope it helps. Show notes: https://theocdstories.com/episode/elke-272 The podcast is made possible by and sponsored by NOCD. To find out more about NOCD, their therapy plans and if they currently take your insurance head over to https://go.treatmyocd.com/theocdstories