The OCD Stories

Dr. Michael Greenberg, a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for OCD, shares his personal journey with the disorder. He discusses the fine line between obsession and compulsion, particularly focusing on rumination as a compulsive behavior. Listeners learn strategies to overcome ruminative thoughts, the importance of recognizing core fears, and reframing compulsions as self-protective strategies. Michael emphasizes the power of language in therapy and challenges myths about OCD recovery, offering hope and actionable insights.

In episode 251 I chat with Ashley Annestedt. Ashley is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker specializing in OCD, Anxiety, and Neurobehavioral Disorders. Ashley is licensed to provide therapy in 6 US states, and the founder of Beyond Borders CBT. In this episode I chat with Ashley about what’s new with her, teletherapy, when teletherapy may be useful, how it can help people do exposures where they are triggered, tips for getting the most out of teletherapy, when teletherapy may not be right, using the interactive features of video therapy platforms, tips for therapists transitioning to teletherapy, what to prepare before your first teletherapy session so that is runs smoothly, words of hope, and much much more. Show notes: https://theocdstories.com/episode/ashley-annestedt-teletherapy-for-ocd-251 The podcast is 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

In episode 250 I chat with Justin Hughes. Justin is a licensed professional counsellor in Dallas, Texas who specializes in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). In this episode I chat with Justin about his therapy story, how faith/spirituality and therapy can work together, when OCD shakes someone’s faith, Christian scriptures around fear, worry and uncertainty, working with shame from the taboo nature of intrusive thoughts, living with uncertainty, words of hope, and much much more. Show notes: https://theocdstories.com/episode/justin-hughes-faith-spirituality-religion-ocd-therapy-250 The podcast is 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

In episode 249 I chat with Dr Ivy Ruths. Ivy is a licensed psychologist and licensed specialist in school psychology specializing in treating anxiety, depressive, and OCD-related disorders. In this episode I chat with Ivy about why she got into working with people with OCD, living by ones values, the therapeutic relationship, Exposure and Response Prevention therapy (ERP), the importance of doing therapy homework, living with uncertainty, motivation in therapy, words of hope and much much more. Show notes: https://theocdstories.com/episode/dr-ivy-ruths-therapy-for-ocd-249 The podcast is 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

In episode 248 I chat with Katy Marciniak who has kindly agreed to share her story with us. In this episode I chat with Katy about her OCD story, how seeing a school shooting on TV triggered her harm worries, googling symptoms and finding relief in what she found, going to get professional help, relationship worries that focused on her marriage, finding an OCD specialist and how that helped her, learning to face the things she was avoiding for years, working on a fear of getting pregnant, the process of recovery, how her husband helps her, working hard at self compassion, words of hope and much much more. Show notes: https://theocdstories.com/episode/story-katy-marciniak-248 The podcast is 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

In episode 247 I chat with 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 I chat with Steve about why some people get more from Exposure and Response Prevention Therapy (ERP) quicker than others, what is ERP and why it works, what are some common reasons that complicate the success of ERP, he gives plenty of OCD theme examples, when the need to do therapy right can become a secondary obsession itself, the idea of irrelevance, how the therapeutic relationship can affect treatment outcomes, the importance of homework, the importance of doing response prevention when doing exposures, why it’s ok if you don’t get anxious when doing an exposure, mental compulsions, educating significant others, an ideal mindset for doing ERP, why starting too high up the ERP hierarchy may not be a good thing, why building on success in therapy is helpful, how desperation and control can interfere with therapy, and much much more. Hope it helps. Show notes: https://theocdstories.com/episode/dr-steven-phillipson-things-that-complicate-the-success-of-erp-247 The podcast is 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

In episode 246 I chat with Jaclyn Steinmann who has kindly agreed to share her story with us. In this episode I chat with Jaclyn about her OCD story, suicidal themed obsessions, reassurance seeking, harm obsessions, sexual orientation obsessions, maternal harm obsessions, the different therapies she’s tried, finding Exposure and Response Prevention therapy (ERP), doing ERP with NOCD, the experience of doing teletherapy, how helpful she found ERP, deciding to go on medication for OCD, continuing therapy with a different therapist, what else Jaclyn does to support her mental well being, reducing caffeine and sugar, an existential upbringing, words of hope, and much much more. Hope it helps. Show notes: https://theocdstories.com/episode/story-jaclyn-steinmann-246 The podcast is 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

In episode 245 I chat with Pete Weiss. Pete is a therapist who specialises in the treatment of obsessive compulsive disorder, as well as other mental health disorders. He is the co-founder of camp DCO, an annual OCD wilderness camp. Pete is a graduate of the Behavior Therapy Training Institute (BTTI), and is currently a doctoral candidate at the Institute of Contemporary Psychoanalysis in Los Angeles, where he is working on integrating behavior therapy and contemporary psychoanalytic theory. In this episode we discuss why as a CBT therapist of many years he decided to train in contemporary psychoanalysis, Pete explains his progression of understanding, he uses examples to explain his thinking, how differing levels of trauma may have an input on some peoples OCD, the idea “committee of the mind”, Pete’s perspective on Sigmund Freud’s view of OCD, nature and nurture as influences on OCD, how running his OCD camp influenced him to approach OCD relationally, shame in OCD, connecting with others as a way to process shame, empathy in OCD treatment, the idea around a core fear of death and loneliness, and much much more. Hope it helps. Show notes: https://theocdstories.com/episode/Contemporary-psychoanalysis-and-CBT-is-integration-possible-245 The podcast is 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

In episode 244 I chat with Meg and Matt who have kindly agreed to share their story from the point of view of husband and wife. In this episode we discuss Meg’s OCD story, losing a friend to suicide, contamination and harm worries, having the support of her dog, also getting worries around her dog, finding out it was OCD, going for inpatient treatment, talking with others with OCD, medication, how she never believed she could get to where she has got to, Matt’s story, how Matt supports Meg, how Meg focused on therapy while also being a new parent, relationship boundaries around OCD, words of advice for partners, words of hope and much much more. Show notes: https://theocdstories.com/episode/Story-meg-and-matt-244 The podcast is 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

In episode 243 I chat with Ian Johnson. Ian kindly shares his OCD story with us. In this episode I talk with Ian about his OCD story, homosexual and relationship themed OCD, his childhood experiences, feeling suicidal, playing professional basketball while experiencing OCD, superstitious thinking, getting therapy, opening up and talking about his pain with a therapist, Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), words of wisdom for athletes with OCD, feeling connected with others with OCD, mindfulness, his book The bounce and the echo, words of hope and much much more. Hope it helps.  Show notes: https://theocdstories.com/episode/Story-Ian-Johnson-243 The podcast is 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