The Mirage of the 4 Cs of OCD
Chasing the 4Cs of OCD is like being in the desert and chasing the mirage of an oasis that's not really there.
The Best TED Talks for People with OCD: Part 3
Read "The Best TED Talks for People with OCD: Part 3" to learn how you can shift your relationship with anxiety to turn the tables on OCD.
Using ERP Scripting for OCD (aka Imaginal Exposure)
The what, where, why, when, how of how I use ERP scripting (imaginal exposure) for OCD
How to Find an OCD Therapist
Finding an OCD/ERP therapist is often not as easy and straightforward as one might hope, so here are the steps I recommend to help you find a therapist that's right for you.
The Subtle OCD Compulsion You Might Not Know You’re Doing
Read one of the most popular blog posts I've ever written about the subtle compulsion of engaging in OCD-influenced emotions and how it can fuel the compulsive cycle.
Managing Mental Compulsions on Your Anxiety Toolkit
Kimberley Quinlan, LMFT, and I discuss how to manage mental compulsions as part of her 6-part Your Anxiety Toolkit podcast series on managing mental compulsions.
OCD as a Trauma—and How To Fight Back
If you’ve ever felt like you have trauma from having untreated OCD, you’re not alone...and here are some ways to fight back.
Positive News: the opposite of OCD
If the news sounds a bit too much like your OCD, read Positive News for "journalism that inspires."
The “trying on compulsions” compulsion
Thinking about the compulsions you could do, aka "trying on" compulsions, IS an OCD compulsion, even if you don't do them!
A Day of ERP (plus self-indulgence vs. self-compassion)
If you've been engaging in self-indulgence when it comes to your OCD instead of self-compassion, a day of ERP might help you get back on track!
Managing Health Anxiety/OCD
7 tools for managing health anxiety/OCD with exposure and response prevention (ERP) therapy. (And p.s. OCD doesn't have a medical degree!)
The truth about regret, part 2
Learn how to use self-compassion to manage regret when it's riding on the coattails of shame.
Guest post: I see your pain.
Now is the time for the courage to hold space for the pain in the world, to look it in the eye, to say I am here—with you—and I won't turn away.
The truth about regret, part 1
Regret is keeping some secrets from you, and the truth about this common emotion can help set you free.
Act as though OCD is irrelevant
Telling OCD it's irrelevant lets OCD know that you think it's important. Instead, act as though the OCD doesn't matter!
Excerpt from The Self-Compassion Workbook for OCD
Kimberley Quinlan, LMFT, has graciously given me permission to publish an excerpt from one of my favorite parts of her amazing new book, The Self-Compassion Workbook for OCD: Lean into Your Fear, Manage Difficult Emotions & Focus On Recovery.
If you have OCD, you’re more resilient than you think
A recent study reported that “individuals with OCD demonstrate resilience to large-scale crises.” So if you have OCD, you're more resilient than you think!
ERP for OCD: Fun with the Invisible Ink Game
Want to really poke your OCD? Try the Invisible Ink ERP Game!
Escaping the Nursery of Nonstop Negativity
If you have OCD or related disorders, you can use self-compassion to escape from the mental nursery of nonstop negativity.
Marrying Intention and Attention
OCD and your smartphone both send you notifications when they want you to so something, but marrying your attention to your intentions can keep you from getting lost in either the digital world or OCD hell.
The Anatomy of ERP for OCD
So how exactly do I approach ERP (exposure and response prevention therapy) for OCD? I share the process and steps I use as well as the difference between proactive and reactive ERP.
The Attitude of OCD Recovery: COVID-19 and Beyond
Join Reid Wilson, PhD, Ethan Smith, and me to learn more about the attitude of OCD recovery for COVID and beyond!
Breaking out of the OCD cycle: lessons from my younger self
Your younger self may have lessons to teach you about how NOT to get caught in the OCD cycle.
Enjoying the Messy, Uncertain Process
Rushing to get to an outcome—and certainty—makes you miss much of life. Read my latest Psychology Today Beyond the Doubt [...]
A Simple Motivation Trick: This Before That
Having trouble motivating yourself? Try the simple yet effective "this before that" technique!
A Recipe for Suffering
It's unfortunately all too easy to create our own suffering using the tried and true formula of Pain x Resistance = Suffering.
Show yourself some love!
When you have OCD, you might not have had a lot of practice in demonstrating self-love. Knowing your love language can give you a starting point for how to best communicate kindness and compassion to yourself.
The Need to Feel Seen
Not feeling seen is not only invalidating, it's threatening, but there are 5 simple ways you can let others around [...]
Shower Scripting
When life throws curveballs (as it’s been doing to all of us lately!), sometimes I need to either proactively or reactively remind my OCD that I can use scary content as a weapon just as easily as it can. This is when I do an exposure and response prevention (ERP) exercise I call shower scripting.
3 questions about impact of media on mental health
The pandemic has reinforced my OCD’s twisted, negative view of the world. As I've been working to identify what could help me strengthen the healthier worldview I gained through ERP, one activity has risen to the top: changing my intake of news and social media.
Lessons from Love…and Loss…of Lee
On July 14, 2020, I lost my soulmate. My 35-year-old Arabian horse, Speciale Lee, died in the ICU of the University of Georgia Veterinary Teaching Hospital, with me by his side. As I’ve worked to process my grief, I’ve been thinking about all Lee taught me and is continuing to teach me even though he’s gone. Knowing I’m not alone in going through grief right now, as we’re all experiencing loss and grief due to the pandemic, I thought I would share lessons from my love and loss of Lee in hopes that they will bring you as much comfort and hope as they have given me.
Don’t Give OCD Credit for Your Strengths
Giving OCD credit for your strengths is making a deal with the devil. Here's why.
We Don’t Need OCD Now … or Ever
In this era of COVID-19, OCD is being misused ever more frequently, such as “I wish I had a little OCD” or “we need OCD now,” as if having a mental illness is an adaptive benefit that can protect people from becoming infected with coronavirus. As a person who has obsessive compulsive disorder, I can tell you that nothing could be further from the truth.
Respond Instead of React: Managing COVID-19 Anxiety
Borrowing from some cognitive-behavioral therapy tools for anxiety, in my new Psychology Today blog post, Respond Instead of React: Managing COVID-19 Anxiety, I share five ways we can learn to turn our anxious reactions into more useful responses, helping us and our loved ones cope well in this time of crisis.
An Open Letter to My OCD re: COVID-19
My OCD has been extra riled up lately due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so much so that I decided I needed to reestablish my authority over it. After writing my OCD a letter and reading it out loud, I felt empowered, and my OCD has been much quieter as a result.
Expectations for OCD Recovery During the COVID-19 Pandemic
If you have OCD and it’s acting up because of the COVID-19 pandemic, you’re not alone. But don’t let your self-critical voice or OCD get you down if you’re struggling right now. Instead, empower yourself by validating your experience, modifying your expectations, and self-compassionately accepting your OCD recovery efforts.
Managing OCD about Coronavirus
Because of the toll the current coronavirus situation could take on people with OCD, Reid Wilson, PhD; Kimberley Quinlan, LMFT; and I have developed the following tips for managing OCD fears about coronavirus. We hope they will help you feel empowered and supported, so that even in this uncertain time, you can keep OCD from running your life.
3 Ways to Power Up Your OCD Therapy
Over the past couple of years, I’ve noticed that the people who tame OCD most effectively are those who make three strategic shifts in their attitude toward not only exposure and response prevention (ERP) therapy, the evidence-based therapy for OCD, but to life itself. Read 3 Ways to Power Up Your OCD Therapy on my Psychology Today blog to learn what they do.
When Fear Stops Making Decisions for You
I’ve let fear make a fair number of decisions in my life. But no more. I put my shoulders back and do the things I want to do, acting like all the noise in my head is irrelevant. And you can, too!
OCD’s not always wrong—but that doesn’t mean it’s right
Just because OCD gets lucky sometimes does NOT mean it's right, plus what we're really trying to prove with ERP therapy for OCD.
An OCD-Taming Attitude: Making OCD Pass Out
Have you ever thought about taking the same arrogant attitude with your OCD that it takes with you when you do ERP therapy? Watch this video to watch how I approached ERP with a new attitude that helped me turn my life around.
OCD is Not What You Think
What's wrong with saying, "I'm so OCD"? The hypothesis is that when people who have untreated OCD hear other people misuse the name of their disorder, it discourages them from seeking treatment.
#FaceYourFear: Transform your triggers to win
With practice, you can learn to transform your OCD triggers into opportunities where you can #faceyourfear and win.
Turn “I have to” into “I want to”
Words have power, and changing "I have to" to "I want to" can be tremendously empowering.
Ruby Campbell’s Gift to the OCD Community
As we celebrate OCD Awareness Week (#OCDweek), October 13 -19, 2019, let’s keep the memory of Ruby Campbell alive by remembering her [...]
Are You Handcuffed to Your Devices, and Is OCD at Fault?
In an effort to stop rushing around the way Emmy Rossum elegantly captures in her song “Slow Me Down," a little over a month ago I took both The Focus Course and The Margin Course. I wanted to learn how to make better progress on important projects with less racing around and more breathing room. Assignments in both courses asked me to identify distractions that interfered with my ability to focus. I came up with a list of 11 types, including email, my phone, my Fitbit, social media and even OCD...
Q&A for Interrupting OCD’s Mental Rituals with “May or May Not”
Here are the questions submitted about my blog Interrupt OCD’s Mental Rituals with “May or May Not” (MOMN) and my answers.
The Unintended Consequences of Saying OCD Can Be Cured
Realistic expectations of recovery are so important for the well-being of people with OCD. Because if people with OCD have unrealistic expectations they cannot achieve, they are incredibly likely to beat themselves up, which hurts them and their recoveries. Read more on my Psychology Today Beyond the Doubt blog.
Interrupt OCD’s Mental Rituals with “May or May Not”
If you have trouble using Shoulders Back/Man in the Park because you keep transacting with your OCD in your mind, otherwise known as “mentally ritualizing” or what some call “pure-O,” read about an ERP technique that’s a bridge tool to help you develop the strength to do Shoulders Back/Man in the Park effectively.
Q&A for Shoulders Back! The Man in the Park
Here are the questions submitted about my blog post Shoulders Back! The Man in the Park and my answers.