You Want Me to Want My Anxiety During OCD Therapy?
While wanting anxiety takes OCD's power and makes it our own, it's not a fake construct we're using to fool OCD. Instead, it's how we live our lives when we're pursuing meaning.
Motivating yourself to do ERP therapy for OCD
Here are some creative strategies you can use to motivate yourself to do ERP for OCD.
I was held hostage and scammed because I’m a therapist. Don’t let it happen to you!
I was held hostage and scammed because I'm a therapist. Here's how to recognize the scam so it doesn't happen to you. Plus....forgiving those who hurt us and becoming anti-fragile!
Empowering & hopeful book recommendations
Three books I've enjoyed and recommend—even though they have nothing to do with OCD—to help you feel more empowered, hopeful, and optimistic. Also, find out more about your own primal world beliefs and how they might change over time.
My Top 5 OCD-Taming Tips for Fred’s 5th anniversary
Five OCD-taming tips in celebration of the five-year anniversary of my memoir, Is Fred in the Refrigerator? Taming OCD and Reclaiming My Life!
Is your brain deceiving you? | Ashley Smith’s TEDx Talk
Is your brain deceiving you? If you have OCD, you'll probably say yes, but you may be unaware that your brain's deception can go far beyond OCD.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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!
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
#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 [...]
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.
Shoulders Back! The Man in the Park
The man in the park metaphor is one I use all the time with clients to explain how to most effectively handle OCD.
The Best Ted Talks for People with OCD
I wrote a 5-part series for my Beyond the Doubt Psychology Today blog called The Best TED Talks for People with OCD, plus an additional post related to Part 4 about how to feel more connected to others.
The Hidden Power of Swearing at Your OCD
Three ways to use the art and science of cursing to power up your recovery. Read this post on my [...]
Attitude Matters If You Want to Beat OCD
What manspreading, "c is for center," and a Buddhist equation mean for recovery. Read this post on my Beyond the [...]
Aha! Moments from Frozen
When I was a little girl, I used to daydream that I had fantastic, magical powers. I would imagine myself [...]
Aha! Moments from Amy Cuddy’s TED Talk: Your body language shapes who you are
Watching Amy Cuddy's TED Talk, "Your body language shapes who you are," gave me an aha! moment about a new way [...]
Aha! Moments from StrengthsFinder 2.0
OCD can be a little overwhelming at times. You can feel like your whole life is defined by OCD [...]