Why talk therapy can make OCD worse
Because our executive reasoning capabilities go offline when we're in the throes of OCD, talking about the content of obsessions tends to make OCD worse.
Keeping your OCD recovery strong: the ERP lifestyle
What I've learned in the almost 15 years of my OCD recovery is the more I live a lifestyle of ERP and the less I interact with OCD either physically or mentally, the fewer intrusive thoughts I have, and the more my life stays my own.
Your guide to ERP therapy for OCD
Understanding and addressing the shades of grey in both how OCD manifests and how we approach and implement ERP therapy can truly help us supercharge our efforts and our recoveries. I've selected the posts for this guide from the more than 100 I've written in the past decade because they highlight the most important of these nuances, these spaces between the black and the white that can give you the biggest OCD recovery rewards.
Motivating yourself to do ERP therapy for OCD
Here are some creative strategies you can use to motivate yourself to do ERP for OCD.
A new response to trauma and PTOCD
Watch my talk from the 2024 IOCDF Conference to find out how I learned first-hand that post-traumatic growth is available to those of us with intertwining OCD and PTSD, otherwise known as post-traumatic 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!
Self-punishment as an OCD ritual
The belief that we're bad can turn into its very own sub-type of OCD: self-punishment as a ritual. Here's how you can use an expected type of exposure and response prevention therapy (ERP) to break free.
The OCD blame game
When was the last time you blamed someone or something for a negative occurrence in your life? I’m asking because I used to be an expert at blaming (both myself and other people), and for that I blame (yes, pun intended) my OCD.
Managing climate anxiety
Worried about climate change and/or the environment? You're not alone! Climate anxiety, or eco-anxiety, is manageable, and in this post, I share how to get started.
OCD, self-criticism, and wearable technology
I share some of my own examples of how wearables and OCD can interact, as well as criteria you can use to make decisions about whether wearable technology is right for you and your OCD recovery.
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.
The truth about people pleasing
You don't have to have OCD to engage in people pleasing, but people with OCD often end up participating in this compulsive behavior of doing things for others for fear-based reasons.
How to Maintain OCD Recovery Gains
A four-step process to turn OCD triggers into opportunities to make your OCD recovery stronger.
Why Doing ERP Homework Matters to Your OCD Recovery
What if you knew why doing your ERP exercises for OCD was so important? What if you understood how it was helping you take back your life? Then doing your ERP homework would seem a lot more motivating, which is what this blog post is all about!
Overcoming Optimization OCD: Your productivity does not equal your worth
Your productivity does not equal your worth! Learn about optimization OCD and how to use ERP, exposure and response prevention therapy, to overcome this mix of OCD, feelings of unworthiness, and workaholism.
Post-traumatic OCD: When OCD and PTSD Intertwine
I'm joined by Dr. Caitlin Pinciotti of Baylor College of Medicine for this blog post about post-traumatic OCD: what it is, current research about it, how it's treated, things to know for your recovery journey, and where to find treatment.
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 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.