Claim OwnershipFearCast Podcast
Subscribed: 117Played: 3,800
Subscribe
© <copyright>Copyright 2021 Foss Psychological Services, Inc. </copyright>
Description
The Podcast answering your questions about anxiety and OCD recovery
270 Episodes
Reverse
This is a jam packed episode. I answer four questions from listeners across a wide range of topics. We discuss the differences between an obsession and an intrusive thought. Are they different, and if so, how, and is it important? Another listener wants to know whether someone identifying as gay/ lesbian can still have Sexual Orientation OCD, or is that just a straight people thing? One listener wants to know whether ERP is a good idea to help treat their disordered eating and/ or eating disorder. Finally, someone kinda shares a success story that ends up being a question about how to deal with Casadastraphobia.
The post #263- ERP For Disordered Eating, What’s An Intrusive Thought, And More appeared first on FearCast Podcast.
Toblerone Girl messaged me with an audio question recently. Unfortunately, she’s struggling with the dreaded overlap of ROCD and SO-OCD that seem to be made for one another. She notices some genuine feelings, but OCD jumps in and demands the all or nothing of it, and doesn’t take “I’m must be bisexual” as a reasonable label. I discuss some ways she can consider the situation and offer some exercises that may help her develop a new relationship with her thoughts.
To learn more about Sexual Orientation OCD (SO-OCD), check out this article from the California OCD and Anxiety Treatment Center
The post #262- When “I’m Bisexual” Is Not Enough To Quiet ROCD/ SOOCD appeared first on FearCast Podcast.
Today I answer a twofer from Katie; both of them Religious Scrupulosity related. The first question is about how can someone “cast their cares on the Lord” and ask God for healing from OCD in a non-compulsive way. She also wants to know how she can “do all things through Christ who strengthens me” while also exerting her own will on her OCD recovery. Is using her own willpower subverting God’s impact on her recovery, and is a true believer supposed to rely only on God and nothing else for recovery? I do my best to address this from a faith and mental health perspective in order to build her confidence that OCD treatment for Religious Scrup is an act of faith.
For more on Religious Scrupulosity, check out this article from the California OCD and Anxiety Treatment Center
The post #261- Can I Do All Things Through Christ Who Strengthens Me? appeared first on FearCast Podcast.
Today we are holding off on the questions to dedicate our time to talking about all things medication for OCD and anxiety disorders. Lucky for us, Dr. Sanjaya Saxena, MD, graciously gave his time and expertise to go over an exhaustive amount of information. We talk about what medications are most effective, first line treatments, supplemental medication, how to best communicate with your doctor, and much more. He offered a wealth of information and I am so thankful for this new resource for listeners.
The post #260- Medication For OCD And Anxiety With Dr. Sanjaya Saxena, MD appeared first on FearCast Podcast.
John sent in an audio question. He wants to know whether his attempts to control, and even mentally play with, his Sensorimotor OCD obsession is helpful because he was able to do it once and it felt so empowering! Tied in, he wants to know whether he has to resign himself to never feeling fully “OK.” Emma also sent in a message about how to deal with the idea of death and the impossibility of getting a conclusive, definitive answer to her questions.
The post #259- Chasing Sensorimotor Relief, And It’s Impossible To Deal With Death appeared first on FearCast Podcast.
I’m answering two questions today. Why not. The first is a follow up audio question from Spiritual Overthinker. She shares how her struggles have deepened as she has started to explore the world of Twin Flames and how her anxiety is preventing her from having an enjoyable relationship with boyfriend, or whatever OCD wants her to call him. Next I answer Ella’s question about what she can do with her SO-OCD. She fears, well maybe believes, that she is actually in denial of her sexuality, and she’s pretty certain ERP therapy won’t work. These are two really difficult questions that I do my best to help offer some alternative perspectives and encouragement, albeit snarky at times.
The post #258- Struggling With Her Twin Flame, and SO-OCD Or Denial? appeared first on FearCast Podcast.
For this first episode of 2026, I am answering a Sensorimotor OCD question from Dave. However, as many FearCast questions go, this one also applies to a great many other people struggling with OCD. In addition to wanting to how he can manage his obsessions, he wants to know whether or not he should avoid others out of fear that he may take on their Sensorimotor obsession, or should he wait until he is more resilient. I offer him some suggestions on how to approach building his resiliency as he continues fighting his symptoms and discuss ways he can practice acceptance, redirection, and confidence building that applies to all struggling with anxiety.
For more about Sensorimotor OCD, check out this article from the California OCD and Anxiety Treatment Center.
The post #257- Should We Avoid Others Or Face Taking On Their Obsessions? appeared first on FearCast Podcast.
For the last episode of the year, I’m going to answer two, that’s right TWO, listener questions. These two questions from Rubi and Emily. They both share very personal obsessions that don’t get talked about a lot, so I’m really honored to have a chance to speak with them. First, Rubi shares her struggle with Self Harm OCD and whats to know some practical ways she can deal with them. After that, I address Emily’s question. She has noticed a rise of Limerence that has directed itself toward her therapist. How can she continue working with her therapist and making progress while battling this growing obsession?
The post #256- Rubi’s Self Harm OCD and Emily’s Therapist Directed Limerence appeared first on FearCast Podcast.
Ed recently sent in an audio question where he expressed a fear of being socially humiliated. This fear was triggered during a conversation with a group of friends where he feared that he would be humiliated later on. So, Ed did the most reasonable thing; ruminate, and later send me this question. I discuss this fear broadly as a worry that straddles the line between OCD and Social Anxiety while focusing on using CBT, Exposure and Response Prevention, and some mindfulness to help him deal with this fear.
The post #255- Ed’s Fear Of Being Socially Humiliated appeared first on FearCast Podcast.
Today’s episode is an exciting one! Kimberley Quinlan and Chris Trondsen joined me to talk about their new program focused on Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD). These two experts on BDD, eating disorders, and OCD (and pretty much everything else, too) discuss the differences between treating OCD and BDD, and why specialized treatment for BDD is necessary in a way that is encouraging, positive, light, and direct. Together they share stories of people struggling with BDD and offer ideas on what treatment can look like for others struggling with their BDD. This was a fun conversation and I always come away learning so much myself.
The post #254- BDD Treatment With Kimbely Quinlan, MFT, and Chris Trondsen, MFT appeared first on FearCast Podcast.
Nathan Peterson, therapist, youtuber, educator, and now author, joined me on this episode to talk about his upcoming book and upcoming video program on Tics and Tourettes Syndrome. He was such a delightful guest who was kind enough to come on to share his thoughts on OCD treatment, making recovery feel achievable, and helping people looking for easy to use and understand resources. Nathan’s videos have helped untold amounts of people with his straightforward and encouraging messaging about how to face OCD and anxiety without feeling overwhelmed and pressured.
The post #253- Your OCD And Tics Will Hate This Episode With Nathan Peterson appeared first on FearCast Podcast.
Tina recently reached out to ask a question about what she thinks is Partner Focused ROCD. She struggles with obsessions about her partner and is looking for approval from her friends and others about the relationship. She also finds herself ruminating about her partner and various minutia of their appearance and mannerisms. I talk about a little about what Partner Focused ROCD is and offer her some guidance on what she could consider moving forward.
The post #252- Tina’s Question About Partner Focused ROCD appeared first on FearCast Podcast.
Melody sent me an audio question recently. She wants to know what she can do to best help her boyfriend who is struggling with health anxiety. He is just starting therapy, but she wants to know some best practices on what she can do to be a helpful partner. How great is that?! To answer this, I try to highlight the importance of communication between her and her boyfriend and working together to establish clear boundaries of what she can do and what she’s not willing to do to be supportive. I also discuss the importance of knowing about health anxiety so she isn’t surprised when anxiety tries to weasel its way into the relationship.
For more on Hypochondria and Health Anxiety, check out this article from the California OCD and Anxiety Treatment Center.
The post #251- How Can Melody Help Her Hypochondriac Boyfriend? appeared first on FearCast Podcast.
I got an audio question from Burrito John who wanted to know he can deal with a situation. He’s obsessing about whether he actually liked someone, or whether he was just obsessing and didn’t. He is worried he made it awkward with his co-worker and now wonders whether he and trust his intuition about whether he genuinely likes someone or whether OCD is just clouding his judgment. This question comes up in a lot of different ways so I’m glad John asked it.
The post #250- How Do I Trust My Intuition Again After Awkwardness? appeared first on FearCast Podcast.
Jeffrey messaged me and wanted to know how to forgive himself for his obsessions and past choices so he can finally move on with his life past the grip of SO-OCD. His question has a lot going on, and includes elements of shame and guilt from his past behaviors, doubt and confusion about motivations for said actions, confusion about titles and identity, and a struggle with a sticky comment made by someone when young that served as the basis for his obsession. I do my best to address some of these issues and help him see how his obsession was created, how it persists, and how he can try to let himself off the hook and move on with his life.
For more about Sexual Orientation OCD (SO-OCD), check out this article from the California OCD and Anxiety Treatment Center
The post #249- How Choices When Young Help SO-OCD Haunt You Later appeared first on FearCast Podcast.
Dan reached out with an audio question to ask about what he can do when his interests and values happen to also be the focus of his obsession. Hijacking your values, hobbies, and interests is a really common tactic of OCD, but does that mean you have to give it all up to get better? What happens then if you value intimacy in a relationship? Is Dan doomed? I discuss what people can do to grow their awareness about their obsessions and how to short circuit the obsession/ compulsion cycle when it hits. However, I also discuss some other, broader, relationship considerations that may be at play.
The post #248- When Obsessions Are Also Your Interests And Values- ROCD Edition appeared first on FearCast Podcast.
Just in case the threats of the Rapture didn’t get you down (or amped up with anxiety) enough, GS comes along to ask the question about what to do, and how to move on with life, now that, apparently, science proves that we have no free will. So, GS struggles to know what to do with this information. Luckily, this isn’t my first rodeo, and I’ve got just the right chaps and spurs for this question. We talk about Existential OCD, what to do with scary information like this, how to challenge the thoughts, and how to live a meaningful life with the looming threat of meaninglessness.
For more about Existential OCD, check out this article from the California OCD and Anxiety Treatment Center.
The post #247- Science Proves We Don’t Have Free Will… Now What?! appeared first on FearCast Podcast.
For today’s episode, I got a relatively simple question; what are the differences between the compulsions and other behaviors found in Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) and how do they differ from those in Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). While this was a pretty quick answer, it spun out into a comparison between OCD and GAD, how they differ diagnostically, and how they are really similar! You can have both, and sometimes it’s hard to see the differences between the two.
For more on Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), check out this article from the California OCD and Anxiety Treatment Center
The post #246- Are Generalized Anxiety Compulsions Different Than OCD Compulsions? GAD vs OCD! appeared first on FearCast Podcast.
Dr Jeremy Shuman, PsyD, joins me today to discuss OCD treatment for those on the Autism Spectrum. Dr. Shuman offers a wealth of knowledge, insights, and encouragement to clinicians, families, and individuals alike. We discuss some of the diagnostic complications with the overlap of OCD and Autism symptoms, obstacles in the way of using CBT and ERP, and ways to adapt common treatment methods for OCD to meet the unique needs of the Autism community.
The post #245- OCD Treatment And The Autism Spectrum With Dr. Jeremy Shuman, PsyD appeared first on FearCast Podcast.
Alan sent me a message asking me about how he can deal with a spike in Real-Event OCD themes. He’s a reporter who used AI to help with his grammar, but his anxiety latched on about violating AI policies at work. He struggles to let go of the obsession and get back to appreciating his craft again. We go over Real-Event OCD and how it differs from other obsessions, the use of AI in treatment, and some ways he can disconnect from his guilt through acceptance and compassionately making space for his anxiety.
For more on Real Event OCD, check out this article from the California OCD and Anxiety Treatment Center
The post #244- Real-Event OCD: I Used AI And All I Got Was Guilt And Anxiety appeared first on FearCast Podcast.
Comments
Download from Google Play
Download from App Store
United States