The OCD Stories

OCD

My OCD took all of my primary school years

Hi,

I’m Jake, now 24 and no longer a severe sufferer of OCD. I battled OCD from as young as I could remember, although at the time I had no idea it was OCD. My friends in primary school and my family used to just says (it’s just jakes way). Thinking back now for other kids to react the way they did is very positive because I was never bullied or made to feel like a freak about it, it wasn’t until I got older and started secondary school when it got so bad I would be late for school most days and even had to afford P.E. in school sometimes…next paragraph you will understand why.

My OCD thoughts would taunt me and make me do near enough most things repeatedly, to a point where I was putting boxer shorts, trousers, socks, trainers you name it any item of clothing I was taking on and off 20 or more times before I was happy enough to leave the house or go onto the next item of clothing. I would also get in and out the bath multiple times when they got to a point I made the bathroom so wet with bath water we had to get a shower installed to help the situation. I’m going into this much detail because at the time I never thought I would be where I am today or writing about my experience. Now having my OCD controlled so much where I don’t even notice I have it (apart from being clean and tidy) I feel I can speak out and hope to help other sufferers that trust me it gets better and yes you can live a normal life.

June 4, 2018 by Anon

Podcast

Kirsten Pagacz – Leaving The OCD Circus

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In episode 125 of The OCD Stories podcast I interviewed Kirsten Pagacz. Kirsten is author of the book “Leaving the OCD Circus” suffered a traumatic childhood which included on-set OCD at only 9 years of age. Kirsten’s undiagnosed OCD escalated for the next two decades until her complete mental collapse in her early thirties. Until then she didn’t even know that there was a name for what she was experiencing. Today Kirsten is a happy and successful business owner living a very full, well balanced, joyful life with very little to no OCD symptoms. She has dedicated herself to healing through Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Exposure Response Prevention, Mindfulness, Meditation and several other wellness tools.

In this episode I chat with Kirsten about her OCD story, what helped her get better: CBT, Medication, and more. We discussed the idea of illness to wellness, her idea of soul nutrients, making choices, being in nature, exercising and many more topics. Hope it helps.

To listen on iTunes click the button, or go to iTunes and search “The OCD Stories“. If you enjoy the podcast please subscribe and leave a review. It helps us reach more people who need to hear these remarkable stories of recovery!

June 3, 2018 by Stuart Ralph

Member Content, Podcast

Behind The Scenes – May [Member Content]

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June 2, 2018 by Stuart Ralph

Podcast

The OCD Camp – My conversation with 6 campers

Interested in The OCD Camp? Check out TheOCDCamp.com

In episode 124 of The OCD Stories podcast I interviewed 6 of the campers who attended the first UK OCD camp, to find out more about their experiences and what they learned.

In this episode my 6 guests talk about the weekend and what they enjoyed about it, including: Not feeling alone, seeing others face their fears, the ambience of the camp, exposures, music, living a value led life, feeling safe to open up and share, as well as much much more. Hope it helps.

You can also listen on Android and over devices through most podcast apps, such as Stitcher.

May 27, 2018 by Stuart Ralph

Podcast

Dr David Sherman – Medication

Disclaimer – This episode is not a replacement for medical advice. When making choices around medication please speak to a psychiatrist.

In episode 123 of The OCD Stories podcast I chatted Dr David Sherman. David is a psychiatrist practicing in New York City for around 15 years, and for much of that time he was also an assistant professor of Psychiatry at Columbia University Medical Centre. He has kindly agreed to come on the show to answer your questions around medication.

In this episode I chatted with David about medication for OCD. He answers 17 questions around medication all submitted by listeners of the show. Hope it helps.

You can also listen on Android and over devices through most podcast apps, such as Stitcher.

May 20, 2018 by Stuart Ralph

Member Content, Podcast

Chris Baier UNSTUCK [MEMBER CONTENT]

This is content is member only. If you would like to access it and become a member please click here, or login. Thanks for listening.

May 17, 2018 by Stuart Ralph

OCD

Baby Steps

My OCD story started in childhood. I remember walking and counting, and walking and counting. I made up complex rituals around even numbers and sets of three. I always had to end my steps on a certain number, or with a set of three. When I was with my family or my friends, we would arrive at a destination or a stop at a crosswalk, and I would continue to take tiny steps in place to complete my ritual.

I also made up rituals about colors. I became convinced that it was imperative to avoid certain color combinations. I would move my toys, my books, my clothes – anything to avoid seeing certain colors together. Many of my childhood friends made up games or sang songs about avoiding cracks in the sidewalk, but I took the game to another level. I would avoid an exact number of cracks, tiles, or objects on the ground, or I would step on every single one and end with a set of three.

I would say that my childhood OCD was almost purely behavioral. I had no obsessions, very few “what ifs” and no idea why I felt compelled to do these things. However, I did have the beginnings of one emotion I believe is ubiquitous among many OCD sufferers: shame. Even as a child, I remember being aware that my behavior was not “normal.” I was afraid adults would laugh or scold me if they knew about my behavior, so I kept my rituals secret.

May 17, 2018 by Anon

OCD

Our thoughts do not define who we are

I’ve shared my story before. Back when I was suffering and didn’t know much about OCD. But it’s been a year with severe ocd. It’s been a year and I’m in recovery. So I’ll share my story in more and better detail.

All I did was have a off day, I walked into my kitchen and thought “what if there’s no spark in my boyfriend and I’s Relationship?” I panicked. “What if I lose feelings? Is this losing feelings? But I love him. Why would I?” My first OCD attack. I’ll never forget it. For weeks after that I was okay. I didn’t have obsessions or compulsions and life was well. Until I began to fall for him more. My anxiety spiked and peaked to new levels, I was having more thoughts about us which I didn’t quite get. I’d time myself on my phone and reassure myself for that amount of time. The thoughts still returned, rookie mistake. After that I’d google things like “am I lying to myself?” And one night I had an anxiety attack so big I almost left him from having intrusive thoughts . The day after it happened, I was anxious. I couldn’t stop it. I didn’t know why. It progressed and got worse and I realized.. I had ROCD.

I remember wanting to seek treatment the day I found out I had it. I could resonate with some of the symptoms and found that the deeper I got into it, the more and more I could relate to this little diagnosis I put on myself. So fast forward about 2 months and I’m struggling deeply with various obsessions. A thought popped out of nowhere. “What if I’m gay?” I freaked, and took an online test. It said I was straight, I knew I was. I couldn’t understand the deal! I was just worrying if I loved my boyfriend or not the day before, why the sudden sexuality issue? So I obsessed, the same way I did with my partner. And uncovered my HOCD the day I began obsessing.

May 17, 2018 by Anon

OCD

Living with Brian

Hi, my names Joe and I have had Obsessive Compulsive Disorder since I was four years old.
I am now twenty and still suffer with the condition. My story started when I faced a few traumatic experiences around illness and contamination when I was four years old. I won’t go into exactly what happened as I find it very hard to talk about but I will say that they were serious enough to leave me scarred for life.

Before I continue my story I would like to point out that my OCD now is not all focused around contamination and illness. I very much see what happened to me as a child as a seed for my OCD. Over the years as I have grown my OCD has turned into this ginormous tree, and every brach is a different strand or worry that I may have.

I have been in and out of therapy and counselling all my life and some things have worked more than others for me. I have also been prescribed two kinds of drugs by my GP over the years to combat both extreme levels of Anxiety and Depression that was as a result of my OCD.

Even though throughout my life I have had a lot of help and support, I suppose in my mind I think “how can I get rid of this, when I don’t know a life any different?” as I have had the condition for longer than I can remember.
Continue Reading

May 17, 2018 by Anon

Podcast

Shala Nicely – Is Fred in the Refrigerator?: Taming OCD and Reclaiming My Life

Get exclusive podcasts and content by becoming a member of the podcast find out more here >>

In episode 122 of The OCD Stories podcast I chatted with Shala Nicely. Shala is an anxiety disorders treatment specialist in Atlanta, co-founder of beyondthedoubt.com, co-author of , “Everyday Mindfulness for OCD” and author of the forthcoming book “is Fred in the refridgerator?: Taming OCD and reclaiming my life”.

In this episode I chatted with Shala about her new book, why OCD keeps people quiet about opening up, advice for those seeking treatment, living with uncertainty, self-compassion, not judging things as good or bad, and Shala’s hardest roadblock in becoming a therapist. Hope it helps.

You can also listen on Android and over devices through most podcast apps, such as Stitcher.

May 13, 2018 by Stuart Ralph

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