In episode 245 I chat with Pete Weiss. Pete is a therapist who specialises in the treatment of obsessive compulsive disorder, as well as other mental health disorders. He is the co-founder of camp DCO, an annual OCD wilderness camp. Pete is a graduate of the Behavior Therapy Training Institute (BTTI), and is currently a doctoral candidate at the Institute of Contemporary Psychoanalysis in Los Angeles, where he is working on integrating behavior therapy and contemporary psychoanalytic theory. 

In this episode we discuss why as a CBT therapist of many years he decided to train in contemporary psychoanalysis, Pete explains his progression of understanding, he uses examples to explain his thinking, how differing levels of trauma may have an input on some peoples OCD, the idea “committee of the mind”, Pete’s perspective on Sigmund Freud’s view of OCD, nature and nurture as influences on OCD, how running his OCD camp influenced him to approach OCD relationally, shame in OCD, connecting with others as a way to process shame, empathy in OCD treatment, the idea around a core fear of death and loneliness, and much much more. Hope it helps.