In episode 9 of The OCD Stories podcast I interviewed David Adam. David is an editor and author of the book “The man who couldn’t stop”.

Show notes:

David’s OCD story (2:10)

Medication (3:45)

What started David’s recovery (4:05)

Group therapy (5:40)

OCD and HIV obsessions. How the media can play a part in new obsessions (8:20)

How David Researched his book (11:15)

David’s ERP pyramid (14:20)

David’s advice for doing ERP (16:00)

Accepting uncertainty, and why you are already great at it! (22:40)

Relaxation and distraction (26:40)

“What would most people do?” phrase (29:40)

Advice for not reassurance seeking (32:50)

Ignorance that is pure, and how to deal with it (36:30)

How David describes OCD to someone (39:00)

The one piece of advice David would give to someone with OCD (41:10)

What David would have one his billboard (45:00)

Find out more about David:

David on Twitter @DavidNeilAdam

His book: The man who couldn’t stop: OCD and the true story of a life lost in thought (Amazon.co.uk/Amazon.com)

Resources mentioned:

David’s talk at the OCD Action conference

To your success,
Stuart and The OCD Stories team

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

 

In episode 8 of The OCD Stories podcast I interviewed Jack Pridmore. Jack was in the 2013 BBC documentary ‘Extreme OCD Camp‘. Jack is now focusing on getting his degree, and raising awareness for OCD.

The audio cuts out the recording a couple times for a few seconds. This was due to bad internet signal. If it goes silent for a few seconds please keep listening 🙂

Show notes:

Jack’s OCD story (3:10)

Jack on contamination OCD and unplanned exposures (8:35)

Living alone and living with others (11:00)

Jack on ERP, therapy and group therapy for addiction (12:10)

The benefits of group therapy for OCD (13:30)

Jack on his attitude going into the ‘extreme OCD camp’ (17:15)

How group therapy removes the need to hide your OCD (18:20)

Jack on further OCD treatments and ACT (22:45)

Jack on Peter Weiss and Travis Osborne’s compassionate approach to therapy (30:00)

How Jack got on the documentary, and his thoughts on the TV show Obsessive Compulsive Cleaners (33:50)

Doing ERP while been filmed (40:35)

Doing therapy in nature (48:25)

Jack’s tips for doing ERP successfully (51:50)

Jack’s favourite moment from the trip (56:15)

Jack’s 2015 charity adventure (58:45)

Jack’s 2016 charity walk – I walked a mile in my shoes (1:11:00)

What just would say if he met someone with OCD (1:14:20)

What Jack would have on a billboard (1:15:00)

Jack’s future plans (1:16:00)

Find out more about Jack:

Jack’s Twitter – @JackJPridmore

ididmymile.co.uk

@ididmymile on Twitter

Resources:

OCD Action

OCD UK

Mind charity

To your success,
Stuart and The OCD Stories team

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

 

In episode 7 of The OCD Stories podcast I interviewed Peter Weiss. Pete is a therapist who works with people who have OCD, ADHD and Autism. He is the founder of Blue Compass Camps, and in 2013 the BBC did a documentary about one of his OCD camps.

Show notes:

• Pete’s OCD Story (2:40)
• What Pete thinks about the documentary (12:00)
• What it was like doing therapy in front of a camera (15:30)
• What inspired Pete to help people with OCD and why it’s common to have have mental health issues with OCD (19:00)
• Why camping in the wild improves recovery times (26:40)
• How to speak with people are are anxious (35:25)
• The power of “Maybe” (38:00)
• ERP is important, but it is only a tool (43:00)
• The importance of assessing the ERP challenge before you attempt it (47:50)
• How to boost self-esteem for OCD treatment (52:00)
• How to not let anxiety get to you when you are helping someone who is anxious and parenting a child with OCD (1:01:20)
• The challenges facing someone who has OCD and depression. Also Pete’s advice (1:06:30)
• The future of OCD Camps (1:09:45)
• Pete’s one piece of advice (1:13:40)
• What Pete would have on their billboard (1:17:40)

Find out more about Peter:

Pete’s private practice – Seattle Child Therapy 

Blue Compass Camps 

Teen OCD Camp 

Resources mentioned:

Travis Osbourne

Extreme OCD Camp documentary – Part 1/Part 2     

Jeffrey Schwartz – Brain Lock (Amazon UK/Amazon US) & You Are Not Your Brain (Amazon UK/Amazon US)

The CBT article on The Guardian

Dr Steven Hayes

International OCD Foundation – IOCDF.org

To your success,
Stuart and The OCD Stories team

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

In episode 6 of The OCD Stories podcast I interviewed Jon Hershfield. Jon is the author of two books on OCD and a therapist who specialises in OCD treatment.

Show notes:

• Jon’s OCD Story (1:30)
• What Jon did before he retrained into therapy (7:10)
• Risk and OCD (9:00)
• What mindfulness is, and how can it be used to treat OCD (11:40)
• Mindfulness and ACT (14:45)
• Jon’s tips to stay on track with mindfulness training (16:15)
• Using mindfulness for anger (22:00)
• Good meditations for beginners (26:40)
• How to meditate even though you are getting intrusive thoughts (31:50)
• How mindfulness can work alongside ERP (39:20)
• Jon’s tip for starting and sticking with ERP (44:20)
• The acceptance script and how to use it (51:20)
• Mental reviewing, scenario bending, mental rehearsal and mental hoarding (1:00:30)
• The one bit of advice Jon would give if he only had 30 seconds (1:12:00)
• Jon’s new book “When a family member has OCD” (1:14:15)
• What Jon would have written on his billboard (1:16:40)

Find out more about Jon:

• Jon’s website – OCDBaltimore.com
• Jon on Twitter – @CBTOCD
• The mindfulness workbook for OCD (Amazon UK/Amazon USA)
• When a family member has OCD (Amazon UK/Amazon USA)

Resources mentioned:

• OCD Georgia talk
• Peaceful warrior film
• Dr James Claiborn
• Headspace
• 10% happier app and book (Amazon UK/Amazon USA)
• IOCDF
• Shala Nicely

To your success,
Stuart and The OCD Stories team

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

In episode 5 of The OCD Stories podcast I interviewed Dr Guy Doron. Guy is one of the leading researchers in relationship OCD (rOCD), and along with his team he his uncovering important information about this subtype of OCD.

Show notes:

Guy’s OCD Story (1:00)
Finding rOCD in research (4:30)
How rOCD also covers relationship with God (6:40)
Type 1 vs Type 2 rOCD, and why someone would get one over the over (8:20)
New study: embarrassability and OCD (11:40)
Why an OCD sufferer seeks rightness in the relationship (12:50)
How rOCD can affect dating not just the relationship (15:05)
How distorted views of love affects relationships (19:50)
How someone tells if they have rOCD or a bad relationship? (24:20)
How rOCD can make relationships better (28:30)
How to explain to your partner that you are trying your best to deal with the OCD (31:30)
How ERP can be used to treat rOCD (35:20)
The one thing rOCD sufferers can do today to improve their lives (41:20)
Guy’s most astonishing finding from his research (44:45)
What guy would want written on his billboard (47:00)

Find out more about Dr Steven Hayes:

Guy’s site – ROCD.net

Resources mentioned:

Dr Danny Derby – www.dr-derby.com

Dr Steven Hayes

To your success,
Stuart and The OCD Stories team

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

Show notes:

Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) research depth (3:20)

ACT vs CBT in the research (4:40)

Steve’s OCD, anxiety and research story (6:00)

Why and how Steve came up with ACT (12:50)

Relational frame theory (RFT) (15:45)

How Eastern philosophy links with ACT (20:50)

The importance of using our minds without our minds using us (23:20)

Psychology within the media, marketing and technology (26:00)

Getting ACT into schools (28:45)

Tinnitus story to understand ACT (39:00)

Why you shouldn’t try to stop thoughts. Instead accept them (46:20)

Accept your emotions, not just your thoughts (47:20)

Can you beat OCD? (48:00)

Finding meaning in suffering (51:00)

ACT and Logotherapy (53:20)

How to accept your thoughts and defuse from them – including exercises (58:25)

Steve’s thoughts on meditation (1:12:50)

Using ACT to get rid of physical compulsions (1:20:30)

How ACT is gentler than ERP, and mental health vs illness (1:26:40)

Why you are one of the lucky ones (1:44:20)

Find out more about Dr Steven Hayes:

Steve’s site – http://www.stevenchayes.com

Steve’s books

Get out of your mind and into your life 

Resources mentioned:

Marianne Williamson quote –

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?’ Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

The worry trap by Chad LeJeune

Man’s search for meaning by Viktor Frankl 

Increasing Willingness to Experience Obsessions: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy as a Treatment for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder by Michael P. Twohig, Steven C. Hayes, Akihiko Masuda 

To your success,
Stuart and The OCD Stories team

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

Show notes:

Kat’s OCD Story (1:50)

Mark Freeman’s air mattress effect (3:45)

Getting diagnosed (4:05)

Making intrusive thoughts worse (5:05)

Separating yourself from the thought (6:35)

Using script exposure for recovery (7:55)

Recording script exposure and playing it back (10:25)

How Pure O lead to other types of OCD? (12:00)

Struggling with Prayer (13:00)

Advice and strategies for praying without OCD (13:40)

Dealing with physical compulsions (15:00)

Using “Well, maybe it is” for acceptance (17:40)

Advice for opening up about sexual obsessions to your therapist (17:35)

How faith has helped recovery (22:35)

How the church has helped in recovery (25:10)

Opening up about OCD to inspire others (28:40)

Number 1 tip for beating OCD – “Accept your thoughts” (34:00)

Future plans (35:10)

Final words of wisdom (38:30)

What Kat would want written on a billboard for the world to see (40:55)

How to find out more about Kat (42:15)

Find out more about Kat:

YouTube channel – Shalom Aleichem

Blog – Do An Exposure

Tumblr – Do An Exposure

Twitter – @Thekatway

Snapchat – @Thekatway

Kat’s OCD Story on The OCD Stories

Resources mentioned: 

Mark Freeman on ACT and OCD recovery

Brene Brown Ted Talks on Vulnerability and Shame

 

To your success,
Stuart and The OCD Stories team

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

Show notes:

• Bob’s OCD story (2:20)
• The types of therapy/medication Bob has done (7:30)
• Bob’s advice on Exposure and Response Prevention therapy (ERP) (9:30)
• Bob’s advice on therapy (11:40)
• OCD Stigma (13:10)
• Bob’s advice for business people with OCD (16:30)
• How to get motivated in an OCD spike. Action precedes motivation (19:40)
• Bob’s morning routine (22:18)
• OCD and exercise (24:25)
• What OCD has taught Bob (25:40)
• Being happy despite OCD (30:30)
• Success mindset vs fixed minset for recovery. The importance of personal development (31:30)
• Bob’s one key piece of business advice (34:25)
• Bob’s additional advice on dealing with OCD (36:00)
• What Bob would want written on a billboard (37:00)

Find out more about Bob:

• Website: http://www.burg.com
• Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/bobburg

Resources:

• The Go-Giver by Bob Burg
• IOCDF.org – International OCD Foundation
• ACT book mentioned in the episode: The Acceptance Field Guide

Bob’s OCD story in written format >>

To your success,
Stuart and The OCD Stories team

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

I interview OCD author, and YouTuber Mark Freeman on his OCD journey, how he overcame it and how you can too.