Breaking Free from OCD, Anxiety & Stress with Matt Codde

Matthew Codde LCSW
  • 4.8 (264)
  • Mental Health
  • Updated Biweekly

The Breaking Free from OCD, Anxiety & Stress Podcast is hosted by Matt Codde. Visit www.restoredminds.com/about to know more about Matt! In this podcast, you’re going to learn practical steps on the journey to recovery. In each episode, we will discuss common challenges and provide you with evidence-based strategies to help you overcome them. At Restored Minds, we believe that recovery is possible for everyone and it's our mission to give you the tools to help you build better mental health so you can become the best version of yourself.

  1. 1d ago

    Why Your OCD Work Isn't Working (It's the Starting Point)

    If you've tried ERP, meditation, supplements, and every tool you can find but still feel stuck, the problem likely isn't the tools. It's the belief you're bringing to them. In this episode, Matt Codde, LCSW breaks down why approaching OCD and anxiety recovery from a "fix the problem" mindset actually reinforces the cycle and what to do instead. Most people with intrusive thoughts, panic attacks, and anxiety come at recovery from a place of internal resistance, a belief that their thoughts and feelings are wrong, broken, or bad. But that belief is the root of the loop. Matt explains how the Triple-A Response™ and tools like ERP are designed not to eliminate thoughts and feelings, but to create non-resistance, so that emotion can move through the nervous system naturally and completely. This episode reframes what recovery actually looks like and how to measure real progress. If you've been asking "why am I not getting better?" this episode will shift how you understand the work entirely. 🧭 What You’ll Learn in This Episode ✅ Understand why approaching OCD recovery from a "problem-solution" mindset keeps you stuck ✅ Learn how internal resistance toward your emotions creates and sustains the anxiety cycle ✅ Understand why your thoughts and feelings are not abnormal or diseased ✅ See why tools like ERP and the AAA response are designed for non-resistance, not thought elimination ✅ Learn how to correctly measure progress in OCD and anxiety recovery ✅ Understand what it means to transcend fear rather than manage or suppress it ✅ See how adopting the right paradigm is the foundation all recovery tools are meant to rest on 🚀 Resources to Help You Heal: 📥 FREE Recovery Guide Start your journey to freedom from OCD and anxiety with expert tools and step-by-step guidance. 👉 Download now: https://www.restoredminds.com/start 📖 Get a Copy of Our Book: From Stuck to Unstuck Learn practical strategies to overcome fear and reclaim your life.👉 Buy now: https://a.co/d/1WEvonT 📘 Taking Back Control (TBC) ProgramLearn how to apply these principles daily and dissolve anxiety at the root. 👉 Apply Now: https://www.restoredminds.com/tbc 🎧 Subscribe & Connect for More Support: ✅ Subscribe to our YouTube channel for weekly episodes, tools, and coaching content.👉 https://www.youtube.com/restoredminds ✅ Leave a Review on your favorite platform to help others discover this life-changing content: 👉 Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3NJI2zD 👉 Spotify: https://spoti.fi/46AiT30✅ Ask a Question for a future episode:👉 https://www.restoredminds.com/assessments/2147654461✅ Download the Book – From Stuck to Unstuck👉 https://www.restoredminds.com/book Follow Matt Codde, LCSW on Social Media: 🔹 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mattcodde.restoredminds/ 🔹 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mattcodde.restoredminds/ 🔹 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/restoredminds/ 🔹 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@matthcodde.restoredminds 📸 If this episode helped you, share it on Instagram Stories and tag us! ⏱️ Timestamps 00:00 - What This Episode Is About: Doing the Work From the Right Place #RestoredMinds 00:54 - The Problem-Solution Trap in OCD and Anxiety Recovery 03:27 - There Is Nothing Wrong With You 05:47 - What the Triple-A Response Is Really 07:00 - How to Measure Real Progress in Recovery 09:21 - Working at the Right Problem Disclaimer ⚠️This content is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Consult a licensed professional for personalized support.

    13 min

  2. Jun 2

    Why Staying Stable in OCD Recovery Keeps You Stuck

    Getting from survival to stable in OCD recovery is real, hard-won progress — and it deserves to be celebrated. But staying in that "I'm fine" zone for too long comes with a hidden cost that most people don't see until they're sliding back toward survival mode. In this episode, Matt Codde, LCSW explains why stabilizing is only the beginning — and what happens when you don't keep moving forward. If you've been feeling like you've improved but there's still something missing, this episode is for you. Whether you're navigating OCD, anxiety, or emotional avoidance patterns, this is the conversation that will help you understand what real, lasting recovery actually looks like — and why settling for "okay" keeps you from experiencing what's truly possible. 🧭 What You’ll Learn in This Episode ✅ Understand the hidden cost of staying at Stage 2 (stable) in OCD and anxiety recovery ✅ Learn why the skills that got you stable won't get you to lasting freedom ✅ See why emotional avoidance keeps the "emotional tank" filling up — and leads to regression ✅ Understand the Healing Principle and why your body is already moving toward wholeness ✅ Learn how triggers and activating events are actually healing opportunities in disguise ✅ See why the gap between where you are and where you could be is the most important gap to focus on ✅ Discover what Stage 3 growth looks like — from personas and beliefs to real-world fears around money, health, and relationships 🚀 Resources to Help You Heal:📥 FREE Recovery Guide Start your journey to freedom from OCD and anxiety with expert tools and step-by-step guidance. 👉 Download now: https://www.restoredminds.com/start📖 Get a Copy of Our Book: From Stuck to Unstuck Learn practical strategies to overcome fear and reclaim your life.👉 Buy now: https://a.co/d/1WEvonT 📘 Taking Back Control (TBC) Program Learn how to apply these principles daily and dissolve anxiety at the root.👉 Apply Now: https://www.restoredminds.com/tbc Subscribe & Connect for More Support: ✅ Subscribe to our YouTube channel for weekly episodes, tools, and coaching content. 👉 https://www.youtube.com/restoredminds ✅ Leave a Review on your favorite platform to help others discover this life-changing content: 👉 Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3NJI2zD 👉 Spotify: https://spoti.fi/46AiT30 ✅ Ask a Question for a future episode: 👉 https://www.restoredminds.com/assessments/2147654461✅ Download the Book – From Stuck to Unstuck 👉 https://www.restoredminds.com/book Follow Matt Codde, LCSW on Social Media: 🔹 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mattcodde.restoredminds/ 🔹 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mattcodde.restoredminds/ 🔹 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/restoredminds/ 🔹 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@matthcodde.restoredminds 📸 If this episode helped you, share it on Instagram Stories and tag us! ⏱️ Timestamps 00:00 – What This Episode Is About 01:00 – Celebrating Stage 2: You've Come a Long Way 02:30 – The Hidden Cost: Why Stable Isn't Enough 05:18 – What Gets You Here Won't Get You There 08:47 – Stage 3 Work: Fears Around Money, Health & Relationships 10:56 – The Healing Principle: Your Body Wants to Heal 15:22 – The Gap Between Where You Are and Where You Could Be Disclaimer ⚠️This content is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Consult a licensed professional for personalized support.

    19 min

  3. May 26

    The 4 Real Stages of OCD Recovery (And Why Stage 2 Isn't Enough)

    If you've been doing the work on your OCD or anxiety and you're no longer in crisis — that's real progress. But if you still feel like you're just 'managing' or waiting for the next episode to hit, this video is for you. Most people with OCD and anxiety move between Stage 1 (Surviving) and Stage 2 (Stabilizing) their whole lives — never realizing that Stages 3 and 4 even exist. In this episode, Matt Codde, LCSW, breaks down the four real internal stages of recovery — not just symptom management, but the complete journey from surviving panic and fear loops all the way to a life of trust, expansion, and genuine freedom. He explains why settling at Stage 2 actually leads to relapse, and what the path from Stage 2 to Stage 4 looks like in practice. This isn't about toxic positivity or telling you recovery is easy. It's a clear, honest map of what real recovery looks like — and a challenge to stop settling for 'good enough' when you're capable of living free. 🧭 What You’ll Learn in This Episode ✅Understand the four internal stages of OCD and anxiety recovery and where you currently are ✅Learn why most people oscillate between Stage 1 and Stage 2 — and how to break that cycle ✅See why settling at Stage 2 ('I'm managing') is actually a setup for future relapse ✅Discover what Stage 3 (Expansion) and Stage 4 (Optimization) look and feel like in daily life ✅Understand how emotional avoidance fills your 'emotional tank' and triggers new episodes ✅Learn how the AAA Response is the foundation for moving through all four stages ✅See why true trust — not just 'saying' you trust — is the hallmark of Stage 4 freedom 🚀 Resources to Help You Heal: 📥 FREE Recovery Guide Start your journey to freedom from OCD and anxiety with expert tools and step-by-step guidance. 👉 Download now: https://www.restoredminds.com/start 📖 Get a Copy of Our Book: From Stuck to Unstuck Learn practical strategies to overcome fear and reclaim your life. 👉 Buy now: https://a.co/d/1WEvonT 📘 Taking Back Control (TBC) ProgramLearn how to apply these principles daily and dissolve anxiety at the root. 👉 Apply Now: https://www.restoredminds.com/tbc 🎧 Subscribe & Connect for More Support: ✅ Subscribe to our YouTube channel for weekly episodes, tools, and coaching content. 👉 https://www.youtube.com/restoredminds ✅ Leave a Review on your favorite platform to help others discover this life-changing content: 👉 Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3NJI2zD 👉 Spotify: https://spoti.fi/46AiT30 ✅ Ask a Question for a future episode: 👉 https://www.restoredminds.com/assessments/2147654461✅ Download the Book – From Stuck to Unstuck 👉 https://www.restoredminds.com/book Follow Matt Codde, LCSW on Social Media: 🔹 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mattcodde.restoredminds/ 🔹 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mattcodde.restoredminds/ 🔹 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/restoredminds/ 🔹 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@matthcodde.restoredminds 📸 If this episode helped you, share it on Instagram Stories and tag us! ⏱️ Timestamps •00:00 — What this episode is about: the 4 real stages of OCD & anxiety recovery •01:00 — Stage 1: Surviving — what it feels like to be in the OCD/anxiety loop •02:05 — Stage 2: Stabilizing & Functioning — 'I'm managing' and why it's not enough •05:25 — Stage 4: Optimize — what it means to live free from fear •10:50 — Stage 3: Expansion — the 70% of the journey most people skip •15:00 — Why if you're not growing, you're sliding back Disclaimer ⚠️This content is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Consult a licensed professional for personalized support.

    20 min

  4. May 19

    Why OCD Recovery is Spectral

    If you've been using ERP or the Triple-A Response and still feel stuck, this episode explains why. Matt Codde, LCSW breaks down one of the most misunderstood concepts in OCD and anxiety recovery: the difference between chasing a future free of intrusive thoughts versus ascending to a higher level of consciousness where those thoughts lose their grip. Most people in OCD recovery are secretly operating from a cause-and-effect loop: "If I eliminate the thoughts, I'll eliminate the anxiety." Matt explains why this Newtonian paradigm keeps you oscillating in the same cycle — and why recovery only becomes possible when you stop treating it as a destination and start treating it as a shift in consciousness. Using Einstein's principle that you can't solve a problem from the same level of consciousness that created it, this episode reframes the entire goal of recovery tools like ERP and the Triple-A Response — and shows you what it actually looks like when they start working. 🧭 What You’ll Learn in This Episode ✅Understand why OCD recovery is spectral (not linear) and why this distinction changes everything ✅Learn why using ERP or the Triple-A Response to "get rid of thoughts" actively keeps you stuck ✅See why self-deception — saying the right things externally while still resisting internally — blocks real progress ✅Discover how different levels of consciousness produce completely different experiences of OCD and anxiety ✅Understand why resistance is the real driver of suffering — not the intrusive thoughts themselves ✅Learn how the Triple-A Response is designed to release underlying emotion and shift consciousness — not suppress thoughts ✅See why recovery is a present-moment shift, not a futuristic destination you're trying to reach 🚀 Resources to Help You Heal: 📥 FREE Recovery Guide Start your journey to freedom from OCD and anxiety with expert tools and step-by-step guidance. 👉 Download now: https://www.restoredminds.com/start 📖 Get a Copy of Our Book: From Stuck to Unstuck Learn practical strategies to overcome fear and reclaim your life .👉 Buy now: https://a.co/d/1WEvonT 📘 Taking Back Control (TBC) Program Learn how to apply these principles daily and dissolve anxiety at the root. 👉 Apply Now: https://www.restoredminds.com/tbc 🎧 Subscribe & Connect for More Support: ✅ Subscribe to our YouTube channel for weekly episodes, tools, and coaching content. 👉 https://www.youtube.com/restoredminds ✅ Leave a Review on your favorite platform to help others discover this life-changing content: 👉 Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3NJI2zD 👉 Spotify: https://spoti.fi/46AiT30 ✅ Ask a Question for a future episode: 👉 https://www.restoredminds.com/assessments/2147654461✅ Download the Book – From Stuck to Unstuck 👉 https://www.restoredminds.com/bookFollow Matt Codde, LCSW on Social Media: 🔹 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mattcodde.restoredminds/ 🔹 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mattcodde.restoredminds/ 🔹 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/restoredminds/ 🔹 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@matthcodde.restoredminds 📸 If this episode helped you, share it on Instagram Stories and tag us! ⏱️ Timestamps • 00:00 — What this episode is about: Recovery isn't linear, it's spectral • 00:33 — The self-deception that keeps OCD sufferers stuck• 01:53 — The Newtonian cause-and-effect paradigm that drives the OCD loop • 03:17 — Why you can't solve this from a linear plane • 04:38 — What "spectral" recovery means and levels of consciousness • 06:59 — How working from a new paradigm produces rapid real shifts • 08:09 — The present-moment shift that breaks the loop for good Disclaimer ⚠️This content is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Consult a licensed professional for personalized support.

    10 min

  5. May 12

    Why OCD and Anxiety Help Feels Impossible — And What Actually Works

    Most people struggling with OCD and anxiety have tried everything: reading, therapy, tools, strategies — and still feel stuck. In this episode, Matt Codde, LCSW walks through the real reason recovery stalls, and it has nothing to do with lack of information or resources. The problem is a paradigm — a way of seeing the problem that keeps producing the same result no matter what you try. Until that shifts, no tool will break the loop. Matt explains exactly what that paradigm looks like, why it's invisible to the person living inside it, and what needs to change first. If you've felt like you understand OCD intellectually but still can't break free, this video is specifically for you. 🧭 What You’ll Learn in This Episode ✅ Understand why information alone doesn't produce recovery from OCD or anxiety ✅ Learn what a 'paradigm' is and how the wrong one keeps the OCD loop alive ✅ See why treating OCD content (the thought itself) as the real problem prolongs suffering ✅ Understand what a paradigm shift actually requires — and the humility it takes to get there ✅ Learn how consciousness and identity work beneath the surface of OCD recovery ✅ See why recovering from OCD requires looking at beliefs and identities, not just behaviors ✅ Understand the next step if you're ready to stop doubling down and start seeing differently 🚀 Resources to Help You Heal: 📥 FREE Recovery Guide Start your journey to freedom from OCD and anxiety with expert tools and step-by-step guidance. 👉 Download now: https://www.restoredminds.com/start 📖 Get a Copy of Our Book: From Stuck to Unstuck Learn practical strategies to overcome fear and reclaim your life. 👉 Buy now: https://a.co/d/1WEvonT 📘 Taking Back Control (TBC) Program Learn how to apply these principles daily and dissolve anxiety at the root. 👉 Apply Now: https://www.restoredminds.com/tbc 🎧 Subscribe & Connect for More Support: ✅ Subscribe to our YouTube channel for weekly episodes, tools, and coaching content. 👉 https://www.youtube.com/restoredminds ✅ Leave a Review on your favorite platform to help others discover this life-changing content: 👉 Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3NJI2zD 👉 Spotify: https://spoti.fi/46AiT30 ✅ Ask a Question for a future episode: 👉 https://www.restoredminds.com/assessments/2147654461✅ Download the Book – From Stuck to Unstuck 👉 https://www.restoredminds.com/book Follow Matt Codde, LCSW on Social Media: 🔹 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mattcodde.restoredminds/ 🔹 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mattcodde.restoredminds/ 🔹 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/restoredminds/ 🔹 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@matthcodde.restoredminds 📸 If this episode helped you, share it on Instagram Stories and tag us! ⏱️ Timestamps • 00:00 — What this episode is about: why recovery stalls • 01:05 — The real reason people stay stuck (it's not lack of resources) • 02:20 — The paradigm trap: treating the content as the problem • 04:45 — The cult analogy: how paradigms keep you imprisoned • 06:30 — What a paradigm shift requires — humility and openness • 09:00 — How Restored Minds addresses this at its foundation Disclaimer⚠️This content is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Consult a licensed professional for personalized support.

    12 min

  6. May 7

    False Memory OCD: Why You Can’t Stop Replaying the Past

    If you struggle with false memory OCD or real event OCD, you know how exhausting it feels to replay the past over and over trying to find certainty. In this episode, Matt Codde, LCSW explains why OCD traps people in mental compulsions like rumination, memory checking, reassurance seeking, and endless analysis. This episode breaks down why false memory OCD is not actually about the past — it’s about escaping uncomfortable emotions in the present moment. Matt explains the deeper fear loop behind OCD and how recovery begins when you stop treating the theme as the problem. Whether you're dealing with intrusive thoughts, guilt, uncertainty, anxiety, or fear around something that may or may not have happened, this episode offers a grounded framework for understanding and breaking the OCD cycle. 🧭 What You’ll Learn in This Episode ✅ Understand how false memory OCD creates fear loops ✅ Learn why rumination strengthens OCD ✅ See why certainty-seeking never resolves anxiety ✅ Discover the emotional avoidance behind OCD compulsions ✅ Understand why the present moment matters in recovery ✅ Learn how OCD uses themes to justify fear ✅ See how emotional processing helps break the loop 🚀 Resources to Help You Heal: 📥 FREE Recovery Guide Start your journey to freedom from OCD and anxiety with expert tools and step-by-step guidance. 👉 Download now: https://www.restoredminds.com/start 📖 Get a Copy of Our Book: From Stuck to Unstuck Learn practical strategies to overcome fear and reclaim your life 👉 Buy now: https://a.co/d/1WEvonT 📘 Taking Back Control (TBC) Program Learn how to apply these principles daily and dissolve anxiety at the root.👉 Apply Now: https://www.restoredminds.com/tbc 🎧 Subscribe & Connect for More Support: ✅ Subscribe to our YouTube channel for weekly episodes, tools, and coaching content. 👉 https://www.youtube.com/restoredminds ✅ Leave a Review on your favorite platform to help others discover this life-changing content: 👉 Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3NJI2zD 👉 Spotify: https://spoti.fi/46AiT30 ✅ Ask a Question for a future episode: 👉 https://www.restoredminds.com/assessments/2147654461✅ Download the Book – From Stuck to Unstuck 👉 https://www.restoredminds.com/book Follow Matt Codde, LCSW on Social Media: 🔹 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mattcodde.restoredminds/ 🔹 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mattcodde.restoredminds/ 🔹 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/restoredminds/ 🔹 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@matthcodde.restoredminds 📸 If this episode helped you, share it on Instagram Stories and tag us! ⏱️ Timestamps 00:00 — What this episode is about 00:46 — The hidden trap of false memory OCD 01:58 — Why rumination keeps the loop alive 03:18 — Why OCD pulls you out of the present 04:42 — The real reason OCD wants certainty 06:20 — OCD is emotional avoidance, not a memory problem Disclaimer This content is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Consult a licensed professional for personalized support.

    9 min

  7. May 5

    OCD Made You Feel Nothing? Here’s How to Feel Alive Again

    If OCD or anxiety has left you feeling empty, hopeless, or like the joy has been completely stripped from your life — you're not broken. In this episode, Matt Codde, LCSW breaks down exactly why OCD and anxiety create emotional numbness, apathy, and depression as a secondary effect, and what you actually need to do to move through it. Most people assume OCD is just about fear and intrusive thoughts. But for many people — especially those who have been stuck in the loop for months or years — the experience shifts into something heavier: a kind of emotional flatness where hope feels distant and joy seems impossible. Matt explains how this happens neurologically using polyvagal theory, and why the instinct to "work on the depression" actually keeps you stuck. The path out isn't what you'd expect. Instead of focusing on the numbness itself, you learn to confront the very thing your nervous system has been running from. This episode gives you the framework to understand what's happening and why facing the fear — not managing the depression — is what actually restores your emotional life 🧭 What You’ll Learn in This Episode ✅ Understand why OCD creates emotional numbness and apathy as a secondary layer ✅ Learn how the nervous system drops into lower states (depression, hopelessness) to escape overwhelm ✅ See why resisting emotions compounds them — and how this layering effect works ✅Understand polyvagal theory and how it explains the shift from fight/flight to shutdown ✅Learn why treating depression directly misses the root cause when OCD is present ✅See how confronting the original fear — not the numbness — is the path to restored joy ✅ Understand how avoidance of emotion (not OCD itself) is what strips your power and peace 🚀 Resources to Help You Heal: 📥 FREE Recovery Guide Start your journey to freedom from OCD and anxiety with expert tools and step-by-step guidance. 👉 Download now: https://www.restoredminds.com/start 📖 Get a Copy of Our Book: From Stuck to Unstuck Learn practical strategies to overcome fear and reclaim your life. 👉 Buy now: https://a.co/d/1WEvonT 📘 Taking Back Control (TBC) Program Learn how to apply these principles daily and dissolve anxiety at the root .👉 Apply Now: https://www.restoredminds.com/tbc 🎧 Subscribe & Connect for More Support: ✅ Subscribe to our YouTube channel for weekly episodes, tools, and coaching content. 👉 https://www.youtube.com/restoredminds ✅ Leave a Review on your favorite platform to help others discover this life-changing content: 👉 Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3NJI2zD 👉 Spotify: https://spoti.fi/46AiT30 ✅ Ask a Question for a future episode: 👉 https://www.restoredminds.com/assessments/2147654461✅ Download the Book – From Stuck to Unstuck 👉 https://www.restoredminds.com/book Follow Matt Codde, LCSW on Social Media: 🔹 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mattcodde.restoredminds/ 🔹 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mattcodde.restoredminds/ 🔹 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/restoredminds/ 🔹 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@matthcodde.restoredminds 📸 If this episode helped you, share it on Instagram Stories and tag us! ⏱️ Timestamps 00:00- What this episode is about 00:49- The Emotional Layers of OCD 02:47- Why Your Nervous System Shuts Down 04:00- The Real Problem: Resisting Emotion 06:21- States of Consciousness Explained 08:00-Depression as Secondary to Fear Disclaimer This content is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Consult a licensed professional for personalized support.

    13 min

  8. Apr 30

    Why Your OCD Isn't Getting Better: 5 Hidden Mental Compulsions Sabotaging Your Recovery

    Most people with OCD focus on the visible rituals — washing, checking, or avoiding. But the compulsions that most often keep the loop alive are invisible: they happen entirely inside your head. In this episode, Matt Codde, LCSW, breaks down the five mental compulsions that he sees most often in his work with OCD and anxiety clients — behaviors like rumination, mental checking, mental reviewing, mental reassurance, and mental neutralization. If you've ever wondered why your OCD isn't getting better even though you've cut back on physical rituals, this episode is for you. Matt explains that 80–90% of most people's compulsive behavior is mental — and most therapists never even address it. Understanding these patterns is the first step toward breaking the loop for good. Matt also explains why the distinction between the intrusive thought (the obsession — outside your control) and everything you do afterward (the compulsion — within your agency) is the key insight that empowers real recovery. 🧭 What You’ll Learn in This Episode ✅Understand why 80–90% of OCD compulsions are mental, not physical — and why most therapists miss them ✅Learn the critical difference between an intrusive thought (the obsession) and the mental behaviors you do in response (the compulsion) ✅Identify rumination, mental checking, mental reviewing, mental reassurance, and mental neutralization in your own experience ✅See why searching for an intrusive thought actually creates it — the white bear effect explained ✅Understand why even "correct" self-talk (like repeating "this is OCD") can become a compulsion when done with the wrong intention ✅Discover why the Triple A Response is the first tool Matt uses to address mental compulsions with every client ✅Learn why breaking the OCD loop requires more than stopping compulsions — and what to do with the underlying pressure instead 🚀 Resources to Help You Heal: 📥 FREE Recovery Guide Start your journey to freedom from OCD and anxiety with expert tools and step-by-step guidance. 👉 Download now: https://www.restoredminds.com/start 📖 Get a Copy of Our Book: From Stuck to Unstuck Learn practical strategies to overcome fear and reclaim your life.👉 Buy now: https://a.co/d/1WEvonT 📘 Taking Back Control (TBC) Program Learn how to apply these principles daily and dissolve anxiety at the root. 👉 Apply Now: https://www.restoredminds.com/tbc 🎧 Subscribe & Connect for More Support: ✅ Subscribe to our YouTube channel for weekly episodes, tools, and coaching content. 👉 https://www.youtube.com/restoredminds ✅ Leave a Review on your favorite platform to help others discover this life-changing content: 👉 Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3NJI2zD 👉 Spotify: https://spoti.fi/46AiT30 ✅ Ask a Question for a future episode: 👉 https://www.restoredminds.com/assessments/2147654461✅ Download the Book – From Stuck to Unstuck 👉 https://www.restoredminds.com/book Follow Matt Codde, LCSW on Social Media: 🔹 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mattcodde.restoredminds/ 🔹 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mattcodde.restoredminds/ 🔹 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/restoredminds/ 🔹 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@matthcodde.restoredminds 📸 If this episode helped you, share it on Instagram Stories and tag us! ⏱️ Timestamps 00:00 — What This Episode Is About: Why Mental Compulsions Keep OCD Alive 01:30 — The OCD Loop: Suppression, Resistance & Spiraling 03:58 — Obsession vs. Compulsion: The Critical Distinction 08:00 — Mental Compulsion #1: Rumination 09:13 — Mental Compulsion #2: Mental Checking 10:38 — Mental Compulsion #3: Mental Reviewing 11:12 — Mental Compulsion #4: Mental Reassurance 12:49 — Mental Compulsion #5: Mental Neutralization DisclaimerThis content is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Consult a licensed professional for personalized support.

    16 min
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4.8
out of 5
264 Ratings

About

The Breaking Free from OCD, Anxiety & Stress Podcast is hosted by Matt Codde. Visit www.restoredminds.com/about to know more about Matt! In this podcast, you’re going to learn practical steps on the journey to recovery. In each episode, we will discuss common challenges and provide you with evidence-based strategies to help you overcome them. At Restored Minds, we believe that recovery is possible for everyone and it's our mission to give you the tools to help you build better mental health so you can become the best version of yourself.

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