
417 episodes

The OCD Stories Stuart Ralph
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- Health & Fitness
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4.8 • 662 Ratings
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Welcome to The OCD Stories, hosted by Stuart Ralph. The podcast has been heard over 6million times globally. Check out your first episode from our existing hundreds of episodes featuring experts, and people experiencing symptoms just like you today. If you do, you may just feel understood, heard and possibly help you identify your next step in your own personal journey to healing.
Disclaimer - this podcast is not a replacement for therapy. Please seek treatment from a licensed mental health professional.
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Live from the OCD Action conference with Olivia Bamber, Mairéad Ruane, and Shaun Flores (#409)
In episode 409 I chat with Olivia Bamber, Mairéad Ruane, and Shaun Flores. This conversation was recorded live at The OCD Action conference.
You will hear the OCD Action CEO Leigh Wallbank at the start introducing the panel. Thank you to Leigh, Cara, Eden and the rest of the OCD Action team for making it possible.
I ask my panel guests about road blocks to recovery, dealing with the highs and lows of recovery, what made their therapy effective, how they found the strength to keep trying with therapy, advice for those feeling unsure or undeserving of treatment, and much more. Hope it helps.
Show notes: https://theocdstories.com/episode/ocd-action-409
The podcast is made possible by NOCD. NOCD offers effective, convenient therapy available in the US and outside the US. To find out more about NOCD, their therapy plans and if they currently take your insurance head over to https://go.treatmyocd.com/theocdstories
Thanks to all our patrons for supporting our work. To sign up to our Patreon and to check out the benefits you’ll receive as a Patron, visit: https://www.patreon.com/theocdstoriespodcast -
Jonny Say: Understanding acceptance within OCD and its misconceptions (#408)
In episode 408 I chat with Jonny Say. Jonny is a UK based therapist and co-director at The Integrative Centre for OCD Therapy.
We discuss an update with Jonny, the concept of acceptance from acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), what do we mean by acceptance, resentment as a compulsion, acceptance misconceptions, blocks to acceptance and navigating them, and much more. Hope it helps.
Show notes: https://theocdstories.com/episode/jonny-408
The podcast is made possible by NOCD. NOCD offers effective, convenient therapy available in the US and outside the US. To find out more about NOCD, their therapy plans and if they currently take your insurance head over to https://go.treatmyocd.com/theocdstories
Thanks to all our patrons for supporting our work. To sign up to our Patreon and to check out the benefits you’ll receive as a Patron, visit: https://www.patreon.com/theocdstoriespodcast -
Kimberley Quinlan: Meditating with OCD (#407)
In episode 407 I interviewed Kimberley Quinlan. Kim is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who treats people with OCD and related disorders, Eating Disorders and Body Focused Repetitive Disorders. She runs her own podcast called Your Anxiety Toolkit. She also runs CBTschool.com.
We discuss an update on her, what is meditation, meditation compared to mindfulness, resistances and blocks to meditation, Kim guides us through an OCD informed meditation, the basics of meditation, compassion, and much more. Hope it helps.
Show notes: https://theocdstories.com/episode/kim-407
The podcast is made possible by NOCD. NOCD offers effective, convenient therapy available in the US and outside the US. To find out more about NOCD, their therapy plans and if they currently take your insurance head over to https://go.treatmyocd.com/theocdstories
Thanks to all our patrons for supporting our work. To sign up to our Patreon and to check out the benefits you’ll receive as a Patron, visit: https://www.patreon.com/theocdstoriespodcast -
Story: Abi K (#406)
In episode 406 I chat with Abi who has kindly agreed to share her OCD story with us.
We discuss her story, sexual intrusive thoughts, compulsive prayer, scrupulosity, emetophobia, trichotillomania, an eating disorder, what’s helped her, support from her partner, intimacy and intrusive thoughts, and much more. Hope it helps.
Show notes: https://theocdstories.com/episode/abi-406
The podcast is made possible by NOCD. NOCD offers effective, convenient therapy available in the US and outside the US. To find out more about NOCD, their therapy plans and if they currently take your insurance head over to https://go.treatmyocd.com/theocdstories
Thanks to all our patrons for supporting our work. To sign up to our Patreon and to check out the benefits you’ll receive as a Patron, visit: https://www.patreon.com/theocdstoriespodcast -
Dr Dee Franklin and Dr David Tolin: OCD and PTSD
In this midweek special episode I chat with Dr Dee Franklin of the Neurobehavioral Institute (NBI) in Florida, and Dr David Tolin is the Founder and Director of the Anxiety Disorders Center at the Institute of Living.
We discuss their therapy journey, what is post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), complex PTSD, overlapping symptoms with OCD, high levels of anxiety, how PTSD and OCD interact with therapy, when the OCD latches onto the trauma, and much more. Hope it helps.
Show notes: https://theocdstories.com/episode/nbi-9
The midweek special episodes which go out at the end of the month on a Wednesday are made possible by and in partnership with the Neurobehavioral Institute (NBI) in Florida. I will be interviewing different members of their clinical team on a range of topics. NBI specialise in treatment and programs for anxiety, OCD, comorbidities, and complex cases. They also offer an intensive outpatient program, and a residential program called the NBI Ranch: A supportive living experience that complements intensive treatment for Anxiety and Obsessive-Compulsive Related Disorders.
To find out more about their intensive outpatient services, or the NBI ranch, as well as to read some of their free information online about OCD via their blog, click here to find out more: https://www.nbiweston.com/ -
Dr Steven Phillipson: The things Steve wants you to know about OCD, and a Q&A (#405)
In episode 405 I chat with Dr Steven Phillipson. Steven is a licensed clinical psychologist who specialises in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for OCD. Steven is the Clinical Director at the Center for Cognitive Behavioral Psychotherapy in New York.
We discuss the things Steve wants you to know about OCD recovery, including why the OCD topics are irrelevant, we need to show the brain that the topic is meaningless, why we shouldn’t use memory to prove the OCD topic is irrelevant, the topics of OCD are only made relevant by the emotion behind it, people with OCD are not fearful people (generally speaking) they are fearful of a small amount of specific worries only. Steve then answers questions from some of the listeners of the show. He answers whether he has OCD or not, superstition and metaphysical OCD, clarification on Steve’s comment about an OCD god, dealing with the fear of death, ways to unhook from OCD thoughts, dealing with obsessing about emotional numbness, are OCD and addiction related, how to deal with intrusive thoughts in everyday moments, how much therapy homework should I do, why am I not getting better from exposures I.e. I’m still obsessing, sensorimotor OCD around the anus, magical thinking around OCD, and much more. Hope it helps.
Show notes: https://theocdstories.com/episode/steven-405
The podcast is made possible by NOCD. NOCD offers effective, convenient therapy available in the US and outside the US. To find out more about NOCD, their therapy plans and if they currently take your insurance head over to https://go.treatmyocd.com/theocdstories
Thanks to all our patrons for supporting our work. This podcast episode is available as a video recording on our Patreon. To sign up to our Patreon and to check out the other benefits you’ll receive as a Patron, visit: https://www.patreon.com/theocdstoriespodcast
Customer Reviews
This podcast saved my life.
This is one of the most important mental health podcasts that exist today. The host is a great interviewer, very compassionate, clear, and concise. “Pure O” sufferers MUST listen to Episode #252. That episode changed my life. Also, just listening to people’s personal stories was so beneficial in making me feel less isolated as I went through treatment. 10/10. Thank you Stuart for bringing this podcast to the world!
So grateful for this podcast!
I first stumbled across this podcast during intensive outpatient therapy. My care team was wonderful, and also, they were not OCD specialists. I credit this Podcast with giving me enough of an understanding of OCD to be able to communicate effectively enough with my care team to get the help I needed.
Stuart, I will never be able to thank you enough for the impact your work has had on my life. I live now with a kind of freedom I didn’t even know was possible.
Incredible
Love this podcast so much, can’t get enough. Been a listener since February and not only has it been personally helpful, but so interesting and entertaining. Some of my favorite guests are Dr. Michael Greenberg, Dr. Steven Philipson, Dr. Patricia Zurita and Dr. Amy Mariaskin