Justin’s Blog: “The Jog”
120+ Articles Driven by Research and Practice
Is Anxiety Sin? When The Faithful Are Fearful (Part 2/3)
In the first part of this series, fear and anxiety was presented as a warning system that can operate properly or erroneously. We examined how saints throughout history (in the Bible, specifically) directly were fearful, afraid, or anxious, and this was not necessarily linked with sin. Let’s jump into why and how spending the time […]
Read More >Is Anxiety Sin? When The Faithful Are Fearful (Part 1/3)
A lot of my clients and readers often ask, “Is Anxiety Sin?” Here’s the answer I’ll give you today: Maybe, maybe not. As we do a deep dive into this topic in three parts, we will discover, however, that the faithful are often fearful. Fear Is Not Always Problematic, But Each Person Has A Different […]
Read More >Intrusive, Unwanted Thoughts and Faith (I am Second Blog)
Honored to be featured again in the I Am Second mental health blog, this post addresses the common occurrence of Intrusive Thoughts and how those of Christian faith can live in freedom. Click Here to Read NOW
Read More >Accidental Exposure: A Strong Mind Is Not Made In Comfort
Accidental workouts are great; just don’t base your exercise off of them. Has this ever happened to you? You have an exercise routine (walk, weights, circuit, CrossFit), and while expecting to take a holiday break, say Thanksgiving…..until someone challenges you in the paint for pickup game of basketball (in my family we had the 6 […]
Read More >Getting Aroused With Anxiety
Mark* was generally confident in his therapy, but bringing up sex….well, he got a little sheepish. He had these small avoidances that he never realized were behavioral and cognitive avoidances. For example, he would never have sex with his wife when the kids weren’t away from home. He intentionally steered conversation away from topics with […]
Read More >Intrusive, Unwanted Thoughts and Faith
“I feel like I really love my baby, but, I just don’t know. I have these terrible thoughts that pop into my mind. Thoughts of harming my baby. I actually vomited last night it made me so upset. I don’t know why I’m having these” “Everyone around me, including my pastor, seems to think I […]
Read More >A Prayer of Obsessive Surrender
Most of my clients hear from me at some point (when it’s appropriate for me to share) my own personal examples in dealing with obsessive thoughts. I have gotten very stuck in obsessive thinking and resultant feelings (and still do some days). Born through my own personal trials and individually tailored to clients who want […]
Read More >Faith Leaders- Ministering to Those with OCD
As a faith leader, you are the real front door to mental health. Despite the fact that doctors and hospitals may be attributed this designation, many people feel most comfortable talking about mental health issues with you first, and even at times exclusively. You are as a whole sought out 50% more than doctors or psychiatrists to help alleviate mental and emotional problems- this puts you on the front lines.
Read More >What is Obsessive Compulsive Disorder & How Is It Treated?
OCD in context. You may already be very familiar with references to OCD, especially in the larger culture. “I’m soooooo OCD” is a phrase, often unhelpful to true sufferers, that reflects the current sentiments of many as to what it is. Neat. Picky. High Standards. Demanding. This is NOT necessarily OCD in and of itself. […]
Read More >Just Because You Tremble Doesn’t Mean You’re Doing It Wrong
Both in the office and in my life I offer a simple reminder: just because you tremble or are afraid or feel distressed DOESN’T mean you’re doing it wrong. In fact, maybe it’s very right. An unbelievably common misconception among human beings is distress = bad. Sure, distress is uncomfortable. Yes, it signals something feels […]
Read More >When and Why ERP Isn’t Working (OCD Therapy Insider Tip)
Short summary of post can go here that appears on the blog archive pages.
Read More >OCD Therapy Insider Tip: Cut out the Margin.
If you have experience with cancer treatment, you may already know what is meant when I say, “cut out the margin.” Margin is the edge or border of tissue that is being removed through surgery. Why can’t you just cut out the “bad” part? Why must you go further? Simply, it is only deemed clean when all […]
Read More >Playing It Safe Can Harm You
Teddy pumped the sanitizer bottle for the second time in three minutes. “I know, I know, it doesn’t help when I haven’t touched anything else, but I want to be sure. You never know these days, right?” Freda waits to enter gatherings and meetings until everyone else has shown up- “It just helps me know I […]
Read More >the OCD Stories Podcast
I recorded a full length episode for the OCD Stories with Stuart Ralph, based in London, this summer. He just dropped the final version. You can listen FREE on all streaming platforms. One of my goals was to speak in a way where most people could connect or find something beneficial in this podcast. I hope you enjoy! […]
Read More >The Real Cost of Therapy
How much do you charge? This is a very loaded question, indeed. I’m going to give you straight answers to how much therapy actually costs, and why. If you are a consumer of health services, you’ve likely asked it many times between doctors, dentists, and insurance plans. Therapy is no different, yet it is unique […]
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