Justin’s Blog: “The Jog”
120+ Articles Driven by Research and Practice
Sustainability: Making A Lifestyle Out Of Learning and Exposures
With most things we do in life that are healthy and good, sustainability requires the ability to stick with something over the long haul. Health Requires Realism & Cutting Out Shame Theoretically, with any one aspect of growth we might be able to figure it out ourselves, so we may think to ourselves, “I don’t […]
Read More >Five Principal Christian Commitments To Help Guide the OCD Sufferer
Peter’s Paradox Peter* came to counseling and admitted he was overly obsessive about faith matters- and that obsessing itself caused problems. But he couldn’t break free. He acknowledged the classic paradox of OCD: insight outside of the moment to see that his behavior was unreasonable, but simultaneously doubt and lack of insight during severe periods […]
Read More >When Relaxation Is Distressing
When I first learned to implement mindfulness, relaxation, and deep breathing into my therapy practice, I have to admit I was surprised when some clients quickly stated one of a few things: They didn’t want to continue. It was distressing to them. It didn’t work for them. It threw me off a little as a […]
Read More >The Curious Case of the Blank Instagram Story
I’ve got another confession to make. No, I’m not starting the song, Foo Fighters’ “Best of You.” I have been trying to cram WAY too much into life recently. My brain feels that stress, and so does my body. Blame it on the world, my environment, being “busy” with my life, my kids, my job- […]
Read More >the OCD Stories: Walking faithfully as a Christian while doing OCD treatment- considerations and common concerns
I once again joined host Stuart Ralph in the OCD Stories podcast. My prior one, “Faith, Spirituality and Religion in OCD Therapy” (#250), led us to go even deeper into the topic, specifically for Christians who have OCD. These bullet points are a very rough draft of what we covered. Here it is: Justin Hughes: Walking faithfully as […]
Read More >How To Use A Functional Assessment (Fast Version)
This is the shortened version of the article, the “PRO Version” available here. Functional Assessment Defined A functional assessment (or analysis, FA) is a framework that clinicians use to assess and plan treatment. It is simply “any empirical demonstration of a cause-effect relation,” its purpose being “to determine which sources of reinforcement account for problem […]
Read More >Where Your Thinking Will Trip You Up In Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Talk therapy is not the way to improve with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Talk therapy is also known as “supportive psychotherapy” or insight-oriented therapies. In many cases, these approaches can OCD worse. Writer and actress Lena Dunham shares how she experienced both sides of the street. The Gold Standard of treatment is Exposure and Response Prevention […]
Read More >The 3 D’s in OCD Recovery
In OCD therapy (usually Exposure and Response Prevention, or ERP), I tell clients simplistically there is one thing we are targeting: not compulsing. Of course it’s complex and challenging, but the treatment target itself (when it’s just OCD) is rather simple. However, because OCD is one of the most disabling disorders on the face of […]
Read More >How Alcohol Interferes with Getting Over Your Fears (Hint: It Interrupts Fear Disconfirmation)
The Question It was a good question. Anne* suffered extensively with fear, anxiety, and OCD. She wanted any relief she could find. “Can I drink a little alcohol during exposures?” Little Therapist Justin As an early specialist in OCD, I said to Anne my favorite thing to say when I don’t know: “I don’t know.” […]
Read More >Jon Seidl’s “Finding Rest” Book Review
I just finished the soon-to-be released autobiography on a Christian’s suffering with OCD, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, and Depression. My connection with the author was a special one, after contributing articles to I Am Second myself, one day I looked at the related articles and discovered that someone shared publicly on their struggles with OCD. As […]
Read More >Microsteps- Harnessing Something You Use Everyday To Get You Closer To A Goal
Small changes, over time, lead to big results. Keep Choppin’ If you chop a tree with an axe once per day, you won’t see much progress. Daily for a year and a tree (most) won’t stand a chance. However, we are often limited with black and white, insular thinking (a cognitive distortion), also called “all […]
Read More >How To Use A Functional Assessment Like The Experts (PRO Version)
This is the full, “PRO version” of this article. Looking for the quick read with graphics? Click here. A great strength we have as human beings is to make connections and associations between simple and complex information. At its best, we can learn and grow. At worst, we can live in total unreality. Therapy at […]
Read More >The Holy Spirit is Different Than Your Emotions or Thoughts- Part 2 of 2: How Does God Speak?
Our Feelings and Thoughts Are Not A Guarantee In Part 1 of 2: Doubt, Fear, and Uncertainty, I emphasized a key point: Just because a problem deals with a spiritual issue doesn’t mean it must be exclusively a spiritual problem, addressed through exclusively spiritual means. Let me add one: Just because I feel or think something […]
Read More >5 Things Christians Need to Know About Back-to-School Anxiety
I am Second has graciously published my Back-to-School article: 5 Things You Need to Know About Back-to-School Anxiety Click Here to Read NOW Here’s the quick summary: 1. Anxiety going back-to-school is normal. Why be surprised? Embrace it; accept it as normal; lean into it. 2. Don’t make anxiety personal. There’s no shame in suffering. […]
Read More >The Holy Spirit is Different Than Your Emotions or Thoughts- Part 1 of 2: Doubt, Fear, and Uncertainty
Confusing Doubt and Fear With God Speaking When Susan* began therapy for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), she had a lot of questions pertaining to her faith. In fact, she often thought she was dealing regularly with inherent spiritual problems, when, in reality, much of her concerns were just problems that […]
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