Justin’s Blog: “The Jog”
120+ Articles Driven by Research and Practice
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 >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 […]
Read More >Get Unstuck: Your Intro to Facing Fear & Getting Healthy
As a gift to my subscribers, the guide, Get Unstuck: Your Intro to Facing Fear & Getting Healthy is YOURS, FREE. Not a subscriber? This is the updated version of the prior “Thriving Mental Health Alongside COVID-19,” leaving the best intact along with new considerations for 2021 and several new handouts, connected articles, guides, and […]
Read More >An Introduction To The “Over-Active Conscience”: Understanding Scrupulosity & Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder by Dr. Ted Witzig
This article is aimed at Christians but also provides a rich overview on scrupulosity. It was written by Ted Witzig, Jr., PhD and was graciously allowed to be reproduced in its entirety. I first met Dr. Witzig at IOCDF conferences. He is compassionate, intelligent, and provides some of the best overviews I’ve seen with OCD […]
Read More >Stop Trying To Have Positive Thoughts
As with many of my clients, Anne* was befuddled as to why she couldn’t stop obsessing. She was a high performer at work and revered in relationships. However, she couldn’t get it out of her thoughts that she was failing, that imminent doom was about to befall her, and that it would all come crashing […]
Read More >Exposure & Response Prevention Is NOT A Paradoxical Intervention
I’ve had many clients and spouses state at the beginning of their exposure therapy that they are practicing ‘paradoxes’ to prove to themselves how ridiculous their OCD is. I’m all for seeing OCD as ridiculous– however, OCD is not treated by insight-oriented approaches (psychodynamic, general psychotherapy- i.e., “talk,”). Paradoxical interventions work like the following example: […]
Read More >You’ve Decided to Stop Therapy. First, 11 Important Considerations.
Your best treatment is closely connected to how closely you stick to the evidence base. However, you as the client always need to advocate for your best treatment. Successful clients are assertive for their treatment, ask good questions, and sometimes even disagree with their professional. This is healthy. Client involvement and assertiveness is a fundamental […]
Read More >Practice Failure
You heard me. Yes, practice Failure. Not just “accept your mistakes” when they happen. It’s a technique in exposure to social anxiety, perfectionism, scrupulosity, and more. It’s genius if you ask me. The Brilliant Rationale The rationale and purpose of practicing failure is to develop more flexibility and to lean in when it’s “game-time.” Hunter* […]
Read More >Women-tal Health: Tips to strengthen women’s health and combat illness!
Women’s mental health is getting more attention now than maybe ever before, which I think is awesome. Acknowledging the beauty and uniqueness of strengths and struggles helps women to be more successful in their lives. Here are some key considerations in mental health for women. In the U.S., women are twice as likely to be […]
Read More >Video: How To Write an OCD Exposure Script- With Nathan Peterson!!
Two OCD Specialist colleagues (and friends) just having fun on how to write exposure scripts in OCD. Exposure Therapy, in a phrase, is the systematic and intentional triggering of fear while minimizing- and ideally eliminating- all pathological responses. Imaginal Exposure accomplishes this with thoughts and ideas. It is done in the context of addressing unhelpful/pathological responses […]
Read More >3 Ways I Got Unstuck From Anxiety & Depression
Check out my featured article as part of the Mental Health Grace Alliance. This is my most vulnerable personal writing yet on my journey with mental health. I hope you’ll be encouraged. 3 Ways I Got Unstuck From Anxiety & Depression Not familiar with MHGA yet? They are a strong voice for mental health recovery in […]
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