Justin’s Blog: “The Jog”
120+ Articles Driven by Research and Practice
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 >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 >Common Pitfalls In ERP (Exposure & Response Prevention) 4 OCD Livestream
Join me on Wednesday, August 25th, 6:00 – 7:30 pm CST, for “Common Pitfalls In ERP (Exposure & Response Prevention) 4 OCD” Livestream Evidence-based treatment for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is not tremendously difficult to understand. It involves things like tracking when you compulse, learning to face challenging situations without compulsion, and how to tolerate […]
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 >Why EMDR Is Not An Evidence-based Treatment for OCD
I’m just gonna say it: EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is not an established evidence-based treatment for OCD. It is not a first line treatment (aka, best first pick), nor does it have any specific research backing as a comprehensive OCD treatment at this time. Does EMDR Treat OCD? This topic is raised often […]
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 […]
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