Justin’s Blog: “The Jog”

Ever noticed how if you try to push something away it seems to come back even stronger?  A common phrase in my work is “What you resist, persists.”  And this couldn’t be truer than with anxiety, panic, OCD, and maybe just about any problem that’s fear related. Repeated checking leads to “memory distrust” (Hout & […]

That Voice. You undoubtedly know the difference when someone uses that voice.  The conversation went from being lighthearted to now serious.  As a child, you may remember actual examples when your parent got serious and “laid down the law.”  I’m working on how to do this graciously, yet firmly, with my toddler right now. Have […]

In the journey of recovery from OCD, developing quick shortcuts to identify obsessions and/or compulsions is very helpful.  Otherwise, clients who attempt to stop and pause to assess every obsession run into two problems: The risk (and actuality) of over-analyzing, thus obsessing more on what is or isn’t an obsession.  This is part of the […]

OCD can be a highly debilitating disorder- yet it is highly treatable! You don’t have to check your faith at the door to get good help.   One example is from Dr. Elizabeth McIngvale, Director of the McLean OCD Institute // Houston and Lecturer at Harvard Medical School.   She is also Founder of the Peace […]

Is it ego-dystonic?  (Inconsistent with one’s personality and/or fundamental beliefs.) It’s called the “Doubting Disease” for a reason. When a person begins to doubt visibly and experientially something that they seem to know, this is something to pay attention to.     Did you lock the door?   Yes.  [10 minutes later] Well, maybe I should go […]

This four part series is meant to be a brief, yet fairly comprehensive, overview into the world of uncertainty for Christians.  SUMMARY: In Part 1, uncertainty is explored as a human experience- one for which Christians do not escape simply in lieu of being a faithful follower.  Part 2 addresses what ways people generally handle […]

This four part series is meant to be a brief, yet fairly comprehensive, overview into the world of uncertainty for Christians.  SUMMARY: In Part 1, uncertainty is explored as a human experience- one for which Christians do not escape simply in lieu of being a faithful follower.  Part 2 addresses what ways people generally handle […]

This four part series is meant to be a brief, yet fairly comprehensive, overview into the world of uncertainty for Christians.  SUMMARY: In Part 1, uncertainty is explored as a human experience- one for which Christians do not escape simply in lieu of being a faithful follower.  Part 2 addresses what ways people generally handle […]

This four part series is meant to be a brief, yet fairly comprehensive, overview into the world of uncertainty for Christians.  SUMMARY: In Part 1, uncertainty is explored as a human experience- one for which Christians do not escape simply in lieu of being a faithful follower.  Part 2 addresses what ways people generally handle […]

As a sequel to my popular, “ERP 4 OCD- Ultimate Guide to Treating OCD” training, here is the full length training on “Common Pitfalls in ERP 4 OCD.”  I have given this to OCD sufferers, family/friends, clergy, and clinicians.  May it benefit you wherever you find yourself today. Intro Evidence-based treatment for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]