Justin’s Blog: “The Jog”

Join my fellow expert, Saharah Shrout, MA, LPC-S, and myself for the recorded live presentation during #OCDWeek 2020 we gave for OCD Texas (IOCDF Affiliate) in 2020. A very rough copy of some notes, providing examples, is below.  I hope this helps you feel less alone and understand this: just about any distressing thought/feeling can […]

The research is really clear on this: disordered checking behaviors (and thoughts) lead to distrust of your memory (van den Hout & Kint, 2003; Radomsky & Alcolado, 2010).  Let’s say you walk away from your front door or your car.  You typically lock them.  But you start to think about it, and you are now […]

Lisa is a learner, sensitive to do the right thing, and receptive to the input of other people.  She’s just another example of one of the true “sweethearts” that I get to work with.  When we started therapy she was a “therapist’s dream”: receptive, ready to learn, willing to try any exercise suggested, and highly […]

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 & […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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:  […]

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* […]

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 […]

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

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 […]