Dr Josh Spitalnick: Health Anxiety, and living life well (#478)
Release Date: 03/23/2025
Jonny Say interviews Stuart on the lead up to episode 500! Podcast beginnings, Stuart’s key learnings, and what helped him (#498)
The OCD Stories
In episode 498 psychotherapist Jonny Say interviews Stuart. Stuart is the host and founder of The OCD Stories podcast. Stuart is a psychotherapist, and co-founder of The Integrative Centre for OCD Therapy. In the build up to episode 500 Jonny interviews me (Stuart), we discuss the history of the podcast and some of my personal history, how the podcast helped me in the early days and which topics or guests helped in particular, and then how the podcast has helped me as a therapist, the evolution of the podcast, and much more. Hope it helps. Show notes: The podcast is made possible by NOCD....
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Dr Steven Phillipson: Identity contamination, not buying into OCD themes, talking about OCD, ERP tools (#497)
The OCD Stories
In episode 497 I chat with Dr Steven Phillipson. Steven is a licensed clinical psychologist who specialises in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for OCD. Steven is the Clinical Director at the Center for Cognitive Behavioral Psychotherapy in New York. We discuss identity contamination as a theme of OCD, the amygdala, not buying into OCD themes, talking about OCD with people, Dr Phillipson’s Cancel Toku list - a list of irrational or maladaptive words and concepts and their more adaptive equivalents, some exposure and response prevention therapy (ERP) tools, and much more. Hope it...
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Story: Riley (Compulsive exercise, residential treatment, finding joy again) (#496)
The OCD Stories
In episode 496 I chat with Riley who has kindly agreed to share her OCD story with us. We discuss how OCD latched on to her sport (swimming), compulsive exercise, her different compulsions, obsessions around being strong, getting therapy, restricting foods, residential treatment, medication, finding joy in activities again, words of hope, and much more. Hope it helps. Show notes: The podcast is made possible by NOCD. NOCD offers effective, convenient therapy available in the US and outside the US. To find out more about NOCD, their therapy plans and if they currently take your insurance head...
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Gina Abbondante: OCD story, panic disorder, ERP, I-CBT (#495)
The OCD Stories
In episode 495 I chat with Gina Abbondante. Gina is a psychotherapist and clinical director at Change of Mind counselling. We discuss her OCD story, panic disorder - having a panic attack as early as kindergarten, blood injection injury phobia, when OCD started, suicidal themed OCD, exposure and response prevention therapy (ERP), inference-based CBT (CBT), working with postpartum and postnatal parents, equine therapy, and much more. Hope it helps. Show notes: The podcast is made possible by NOCD. NOCD offers effective, convenient therapy available in the US and outside the US. To find out...
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Story: Clare (Intrusive thoughts, ERP, research) (#494)
The OCD Stories
In episode 494 I chat with Clare who has kindly agreed to share her OCD story with us. We discuss intrusive thoughts, harm themed OCD, skin picking, her family, exposure and response prevention therapy, her research, words of hope, and much more. Hope it helps. Show notes: Thanks to our podcast partners NOCD who make this podcast possible. NOCD offers effective, convenient therapy available in the US and outside the US. To find out more about NOCD, their therapy plans and if they currently take your insurance head over to Join many other listeners getting our weekly emails. Never miss a...
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Story: Braden Smith (Religious OCD, ERP, NFL, psychedelics) (#493)
The OCD Stories
In episode 493 I chat with Braden Smith who has kindly agreed to share his OCD story with us. Braden is a offensive tackle for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). We discuss his OCD story, religious scrupulosity OCD, how OCD affected his professional career as an NFL athlete, how OCD focused on his faith, using psychedelic treatments, exposure and response prevention therapy (ERP), rumination and compulsive prayer, going to an intensive outpatient treatment, how he now challenges his OCD, how Braden uses humour, real event OCD, and much more. Hope it helps. ...
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Sheva Rajaee: Relationship OCD Couples Therapy (#492)
The OCD Stories
In episode 492 I chat with Sheva Rajaee. Sheva is a psychotherapist who specialises in the treatment of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and other related anxiety disorders. She is the founder of the Center for Anxiety and OCD (CAOCD). Sheva authored the book Relationship OCD: A CBT-Based Guide to Move Beyond Obsessive Doubt, Anxiety, and Fear of Commitment in Romantic Relationships. We discuss an update on her, her center’s couples protocol for working with relationship OCD (rOCD), treating the system with rOCD, attachment theory, attachment insecurities, emotion focused therapy (EFT), having...
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Story: Rowen (Sexual orientation themed OCD, relationship themed OCD) (#491)
The OCD Stories
In episode 491 I chat with Rowen who has kindly agreed to share her OCD story with us. We discuss her story, compulsively confessing, sexual orientation themed OCD, relationship themed OCD, the possibility of her birth control (IUD) affecting her mental health, words of hope and much more. Hope it helps. Show notes: The podcast is made possible by NOCD. NOCD offers effective, convenient therapy available in the US and outside the US. To find out more about NOCD, their therapy plans and if they currently take your insurance head over to Join many other listeners getting our weekly...
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Jan Stewart: A Parent’s Journey Raising Children with OCD and Neurodiversity (#490)
The OCD Stories
In episode 490 chat with Jan Stewart. Jan is a mental health and neurodiversity advocate. She authored the book, ‘Hold on Tight: A Parent’s Journey Raising Children with Mental Illness’. We discuss Jan’s parenting OCD story, neurodiversity, getting help for herself and her kids, why the patient is the whole family, separating her son from his diagnosis, reducing parental accommodation, advice for loved ones and parents, the importance of not forgetting the siblings, parental self-care, and much more. Hope it helps. Show notes: The podcast is made possible by NOCD. NOCD offers...
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Dr Michael Greenberg: OCD as a defense mechanism (#489)
The OCD Stories
In episode 489 I chat with Dr Michael Greenberg. Michael is a clinical psychologist who specialises in Rumination-Focused ERP (RF-ERP). We discuss an update on Michael, rumination-focused exposure and response prevention therapy (RF-ERP), OCD as a defense mechanism, a psychoanalytical view of OCD, digesting feelings, some different psychological defenses, attachment and early experiences, clinical examples of his point, how we are all humans that bring human experiences to our relationships, a compassionate view on parenting, and much more. Show notes: The podcast is made possible...
info_outlineIn episode 478 I chat with Dr Josh Spitalnick. Josh is a licensed psychologist, owner and clinical director at the Anxiety Specialists of Atlanta, an outpatient clinic. He is co-author of “The Complete Guide to Overcoming Health Anxiety”.
We discuss what’s new with him, his book, the title of the book, this idea of mental health - health anxiety, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), exposure and response prevention therapy (ERP), living life regardless of fears, social media’s impact on health anxiety, the different variations of health anxiety, therapy for health anxiety, and much more. Hope it helps.
Show notes: https://theocdstories.com/episode/josh-478
The podcast is made possible by NOCD. NOCD offers effective, convenient therapy available in the US and outside the US for children and adults. To find out more about NOCD, their therapy plans and if they currently take your insurance head over to https://learn.nocd.com/theocdstories
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