The 500th episode. Musings and reflections from a Welsh mountain range.
Release Date: 08/24/2025
Alexandra Reynolds: Navigating shame around health anxiety (OCD) (#501)
The OCD Stories
In episode 501 I chat with Alexandra Reynolds. Alexandra is an OCD Advocate, Community Support Group Leader at NOCD, and is currently doing her graduate clinical training. We discuss her health anxiety story, stigma around the diagnosis, running her health anxiety support group, shame and guilt around having health anxiety and the compulsions, experiencing stigma or judgement from family and health care professionals, compassion, how family members can support their loved ones, and much more. Hope it helps. Show notes: The podcast is made possible by NOCD. NOCD offers...
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The 500th episode. Musings and reflections from a Welsh mountain range.
The OCD Stories
In episode 500 I, Stuart Ralph, reflect on my journey with The OCD Stories podcast over the last nearly 10 years. To do this I took a hike in the Brecon Beacons National Park in Wales, UK. Thanks for listening over the last 500 episodes! 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 Here is the form I mentioned for feedback on future episodes of the podcast: Join many other listeners getting our...
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Dr Ronald Nicholson: Using humour in OCD therapy (#499)
The OCD Stories
In episode 499 I chat with Dr Ronald Nicholson. Ron is a clinical psychologist currently practicing as a post-doctoral fellow at Dr. Steven Phillipson's Center of Cognitive Behavioral Psychotherapy. We discuss humour in OCD therapy, why humour can help, finding the right balance between humour and seriousness, humour as a way of showing irrelevance, Dr Phillipson asks a few questions including what is the funniest thing that has happened in therapy. We discuss the science of laughter, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and much more. Hope it helps. Show notes: The podcast is made...
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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...
info_outlineIn episode 500 I, Stuart Ralph, reflect on my journey with The OCD Stories podcast over the last nearly 10 years. To do this I took a hike in the Brecon Beacons National Park in Wales, UK.
Thanks for listening over the last 500 episodes!
Show notes: https://theocdstories.com/episode/500
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 https://go.treatmyocd.com/theocdstories
Here is the form I mentioned for feedback on future episodes of the podcast: https://forms.gle/ZacGhmdxgqa2nUyS8
Join many other listeners getting our weekly emails. Never miss a podcast episode or update: https://theocdstories.com/newsletter
Thanks to all our patrons for supporting our work. To sign up to our Patreon and to check out the benefits you’ll receive as a Patron, visit: https://www.patreon.com/theocdstoriespodcast