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The OCD Stories — Health & Fitness
The OCD Stories

Welcome to The OCD Stories, hosted by Stuart Ralph. The podcast has been heard over 8million times globally. Check out your first episode from our existing hundreds of episodes featuring experts, and people experiencing symptoms just like you today. If you do, you may just feel understood, heard and possibly help you identify your next step in your own personal journey to healing.

Disclaimer – this podcast is not a replacement for therapy. Please seek treatment from a licensed mental health professional.

Copyright: © 2015 Stuart Ralph Ltd

Latest Episodes:

Spenser Gabin: Reflections on ERP therapy, and becoming a therapist (#517) Dec 21, 2025

Show notes

In episode 517 I chat with Spenser Gabin. Spenser is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist based in Encinitas, California

We discuss his OCD, becoming a therapist, his thoughts on Ian O'Brien's episode and clinical perceptive on Ian's research findings on exposure and response prevention therapy (ERP): drop out rate, explaining how ERP links to life, setting expectations, ERP as a lifestyle, and motivation in ERP. We also discuss building trust in therapy, therapist disclosure, self-efficacy, and much more. Hope it helps.

Show notes: https://theocdstories.com/episode/spenser-517

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

Join many other listeners getting our weekly emails. Never miss a podcast episode or update: https://theocdstories.com/newsletter

Story: Emma (Group therapy, OCD around parenting, real event OCD) (Ep516) Dec 14, 2025

Show notes

In episode 516 I chat with Emma who has kindly agreed to share her OCD story with us.

We discuss OCD around parenting, real event themed OCD, group therapy and experiences of it, rumination, reassurance, dealing with shame, creativity in recovery, and much more. Hope it helps.

Show notes: https://theocdstories.com/episode/emma-516

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

Join many other listeners getting our weekly emails. Never miss a podcast episode or update: https://theocdstories.com/newsletter

The 10-Year Anniversary Episode: Featuring the Listeners (#515) Dec 07, 2025

Show notes

In episode 515 I opened the 10-year anniversary episode up to the listeners. People were able to make a recording of a 30 second sound bite for the show. This episode features all those recordings. Thank you to all those who submitted a sound bite. And thanks to you for listening and for your support over the last 10 years. What a ride it's been!

Show notes: https://theocdstories.com/episode/10-year-515

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

Join many other listeners getting our weekly emails. Never miss a podcast episode or update: https://theocdstories.com/newsletter

Dr Ronald Nicholson: AI and OCD (#514) Nov 30, 2025

Show notes

In episode 514 I chat with Dr Ronald Nicholson. Ron is a clinical psychologist.

We discuss why it's important to talk about artificial intelligence (AI) and OCD, AI and reassurance, how AI can play into compulsions, cognitive struggles due to over reliance on AI, the detriment of the loss of engagement with other humans, technology reducing distress tolerance, the future of mental health in this AI age, and much more. Hope it helps.

Show notes: https://theocdstories.com/episode/ron-514

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

Join many other listeners getting our weekly emails. Never miss a podcast episode or update: https://theocdstories.com/newsletter

Story: Amanda (OCD themes: Religion, harm and contamination) (#513) Nov 23, 2025

Show notes

In episode 513 I chat with Amanda who has kindly agreed to share her OCD story with us.

We discuss OCD themes of religion, harm and contamination. Amanda talks about depression, controlling food, stopping driving, navigating the Covid pandemic and OCD, compulsions controlling other people, therapy, grief and loss, figuring out it was ok not to do her compulsions, exposure and response prevention therapy (ERP), inference-based CBT (I-CBT), medication, managing family accommodation, words of hope and much more. Hope it helps.

Show notes: https://theocdstories.com/episode/amanda-513

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

Join many other listeners getting our weekly emails. Never miss a podcast episode or update: https://theocdstories.com/newsletter

Dr Steven Phillipson and Sarah: Metaphysical OCD and Sarah's story (#512) Nov 16, 2025

Show notes

In episode 512 I chat with Dr Steven Phillipson and Sarah. 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. He is joined by one of his patients, Sarah, who has kindly agreed to share her story.

We discuss what is metaphysical themed OCD, what is metaphysical contamination OCD, trauma, Sarah's OCD story, her sticking points in recovery, getting the wrong diagnosis, how her husband supported her, and her therapy with Steve. Hope it helps.

Show notes: https://theocdstories.com/episode/steve-sarah-512

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

Join many other listeners getting our weekly emails. Never miss a podcast episode or update: https://theocdstories.com/newsletter

Melissa Mose: Integrating IFS and ERP for OCD (#511) Nov 09, 2025

Show notes

In episode 511 I chat with Melissa Mose. Melissa is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who treats OCD. Melissa is president of the IOCDF affiliate OCD SoCal.

We discuss her new book for therapists on internal family systems therapy (IFS) for OCD, what is IFS, integrating IFS and exposure and response prevention therapy (ERP), working with parts that get in the way of therapy, noticing and working with OCD parts, understanding parts of us, understanding OCD parts in detail so that we can notice intuition better, and much more. Hope it helps.

Show notes: https://theocdstories.com/episode/melissa-511

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

Join many other listeners getting our weekly emails. Never miss a podcast episode or update: https://theocdstories.com/newsletter

Dr Steven Poskar: Medications for OCD (#510) Nov 02, 2025

Show notes

In episode 510 I chat with Dr Steven Poskar. Steven is a psychiatrist and clinical director of OCD NYC. He is also a member of the Scientific and Clinical Advisory Board of the International OCD Foundation.

We discuss his therapy journey, myths and misconceptions around OCD medication, SSRIs for OCD, choosing an SSRI based on their side effect profiles, weaning off medication, augmenting medication for OCD with anti psychotics, glutamate medications for OCD, benzodiazepines, psychedelic drug trials for OCD, cannabis, some reasons why medication doesn't work, supplements, and much more. Hope it helps.

Show notes: https://theocdstories.com/episode/steven-510

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

Join many other listeners getting our weekly emails. Never miss a podcast episode or update: https://theocdstories.com/newsletter

Ian O'Brien: OCD Story, and research on why people struggle to engage with ERP using over 100 interviews from The OCD Stories podcast (#509) Oct 26, 2025

Show notes

In episode 509 I chat with Ian O'Brien. Ian is a psychotherapist based in Dublin, Ireland, who specialises in OCD.

We discuss his OCD story including relationship OCD (rOCD) and pOCD, getting therapy, support groups, and becoming a therapist. We then discuss his research on why people struggle to engage with ERP (Exposure and Response Prevention) in which he analysed over 100 interviews from The OCD Stories podcast to explore the real challenges people face in starting, sticking with, or completing ERP. He shares the three major themes that emerged where people struggled with ERP including lots of sub themes, and suggestions for improvements in ERP, and much more. Hope it helps.

Show notes: https://theocdstories.com/episode/ian-509

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

Join many other listeners getting our weekly emails. Never miss a podcast episode or update: https://theocdstories.com/newsletter

Michael Stier: Health anxiety (#508) Oct 19, 2025

Show notes

In episode 508 I chat with Michael Stier. Michael is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) and Director of Education and Training at the Anxiety Specialists of Atlanta.

We discuss his therapy story, working with health anxiety, the health anxiety book he co-wrote, what is health anxiety, insight in health anxiety, bodily sensations, values based living, and much more. Hope it helps.

Show notes: https://theocdstories.com/episode/michael-508

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

Join many other listeners getting our weekly emails. Never miss a podcast episode or update: https://theocdstories.com/newsletter

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