It’s Not What You Think

Dr Andrea Wallace: All about EMDR

Alison steps in for Angie today and joins Penny in welcoming back Dr Andrea Wallace to discuss EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing). EMDR is an evidence-backed therapy that uses bilateral stimulation (for example side to side eye movements) alongside the recollection of memories to help the brain reprocess memories of events or feelings. Penny and Alison discuss: * How the body/mind is wired to heal itself * What EMDR is and how it started * How and why it can be useful to help treat people with OCD * What EMDR sessions might look like * How it’s been helpful for Penny * How it can help people who might be resistant to trying ERP

Chris Walker: When childhood trauma meets OCD

Leading Australian TV producer, Chris Walker talks to Penny and Angie about the devastating intersection of OCD and childhood trauma.  When Chris was a young kid he witnessed a devastating event which left him and his family reeling. A few years later, Chris experienced OCD symptoms which started to take over his life.  In this very raw and honest episode, Chris talks so generously about: * The role religion and moral scrupulosity played in his OCD * The exhaustion of dealing with OCD at school when it’s so often invisible/hidden * The continuing misunderstanding around OCD and mental illness in general * Getting treatment for PTSD and ocd and how ERP therapy helped his compulsions * Seeing OCD symptoms in one of his children and his optimism for early intervention.

Adelaide Miller: Solving the jigsaw of multiple diagnoses

Award-winning ABC journalist and independent filmmaker, Adelaide Miller has a lot going on. Over the last five years she's been diagnosed with OCD, an eating disorder, mild tourettes and ADHD.    Adelaide talks to Penny and Alison about the symptoms she experienced as a child, the painful and awkward lengths she would go to, to make others feel happy and loved and how she's worked to unpack the different components of her neurodivergence and mental health.    We discuss eating disorders in this episode, so if you need help please contact The Butterfly Foundation [https://butterfly.org.au/]   Show notes:  The Man Who Couldn't Stop [https://www.booktopia.com.au/the-man-who-couldn-t-stop-david-adam/book/9781447277682.html?source=pla&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21622022821&gbraid=0AAAAA-Ia9hNpnQAfRD_aeUVvHWvPAecwH&gclid=Cj0KCQjw8PDPBhCeARIsAOJwmWWDIR2ihcuoZqre0V-BJEDYXIGT15F-QHJHY1Qj2Yx8-GsmK1FJDAgaAt9AEALw_wcB] by David Adam

We're back..again! An ADHD diagnosis, an OCD slump and a big season ahead.

Season 3 is here! We're kicking things off with a relaxed catch-up between the girls-  chatting about Angie's recent ADHD diagnosis, Penny's honest account of an OCD relapse and Alison's mental gymnastics in the holidays. We also give you a little taste of the incredible guests we have lined up for the season ahead.

Group chat: How OCD affects friendships

OCD can take so much from people, and a devastating effect of this illness is that it can complicate friendships. In this last episode of season 2, Alison Cosker joins Penny and Ange again to talk about how and why this is the case. They touch on: - How hard it can be to tell friends about an OCD diagnosis  - The strain a mental illness, with no end-date can put on friendships - The boundaries that people with mental illness often have to put in place to look after themselves, and how this can be misconstrued - How friends can get entangled in the reassurance web - Trying to take the ego out of friendship where possible  They end by giving tips for trying to maintain precious friendships; from the point of views of the person with and without OCD