FearCast Podcast

[https://i0.wp.com/fearcastpodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/FearCast-Podcast-Episode-52.png?resize=900%2C900&ssl=1] Ever wonder what it’s like to be the partner of someone with Relationship OCD (ROCD)? Well, one listener did too, and they reached out to me and asked if I could have someone on to talk about their experience. So, Danielle Cohen, LMFT, joined me to talk about her experience with someone who struggles with ROCD. Danielle was kind enough to share her experience, her struggles, and her wins, which she shares with her husband, over ROCD’s efforts to derail them.

[https://i0.wp.com/fearcastpodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/FearCast-Podcast-Episode-51.png?resize=900%2C900&ssl=1] Rick reached out to me recently to ask a very simple question with a not-so-simple answer. He wanted to know if it’s normal to have intrusive thoughts on purpose? It got me thinking about a lot of my clients who ask similar questions about their thoughts and why they have them and what their responsibility is to them. Did they want them, so they came? Now that they are there, are they really THEIR thoughts, or just a thought that have? Why do those thoughts go away when they are doing other things? So many questions, so I got into intrusive vs intentional thoughts, what they mean for us, and what we can do about them.

[https://i0.wp.com/fearcastpodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/FearCast-Podcast-Episode-50.png?resize=900%2C900&ssl=1] Abby reached out to me via Instagram to ask a question that starts off a little Harm OCD, but ends up a little Sensorimotor/ Hyperawareness OCD. She wants to know how to deal with her intrusive, looping thoughts that focuses on harm related thoughts toward a family member. She knows it’s her OCD, so she’s not doing compulsions, but she hates that they are even there. Does she need to do ERP, and if so how? I offer some ideas on how she can approach the situation with some Cognitive Behavioral Therapy skills, some ACT skills, and of course offer some ideas on exposures she can try. To Learn More About Harm OCD, Check Out This Article From The California OCD And Anxiety Treatment Center [https://calocd.com/obsessive-compulsive-disorder/harm-ocd/]

[https://i0.wp.com/fearcastpodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/FearCast-Podcast-Episode-49.png?resize=900%2C900&ssl=1] M messaged me recently to ask about a situation that is all too common. They struggle with POCD, but are terrified to go see a therapist for treatment because what if the therapist 1) doesn’t diagnose them with POCD but actually thinks they are their worst fear, and 2) they actually are their worst fear and they don’t fully and clearly communicate their symptoms and they mistakenly get diagnosed with POCD and not… you know… that other thing. Either way, it’s a fear of getting misdiagnosed, not getting the right treatment, and suffering needlessly. This happens with POCD as well as any number of other taboo subtypes, so it is very relatable across the board. For more about POCD, check out this article from The California OCD and Anxiety Treatment Center [https://calocd.com/obsessive-compulsive-disorder/pedophile-ocd-pocd/]

[https://i0.wp.com/fearcastpodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/FearCast-Podcast-Episode-48.png?resize=900%2C900&ssl=1] Struggling Artist emailed me with an admittedly long question. They want to become a full time artist but are struggling to take the leap because their Religious and Moral Scrupulosity OCD is trying to overtake their life. Obsessions about moral perfection are leading to checking compulsions, donating art sales profits, excessive confession, and mental rumination. Can they learn to work around it, or are they doomed to give up on their dream? For more about Moral Scrupulosity and Religious Scrupulosity, check out this article from The California OCD and Anxiety Treatment Center [https://calocd.com/obsessive-compulsive-disorder/scrupulosity/]