Shows
OCD Straight TalkWhat Makes an OCD Therapist A Good One?Chris answers the question, What makes a good OCD therapist? The answer is multifaceted, and it might surprise you. Feel free to reach out with any questions you might have to Chris@KentuckyOCD.com.
Also, Thank you. Out of thousands of podcasts globally, you've made OCD Straight Talk #5 on Feedspot's Top 25 Podcasts on OCD. Check out those Top 25 here. https://podcast.feedspot.com/ocd_podcasts/
2025-04-1115 minOCD Straight TalkI Got Dirt on Ya: Contamination OCDChris discusses some of the gears and guts of working with Contamination-OCDers.
Feel free to reach out with any questions you might have to Chris@KentuckyOCD.com.
If you've found the podcast helpful, consider giving it a 5-star rating.
2024-10-2527 minOCD Straight TalkI'm Not Sure It's Really Romance: Relationship-OCDChris discusses Relationship OCD, its faces and presentations, and gives some practical tips on what to do if that's YOU.
Feel free to reach out with any questions you might have to Chris@KentuckyOCD.com.
If you've found the podcast helpful, consider giving it a 5-star rating.
2024-10-1823 minOCD Straight TalkIt Just Feels WRONG: Just-Right OCDChris discusses so-called Just-Right OCD and the feeling that task didn't get completed right. He also presents some variations of Just-Right OCD and subtypes that often present with it.
Feel free to reach out with any questions you might have to chris@KentuckyOCD.com.
If you've found the podcast helpful, consider giving it a 5-star rating.
2024-10-1124 minOCD Straight TalkI'm Sick! And Nobody Knows It but MeChris discusses Illness Anxiety Disorder, and provides a look at the many ways this condition affects patients. He provides examples and shows how some tools can be applied to relevant worries in different ways.
Feel free to reach out with any questions you might have to Chris@KentuckyOCD.com.
If you've found the podcast helpful, consider giving it a 5-star rating.
2024-10-0420 minOCD Straight TalkThe Final Question & The One Piece of AdviceChris presents and explains a question he asks patients in therapy that is intended to help them summarize in short-form what they're learning in the process of better managing symptoms.
Feel free to reach out with any questions you might have to chris@KentuckyOCD.com.
If you've found the podcast helpful, consider giving it a 5-star rating.
2024-09-2717 minOCD Straight TalkThe Lens Grows BiggerChris shares some of his own experiences with OCD, and discusses some common experiences others have with seeing around the OCD-lens.
Feel free to reach out with any questions you might have to chris@KentuckyOCD.com.
If you've found the podcast helpful, consider giving it a 5-star rating.
2024-09-2021 minOCD Straight Talk65.7% Threat Level before Compulsion. What after?Chris discusses a conversation with a listener seeking reassurance, and explains a tool that he gave her. As he's said before, uncertainty is your friend, not your enemy.
Feel free to reach out with any questions you might have to chris@kentuckyocd.com
If you've found the podcast helpful, consider giving it a 5-star rating.
2024-09-1325 minOCD Straight TalkIt's You Against YOU: OCD is a Closed SystemChris discusses the idea of OCD being an obsession much more with uncertainty than a concern with objective danger.
Feel free to reach out with any questions you might have to chris@kentuckyocd.com.
If you've found the podcast helpful, consider giving it a 5-star rating.
2024-09-0616 minOCD Straight TalkExposures Are Opportunities to Practice SkillsChris explains the concept that exposures are really just opportunities to practice skills that allow you to interact with your anxiety-system in a different way. The biggest hurdle that you will face in trying to "treat yourself" is not having a therapist there to ask you the real questions. Why are you not working harder to get better? Why are you gravitating back to the same old way of interacting with your anxiety when you know that that way doesn't work?
Feel free to reach out with any questions to chris@kentuckyocd.com.
If you've...
2024-08-3014 minOCD Straight TalkA Self-Perpetuating System of Symptoms: the Cognitive ModelChris shares several case studies related to clinical anxiety and works to show you what they have in common so that you can better understand how to understand, dissect, and manage your own anxiety system.
Feel free to reach out with any questions you might have to chris@kentuckyocd.com.
If you've found OCD Straight Talk helpful, consider giving us a 5-star rating.
2024-08-2315 minOCD Straight TalkUnderstanding OCD through Newton's First Law of MotionChris discusses cracking the OCD code in this latest episode, and further applies the cognitive model to understanding, and gaining control over anxiety related disorders.
Feel free to reach out with any questions you might have to chris@kentuckyocd.com or DM me on IG @ocdstraighttalk.
If you've found OCD Straight Talk helpful, consider giving us a 5-star rating.
2024-08-1611 minOCD Straight TalkSolving A Problem Starts with Understanding ItChris continues the series on striving to equip you to treat yourself by discussing the Cognitive Model. It's true that it's a basic concept ... and that OCDST has presented long presented the idea. BUT, that doesn't mean that you have worked to apply the model in real-time to your symptoms. Gotta do it! Map it out. Dissect your symptoms. You can't directly stop your thoughts; neither can you snap your fingers and change your feelings. But you CAN choose to not engage certain behaviors. That's your choice. But you need to find them first. Go get 'em.
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2024-08-0911 minOCD Straight TalkBonus Episode: On Getting YOURSELF BetterChris talk about the future of the podcast, and the use of OCDST as a means of learning and practicing skills to get yourself better.
Feel free to reach out with any questions you might have to chris@KentuckyOCD.com
If you've found the podcast helpful, consider giving us a 5-star rating.
2024-08-0820 minOCD Straight TalkAI and the Future of OCD TreatmentChris opines about the future of mental healthcare in general and OCD treatment in particular. Given the slow but steady, technological development of healthcare delivery in the past 20 to 30 years, it's only a matter of time. Soon AI human-like robots (like Max Headroom from the 80s) will serve as treatment experts, and patients will get themselves better with the use of highly developed and widely accessible, therapeutic applications.
Feel free to reach out with any questions you might have to chris@KentuckyOCD.com.
If you've found OCD Straight Talk helpful, consider giving us a 5-star...
2024-07-2618 minOCD Straight TalkPerfectionism: Allow Yourself to Make A MistakeChris discusses a unique form of OCD that is, at the same time, common to the population: Perfectionism. In this case, it's not as straight forward as working to stop compulsions. The endeavor of behavior change is more about adding an ingredient than omitting one.
Feel free to reach out with any questions you might have to chris@kentuckyocd.com.
If you've found the podcast helpful, consider giving us a 5-star rating or subscribing to podcast for more structured help with your OCD or anxiety symptoms.
2024-07-1913 minOCD Straight TalkKeep Your Head When OCD Wants You to Lose Your MindChris shares a recent episode he had with OCD and anxiety and works to discuss, frame by frame: what should you do when OCD sets a trap for you and it works?
Feel free to reach out with any questions you might have to Chris@kentuckyOCD.com
If you've found the podcast helpful, consider giving it a 5-star rating and subscribing to OCD Straight Talk for more structured help with you anxiety or OCD symptoms.
2024-07-0527 minOCD Straight TalkIs It Objective Danger or OCD?Chris recaps several concepts that raise the question: How do you tell the difference between OCD and objective danger? While a number of answers could be presented to the question, Chris offers two.
Feel free to reach out with any questions you might have to Chrisleins04@gmail.com.
If you've found the podcast helpful, consider giving us a 5-star rating and subscribing to the podcast for more structured help with your anxiety- or OCD-symptoms.
2024-04-1217 minOCD Straight TalkFocus More; Ruminate Less - Here's HowChris discusses an attentional principle that is readily observable for most people. You can't both ruminate and engage the goings-on of the here-and-now at the same time. You're either doing one or the other, even if that means that you're quickly switching back and forth between the two. Chris builds on this concept and provides a practical strategy to harness the principle in order to make gains on rumination.
2024-01-2715 minOCD Straight TalkChris Conducts an Imaginal Exposure ... on HimselfIn this episode, Chris faces his relationship-OCD and does what's called, an imaginal exposure.
Feel free to reach out with any questions you might have to chrisleins04@gmail.com.
If you've found the podcast helpful, consider giving us a 5-star review, and subscribing to the podcast for more structured help with your anxiety- or OCD-symptoms.
2023-10-1245 minOCD Straight TalkFocus on What You Can Control!Chris discusses the idea of overriding your urge to manage your thoughts and feelings. This isn't easy; and nobody (at least nobody who knows what he or she is talking about) is saying it is. But it certainly is possible. To further unpack this, Chris gives the example of behavior-change within the context of depressive episodes, and explains its longitudinal effect. He then shows how behavior-change within the context of clinical anxiety or OCD is not only a similar concept but also enjoys the same results.
Feel free to reach out with any questions you might have t...
2023-02-0920 minOCD Straight TalkThe Anxiety's A Good IndicatorChris provides a bird's eye view of the process-landscape. One of your questions at this point might be, Am I doing my exposures right? And that's a good question. Chris explains a few concepts and then connects them in such a way that will help you answer that question.
2022-12-1417 minOCD Straight Talk"I Think It's More Nuanced Than That"Chris reflects on a conversation he recently had with a respected colleague. They discussed the resistance some patients/OCDers appear to have toward doing exposure therapy on their own (that is, without the direct or immediate support of a therapist). Chris believes that under the right conditions, people may be willing to do exposure therapy despite not being in traditional treatment. The question is: If he's right, what conditions might those be?
Feel free to reach out with any questions you might have to chrisleins04@gmail.com, and consider subscribing to OCD Straight Talk for additional help...
2022-12-0613 minOCD Straight TalkTake the Next Step with OCD Straight TalkWe've all learned real skills from watching YouTube videos and listening to podcasts. Some of us have earned college, and even graduate degrees in asynchronous university programs, in which we've read and wrote and watched prerecorded lectures. The idea of DIY-learning is not new. What if there were a way for you to learn a structured process and formal, therapeutic skills? What if you could be your own behavior-therapist and treat your own OCD or anxiety-symptoms? OCD Straight Talk is launching Subscriber-Based Content that will walk users through the same process that Chris uses in therapy. Chris will walk...
2022-11-0103 minOCD Straight Talk"Just-Right OCD": Can't Stop This FeelingChris responds to a listener's question about how to manage "just right"-OCD. It's important, first and foremost, to remember that OCD is OCD; and although OCD often appears in so-called "subtypes," the condition is largely treated the same way. Chris explains how just right-OCD is distinct from other subtypes, and discusses managing the "feeling" of "just right."
Feel free to reach out with any questions you might have.
If you've found OCD Straight Talk helpful, consider giving us a 5-star rating, and supporting the podcast to help us produce more content.
2022-08-2913 minOCD Straight TalkJust Trying Harder is a Step in the Right DirectionChris discusses the Cognitive Model and how it applies to depressive and anxious symptoms. Distinguishing between symptoms that we can directly control and symptoms that we can't is an essential first step to making progress. The questions become, Where do you have control? and, What are you doing to feed the bear?
Feel free to reach out with any questions you might have to chrisleins04@gmail.com; or message Chris on Instagram @ocdstraighttalk.
If you've found OCD Straight Talk helpful, consider giving us a 5-star rating, and supporting the podcast to help us produce more c...
2022-07-2912 min
OCD Straight TalkOCD - the "C" = EX/RPChris is on Instagram (@ocdstraighttalk)!
On this episode, Chris explains the idea that we're not really doing exposure therapy if we're also doing compulsions (or OCD minus the "C" equals Exposure and Response Prevention), and presents the concept from a few points of view. But some people get stuck on the idea of stopping compulsions. Afterall, certain things are easier said than done. So he provides two pointers.
Feel free to reach out with any questions you might have to chrisleins04@gmail.com.
If you've found OCDST helpful, consider giving us a 5-star r...
2022-07-0115 minOCD Straight TalkYou're Doing One at the Expense of the Other or the Other at the Expense of the OneChris discusses the symptomatologic reality that individuals can't manage their anxiety and manage their compulsions: they're either working to keep their anxiety in check, and in so doing they're engaging compulsions; or they're identifying, resisting, and preventing compulsions when they feel anxious, and facing the anxiety head-on. They can't do both; and neither can you. Feel free to reach out with any questions you might have to chrisleins04@gmail.com. And view my recent interview with the Anxiety Commander at (6) OCD Interview with Chris Leins | OCD Treatment Specialist - YouTube. If you've found OCD Straight Talk helpful, feel free t...
2022-06-1715 minOCD Straight TalkRobert Hindman, Ph.D.Chris sits down with Dr. Robert Hindman, a trainer at the widely respected Beck Institute, and specialist in the treatment of clinically significant anxiety problems. Chris and Dr. Hindman discuss issues spanning from the concept of the Cognitive Model to the application of that model to beating your OCD-system.
Feel free to reach out with any questions you might have to chrisleins04@gmail.com.
If you've found OCD Straight Talk helpful, consider giving the podcast a 5-star review or supporting us to help us produce more content.
2022-02-2128 minOCD Straight TalkDavid H. Barlow, Ph.D., ABPPChris talks with Dr. David Barlow, one of the world's foremost experts on the treatment of psychopathology, and leading experts in the area of disordered anxiety. Chris and Dr. Barlow discuss his Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders, along with both the overlap of the anxiety disorders and their effective treatments. The all-important emphasis on behavior-change takes center stage as they talk about the Unified Protocol, and evidence-based psychotherapy.
Feel free to reach out with any questions you might have to chrisleins04@gmail.com
If you've found OCD Straight Talk helpful, consider giving u...
2021-12-2150 minOCD Straight TalkJason AdamsChris sits down with Jason Adams to discuss the complexities of parenting young children while simultaneously dealing with OCD. Chris and Jason talk about finding resources and encountering treatment, and ultimately discuss Jason's new book, OC Dad: Leaning to be a Parent with a Mental Health Disorder.
Feel free to reach out with any questions you might have to chrisleins04@gmail.com.
If you've found OCD Straight Talk helpful, consider giving us a 5-star rating and supporting the podcast to help us produce more content.
2021-10-2630 minOCD Straight TalkEric Storch, Ph.D.Chris talks with Dr. Eric Storch, a leading OCD-treatment specialist, and one of the psychological scientists who developed the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (YBOCS), the gold-standard tool for assessing OCD-symptoms. Chris and Dr. Storch discuss the concept of the "YBOCS Cheat Sheet," along with some of the processes that collectively form the Exposure and Response Prevention protocol.
Thanks, Dr. Storch for sharing your time and expertise with us!
Feel free to reach out with any questions you might have to chrisleins04@gmail.com.
2021-08-2721 minOCD Straight TalkOCD & The 2nd Law of ThermodynamicsChris discusses the concepts of Trace Decay Theory (of psychology) and Entropy (of physics), explaining - without apology - the necessity of repeatedly explaining important strategies. He also describes the function of actually documenting identified compulsions, noting two groups in therapy. The question is, Which one fairs better?
Feel free to reach out with any questions you might have to chrisleins04@gmail.com.
2021-07-2719 minOCD Straight TalkThe Difference between Rumination and ReflectionThanks for the question - very good one. Chris responds to a listener and defines compulsions from a couple of vantage points.
Feel free to reach out with any question you might have to chrisleins04@gmail.com.
2021-07-2418 minOCD Straight TalkOn Weakening the Connection between Thoughts, Behaviors, and FeelingsChris discusses CBT-theory, which is based on "the Cognitive Model," and raises the question of how we can methodologically weaken the strong and habitual connection between these triangulated, and interconnected pieces of our experience. Feel free to reach out with any questions you might have to chrisleins04@gmail.com
2021-07-0330 minOCD Straight TalkTrue or False: If You Think It's Your OCD, It IsChris responds to a listener's question - A follow up on our series on uncertainty. So, true or false? Or, is it a trick question?
Feel free to reach out with any questions you might have. Chrisleins04@gmail.com
2021-06-3021 minOCD Straight TalkEMDR vs. Prolonged Exposure for PTSDChris discusses the prevailing treatments for PTSD, and the weird animus that tends to stand between them.
Feel free to reach out with any questions you might have to chrisleins04@gmail.com
2021-06-2323 minOCD Straight TalkIs Uncertainty Your Friend or Your Enemy?Chris breaks down the reality of uncertainty, and explains how we can either work with uncertainty, or against it.
Feel free to reach out with any questions you might to chrisleins04@gmail.com
2021-06-1716 minOCD Straight TalkWhat, Essentially, Is OCD?Chris talks behind and beyond all the technical language and diagnostic criteria of OCD. The condition, whatever it is, centers on a life-dimension common to humanity. But some people just don't find this dimension very distressing - lucky them. Others, on the other hand, find it very distressing. But theirs liberty in realizing the reality that this dimension is unchangeable. It gives birth to the question, How can we work to tolerate, and live life in light of uncertainty?
Feel free to reach out with any questions you might have to chrisleins04@gmail.com
2021-06-1525 min
The Biblical Beef (Biblical Counseling Exposed)The Gospel is a Superfluous Detail of History ... Unless You're a SinnerChris discloses parts of his personal story in Christianity. Christianity is for sinners. That's a biblical reality. But journeying toward the realization that the Gospel is for you - a sinner - is not for the faint of heart.
Feel free to reach out with any questions you might have. Chrisleins04@gmail.com
2021-06-1429 minOCD Straight TalkThe Good News Isn't Good without the Bad News; It's Just NewsChris discloses parts of his story toward deep faith in Christ. The Gospel begins with the Bad News - with a real, and deep discovery of one's detestable nature before God and man.
Feel free to reach out with any questions you might have to chrisleins04@gmail.com
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2021-06-1429 minThe Biblical Beef (Biblical Counseling Exposed)Biblical Counseling-Theory (Un)DefinedChris presents and discusses a quote by Dr. David Powlison, and raises questions as to the concrete specifics of Biblical Counseling-Theory.
2021-06-1111 minThe Biblical Beef (Biblical Counseling Exposed)What, Exactly, is Biblical Counseling-Theory?Chris presents a quote by Dr. David Powlison, and asks specific questions as to its meaning. We see that if we scrutinize the fluffy, and all-encompassing language used to explain Biblical Counseling-theory, we are left with many more questions than we are answers.
That sins cause sickness, in other words, is language that communicates so many possible messages, if you really think about it, as to communicate virtually nothing at all.
Feel free to reach out with any questions you might have to chrisleins04@gmail.com.
2021-06-1011 minOCD Straight TalkUnderstanding Obsessions and Compulsions in Existential OCDChris responds to a listener and explains the importance of identifying compulsions, and distinguishing them from obsessions in existential OCD.
Feel free to reach out with any questions you might have. Chrisleins04@gmail.com
2021-06-0726 minThe Biblical Beef (Biblical Counseling Exposed)Is Biblical Counseling-Theory Deceptive?Chris shares a passage from Paul David Tripp's (2002) Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands, and explains where and how Biblical Counseling-theory falls short on delivering what it promises.
2021-06-0434 minThe Biblical Beef (Biblical Counseling Exposed)Some ... Problems with Biblical Counseling-Theory, Ya Know, Little OnesOk, maybe not so little. On this episode Chris discusses some of the logical upshots of biblical counseling. That sin-habits cause sickness should, for example, mean that everybody, everywhere is sick: there should be no such thing as a "clean bill of health." And that is because everybody, everywhere is a sinner who sins. We're all sinning. So we should all be sick.
And if faith in Christ and repentance from sins are the way to make real, therapeutic gains, then why does psychotherapy work?
2021-06-0129 minOCD Straight TalkMacro-, and Micro-Compulsions: A Very Important IdeaChris discusses a concept that is practical to cracking the code of OCD. Many of us approach OCD with stereotypes and assumptions. Part of what that means is that we think of compulsions as limited to checking, or counting, or washing, or whatever. But through the course of hundreds of cases, it has become clear that .compulsions extent far beyond these few, stereotypical possibilities. Many compulsions are unique to individuals: call them "quirks" or "idiosyncrasies." But many quirks that seem to appear when we're anxious - many things that we do to express our nervousness, like leg-bouncing for example...
2021-05-2719 minOCD Straight TalkCommon Pitfalls on the Road to Therapeutic ProgressChris discusses several common mistakes individuals tend to make in relation to their OCD, often whether in therapy or not. This episode works to dissect the OCD and the treatment-process to show where individuals often get it wrong.
Feel free to reach out with any questions you might have to chrisleins04@gmail.com
2021-05-2729 minOCD Straight TalkAnother Technique for Letting Go of Intrusive ThoughtsChris revisits his conversation with Michael May, MA, LPCC, an ACT therapist and OCD treatment-specialist. He discusses the "I'm having the thought that..." strategy. Tried (by you, the consumer) and true strategies are invaluable when we're in the throws of anxiety.
Feel free to reach out with any questions you might have to chrisleins04@gmail.com
2021-05-2513 minOCD Straight TalkA Discussion with Mr. Michael May, LPCC about ACT for OCDChris discusses the Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT) protocol with Michael May, MA, LPCC, an ACT trainer and clinical expert. They talk therapeutic "shop," and delve into treatment strategies that are common to ACT and Ex/RP; as well as, discuss some of the overarching concepts that are beautifully unique to the evidence-based protocol known around the world as, ACT.
Feel free to reach out with any questions you might have to chrisleins04@gmail.com.
2021-05-2151 minOCD Straight TalkMore Details on Stopping Mental Compulsions: Another Episode by Popular RequestChris discusses two cases in which stopping rumination was an important part of the therapeutic process. Remember, if "nobody's home" to do the work of rumination, then that compulsive "work" doesn't get done. And that's a beautiful thing.
This episode includes adult, and some explicit material in the way of providing specific examples of technique-application.
Feel free to reach out with any questions you might have. Chrisleins04@gmail.com
2021-05-2130 minOCD Straight TalkWhy Does Psychotherapy for Clinically Significant Anxiety Sometimes Not Work?Chris discusses a complex set of dynamics in modern psychotherapy that serve to offer an explanation to an otherwise puzzling problem: Why do people suffering from clinically significant anxiety often not get better in psychotherapy?
Feel free to reach out with any questions you might have. Chrisleins04@gmail.com
2021-05-1727 minOCD Straight TalkA Discussion about PTSD with Dr. Joseph BirliChris discusses trauma symptoms, and their corresponding treatments with a trauma expert, Dr. Joseph Birli. A wonderfully competent, and seasoned therapist, Dr. Birli brings many years of experience to our discussion about Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.
2021-05-1046 minOCD Straight TalkIs There a Connection between Obsessions and Outcomes - Association OCDChris responds to a listener's question about "Association OCD," pointing to the "heart beat" of this symptom-dimension.
Chris also sets-up Monday's episode: he and a guest will discuss the nature and treatment of PTSD.
Feel free to reach out with any questions you might have to chrisleins04@gmail.com
2021-05-0719 minOCD Straight TalkTo Choose or Not to Choose: That is the QuestionChris discusses the notion that 'you are not your thoughts," and your anxiety, even when it's really, really bad, can't hurt you - unless you let it. Our compulsions make our thoughts "real." So fight, scratch, and claw to not give into the compulsions. Choose to stop them.
Feel free to reach out with any questions you might have to chrisleins04@gmail.com
2021-05-0624 minOCD Straight TalkGonna Tell You A Bit about MyselfChris discloses some of his specific OCD-presentation, and what it looks like in real time. He also responds to a listener's question/email. Thanks for checking out the podcast.
Feel free to reach out with any questions you might have. Chrisleins04@gmail.com
2021-04-3030 minOCD Straight TalkWhen I'm Loving Someone with OCDChris discusses a common familial scenario: family members of OCDers want to know how to be helpful. This is a frequently asked question in the therapeutic process. That said, his responses are necessarily generalized to a wide array of individualized, familial situations.
Feel free to reach out with any questions you might to chrisleins04@gmail.com
2021-04-2941 minOCD Straight TalkWeed-Smoking, Psychotropic Medications, and OCDChris responds to a listener's question about meds, supplements. In the process, he discusses other substances that are commonly inquired about in treatment.
Feel free to reach out with questions you might have. Chrisleins04@gmail.com
2021-04-2023 minOCD Straight TalkThe Cognitive Model: How You Can Force Symptomatological ChangeChris discusses two kinds of patients: one comes to the game to watch from the sideline while the others fight the battle, the other comes to fight through the stages of adversity to win with his teammates at the end. Which kind of patient are you? I'll let you in on a secret: your therapist can't get you better - at least not all by herself. She needs you to get some skin in the game. You need you to get some skin in the game. And I'll tell you something else. If your therapist is working harder than y...
2021-04-1535 minOCD Straight TalkThe Various Faces of Existential OCDChris responds to a listener's request for a subtype-description. Like some others, this listener requested that the response be made on the podcast, rather than via email. Thanks to the listener for reaching out; and thanks for checking out OCDST.
Feel free to reach out with any questions you might have. Chrisleins04@gmail.com
2021-04-1441 minOCD Straight TalkWhat's the Difference between Rational Thinking and Rumination?Chris responds to a listener who requests clarity as to the difference between thinking "rationally" about obsessions for the purpose of disputing them, and ruminating about them. Great question; thanks for the question.
Feel free to reach out with any questions you might have to chrisleins04@gmail.com
2021-04-1237 minOCD Straight TalkThis Makes A Behavior A CompulsionChris explains three important elements that, cumulatively, help to identify a behavior as a compulsion. Not every behavior is a compulsion; but compulsions often seem to be just another behavior. So which one is it? It's not enough to identify compulsions. We have to stop them, too.
Feel free to reach out with any questions you might have. Chrisleins04@gmail.com
2021-03-3029 minOCD Straight TalkWhat Makes A Behavior A Compulsion?Chris rambles about behaviors v. compulsions. If compulsions are always behaviors - and more than that, choices, then this opens a wide array of possibilities. How do we find compulsions in an ocean of options? Or, what makes a behavior a compulsion? Chris will do a brief series on this question.
Feel free to reach out with any question you might have. Chrisleins04@gmail.com
2021-03-2928 minOCD Straight TalkHere's My Situation, Tell Me What to Do: A (Second) Case DiscussionChris responds to a listener's questions about a specific symptom-dimension of OCD: anxiety relative to the possibility of speaking or behaving inappropriately on a public platform. Thank you to this anonymous listener for his/her kind and courageous willingness to step forward and pose these questions.
Feel free to reach out with any questions you might have. Chrisleins04@gmail.com
2021-03-1829 minOCD Straight TalkHere's My Situation, Tell Me What to Do: A Case DiscussionChris reads, and responds to an email about a listener's symptoms, and OCD-system (with his/her permission). During this episode, we leave the discussion of theoretical strategies and techniques, and talk specifics of how they get applied in real-time.
Feel free to reach out with questions to chrisleins04@gmail.com.
2021-03-1230 minOCD Straight TalkOCD-101 vs. Advanced TechniquesChris discusses the difference between two kinds of thoughts: obsessions and compulsions. It is an advanced skill to differentiate between intrusive thoughts and rumination - not easy, but often necessary.
Reach out with any questions you might have. chrisleins04@gmail.com.
2021-03-1214 minOCD Straight TalkWhat Causes OCD?: The Theory That Will Never DieChris discusses old theories and new ones regarding why OCD happens - a (very) cursory history of OCD research. But the real question is not, Why does OCD happen? It's, What do we do when it does?
Reach out with any questions you might have to chrisleins04@gmail.com
2021-03-0420 minOCD Straight TalkChasing CertaintySo often, OCD-sufferers speak of obsessions as being "irrational." Many have long-been told that. But are they? Chris discusses the irrationality of compulsions, centering this monologue on the reality that we can never escape uncertainty. Chasing certainty, but never really capturing it, is the irrationality of compulsions.
Reach out to chrisleins04@gmail.com with any questions you might have.
2021-03-0315 minOCD Straight TalkJust Stop! Good Advice or Bad?Chris discusses an important component of beating the odds against OCD: attitude; grit. But do you have the fight in you? The answer is, Yes. If tomorrow is going to look different from today, then today has to look different from yesterday.
Feel free to reach out with questions to chrisleins04@gmail.com
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2021-02-2616 minOCD Straight TalkHow Long Will It Take for Me to Get Better?Chris discusses a - the most - frequently asked question at the top of a case: How long is this gonna take? The answer is about four months; but there are important variables to consider. Obviously not every case is the same. How can you maximize the efficacy of your therapeutic experience?
Reach out with any questions you might have. Chrisleins04@gmail.com
2021-02-2322 minOCD Straight TalkHow Can I Better Find Compulsions?Chris discusses the "Compulsions Decision Tree" - not technical language - in order to better identify compulsions. The purpose of these 3 questions is to increase the likelihood that listeners will learn to find compulsions in real-time. The essential task of the OCD-er, aside from going to see an OCD specialist, is finding and stopping compulsions.
Reach out with any questions you might have. chrisleins04@gmail.con
2021-02-1820 minOCD Straight TalkWhen OCD Causes DepressionChris discusses a common problem among individuals suffering from OCD and clinically significant anxiety - secondary depression. What do you do when your OCD results in a comorbid (or co-occurring) depressive episode? Like OCD, depression can be thought of as a "behavioral problem" in the sense that depressive thinking tends to be associated with depressive behaviors; and depressive behaviors strengthen the whole system.
2021-02-1616 minOCD Straight TalkWhat Compulsions Go with Which Obsessional Themes?Chris responds to an email regarding lists of compulsions that tend to travel in packs (or subtypes). But the answer isn't what you think. The fact is that there are as many compulsion-lists as there are people suffering from OCD. The ability, the honed skill of identifying compulsions in real-time, is the missing link.
2021-02-0223 minOCD Straight TalkHow Do I Tell the Difference between Obsessions & Compulsions?Chris discusses OCD 101, How do we tell the difference between OCD-components in order bring to a grinding halt our OCD-systems?
Feel free to reach out with questions to chrisleins04@gmail.com.
2021-01-2520 minOCD Straight TalkCompulsions Breed CompulsionsChris Discusses attitude. It comes down to decision and follow through. Sure, it's a little more complex than that. Sometimes we're doing compulsions that we don't quite realize are compulsions. We see them as idiosyncrasies (just behavioral stuff that makes me, me). On the other hand, a lot of compulsions are simple choices that you and I willingly make.
Beating OCD is about digging in your heals and saying, "I'm done. Come what may. F*** it." No exceptions. No Excuses. And no more compulsions.
Let's spend the next 7 days really working hard to stop engaging co...
2021-01-2018 minOCD Straight TalkWhat Do I Do When I Can't Stop My Compulsions?Chris discusses an oft-posed question in therapy, and gives an honest and empowering answer.
Thanks for tuning into the podcast. Feel free to reach out with any questions you might have. Chrisleins04@gmail.com, or check out the practice at www.thetenthousandlakes.com.
2021-01-0814 minOCD Straight TalkRelationship OCD, What is It?Chris discusses yet another symptom dimension of OCD. The truth of the matter, though, is that there is no piece of information more important in this general context than the necessity of stopping compulsions. Sorry to sound like, as it were, a broken record; but that's the truth.
Feel free to reach out with questions to chrisleins04@gmail.com.
2020-12-3018 minOCD Straight TalkPOCD, What Is It?Chris responds to a listener's request for a discussion on OCD-subtypes. The topic of the next few episodes will be "kinds," or subtypes of OCD. Some subtypes will not get covered; others will be discussed, but only in some part. No subtype will receive exhaustive attention in this series. This episode is concerning so-called, POCD. Whether the specific content of this episode feels relevant to each and every listener, please bear in mind that it is identifying and stopping compulsions that is the "active ingredient" in evidence-based treatment.
Feel free to reach out to chrisleins04@gmail.com...
2020-12-1616 minOCD Straight TalkHarm OCD, What Is It?Chris responds to a listener's request to discuss OCD-subtypes. The topic of the next few episodes will be "kinds," or subtypes of OCD. Some subtypes will not get covered; others will be discussed, but only in some part.
This episode is concerning so-called Harm-OCD.
Reach out to chrisleins04@gmail.com with any questions you might have.
2020-12-1414 minOCD Straight TalkYou're Why I PodcastThanks for listening. Chris discusses the regrettable fact that many people struggle with OCD symptoms, and often get access to misleading, or even straight erroneous information. Chris also discusses Pure-O. The simple truth is that where there are intrusive thoughts heckling an individual in the foreground, there are compulsions happening in the background. The question is, "What" or "Where are they?"
Feel free to reach out with any questions you might have. Chrisleins04@gmail.com
2020-12-0909 minOCD Straight TalkHow Do I Let Go of My Intrusive Thoughts (Part 2)Chris discusses a technique he encountered under the clinical supervision of Dr. Monnica Williams. The technique is aimed at dismissing intrusive thoughts. Exposure Statements are not "curative" in the sense that they have not been found to treat OCD. Neither do they directly reduce anxiety. Many individuals across the world, however, have stated that they are helpful for dismissing obsessions (i.e., intrusive thoughts).
Feel free to reach out with any questions you might have. chrisleins04@gmail.com.
2020-11-3027 minOCD Straight TalkHow Do I Let Go of My Intrusive Thoughts? (Part 1)Chris explains the nature of intrusive thoughts within OCD, and employs a technique that is used to begin to dismiss them, or let them go. This is not a technique for reducing anxiety - that technique is stopping compulsions. It's a logical strategy for "turning down the volume," if you will, on the thoughts. It's a technique for using the uncertainty of the future as a tool for letting go of thoughts in the present.
Reach out to chrisleins04@gmail.com with questions or comments. CL
2020-10-2329 minOCD Straight TalkHow Do I Stop Ruminating?In this episode, Chris distinguishes intrusive thoughts (also called obsessions) from rumination (mental compulsions, DSM-5). They're both cognitive activities; so telling the difference is often easier said than done. He then explains a strategy that is often used to stop ruminating. Please remember that this podcast is only a podcast, though. It is not meant to be consumed in lieu of evidence-based psychotherapy.
Feel free to reach out with any questions you might have: chrisleins04@gmail.com.
2020-10-1621 minOCD Straight TalkYou're Not Doing Exposure Therapy If You're Also Doing CompulsionsThis is a simple, simple reality. OCD runs on compulsions. In this episode, Chris talks about habituation, and the difference between exposure therapy with compulsions versus that without them. Thanks for tuning in.
2020-10-0115 minOCD Straight TalkThe Most Important Question in the Treatment of OCDChris discusses the most important question in the effective treatment of OCD: What are your compulsions and how do you find them? The skill of finding compulsions and the determination to prevent them is a strategy that supersedes merely doing exposures for anxiety.
Feel free to reach out with question at chrisleins04@gmail.com.
2020-09-2116 minOCD Straight TalkGetting Better Matters Less Than Learning How to Get BetterChris discusses the art of identifying compulsive patterns. Safety behaviors aren't just turning on and off light switches. Compulsive patterns are different for everyone. The question is, What are yours?
2020-09-1114 minThe Biblical Beef (Biblical Counseling Exposed)What is Biblical Counseling?The question emerges, What is Biblical Counseling? And, what is, in fact, so biblical about it? During this episode Chris reviews some Biblical Counseling-literature in pursuit of that answer. The trouble is that, all too often, the definition of Biblical Counseling comes in the form of what it's ... not. Well, while Biblical Counseling may not be lots of things, it is ultimately something. The question remains ... What is it?
2020-08-1213 minOCD Straight TalkI Feel Better; Therefore I ... Am Better?Chris discusses the concept of therapeutic progress - how do we define it? If you are to judge the efficacy of your therapeutic work on the degree to which you make progress, then the next logical question becomes, What is therapeutic progress?
Chrisleins04@gmail.com; thetenthousandlakes.com
2020-07-2217 minOCD Straight TalkHow Do I Know When My Therapist Doesn't Know What They're Doing?Chris answers the question, How do I know when my therapist doesn't really know how to treat an anxiety-related disorder? Bottom line is, if you've been in treatment for a little while and haven't made progress, chances are pretty good that your therapist isn't a specialist. Chris speaks to "five pillars" of evidence-based anxiety treatment. But the treatment doesn't work for those who don't work the treatment.
Reach out at chrisleins04@gmail.com. and check us out at thetenthousandlakes.com.
2020-07-1119 minOCD Straight TalkTomato, Tomahto: Is there a Real Difference between Anxiety-Related DisordersChris gripes about the treatment-system, and thinks out-loud about the industry-implications of myriad treatment protocols across so many (apparently) different conditions.
2020-06-1019 minOCD Straight TalkThe Big "Why?" Of All ThisChris revisits the reasons and convictions behind the OCD Straight Talk podcast, and bears witness to a distinction between generalists and specialists in the field of psychotherapy.
2020-06-0418 minOCD Straight TalkThe YBOCS Cheat SheetChris discusses the specifics of how OCD and the anxiety related disorders function comparative to the YBOCS-II, a gold-standard psychometric for measuring OCD. It all hinges on forcibly stopping safety-behaviors.
2020-06-0123 minOCD Straight Talk0% vs. 100%: Certainty is a MirageChris discusses the ineffectiveness of striving after certainty in the context of intrusive thoughts and disordered anxiety.
2020-05-2713 minOCD Straight TalkNot So Certain about Being CertainChris discusses certainty as a fact life with or without an anxiety related disorders. It's not our intrusive thoughts or worries that are irrational but the behaviors we engage to regulate them that are irrational.
2020-05-2619 minOCD Straight TalkAm I Doing the Thinking or is the Thinking Doing Me?Chris discusses mental rituals and how to decipher between mental rituals and intrusive thinking.
2020-05-0517 minOCD Straight TalkWhere's Waldo?In this episode, Chris discusses not only the clinical importance of stopping all compulsions, but of finding them. Safety-behaviors (or compulsions) don't scream and shout, saying "Hey, I'm a compulsions. Stop me." They have something to be gained by not being stopped. "What?" you ask. Well, if you're not identifying them as compulsions, you're not stoppin' 'em; and of youre not stopping them, then your anxiety-related disorder will continue on and on.
2020-04-2921 minOCD Straight TalkHabituate, Don't FluctuateChris deals with an important element of exposure therapy, technically called Habituation.
2020-04-1418 minOCD Straight TalkCracking the CodeChris discusses cognitive therapy and cognitive-behavior therapy with the exposure-component as treatment-modalities for the anxiety-related disorders. Tune in for this educational talk on symptoms and treatment.
2020-04-0913 minOCD Straight TalkYour Anxiety Disorder's Not Happening to You, but You're Happening to your Anxiety Disorder.Victor Meyer's 1966 study points us in the direction of the evidence-based protocol. Chris explains the basic symptom-dynamic and -functionality of the anxiety-related disorders.
2020-04-0215 minOCD Straight TalkAnxiety & OCD treatment specialist introduces a new podcast on a troubling theme.In this brief podcast Intro, Chris mentions a treatment theme of individuals not making sufficient therapeutic progress by way of conventional treatments, and launches a new podcast that seeks to inform listeners as to "good treatment" in the world of the anxiety, and OCD sufferer.
2020-03-1302 min