Get to know OCD

OCD isn't just intrusive thoughts. OCD can also create unwanted experiences that go far beyond thoughts — vivid images, uncomfortable feelings, intense urges, and even physical sensations that can feel incredibly real. And when those experiences seem to go against who you are or what you value, it’s easy to start questioning what they mean about you.

In this video, Dr. Patrick McGrath breaks down the different ways OCD obsessions can show up and why those experiences can feel so convincing. He also explains how people can get pulled into analyzing a sensation, reacting to an urge, or trying to make sense of an image — and why the real problem often isn’t the obsession itself, but the compulsions that follow it.

At NOCD, we specialize in exposure and response prevention (ERP) therapy, the most effective treatment for OCD—a treatment that can help you live a fulfilling life. If you’re ready to take your first step, book a free 15-minute call with us at https://learn.nocd.com/YT

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Feeling unreal, numb, checked out, or like you’re watching your life from the outside can be terrifying. For some people with OCD, that disconnection becomes another thing to obsess over — checking whether they feel “normal,” questioning whether they’re really present in their own body, and getting pulled even further away from the moment.

In this video, Dr. Patrick McGrath explains how depersonalization and derealization can show up alongside OCD, and why constantly monitoring those sensations can actually make the disorder stronger.

At NOCD, we specialize in exposure and response prevention (ERP) therapy, the most effective treatment for OCD—a treatment that can help you live a fulfilling life. If you’re ready to take your first step, book a free 15-minute call with us at https://learn.nocd.com/YT

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As the Lindsay Clancy case continues to receive national attention, references to “intrusive thoughts” have caused understandable fear and confusion for people living with harm OCD, postpartum OCD, and other mental health conditions. For someone already terrified by unwanted thoughts or images of harming a person they love, seeing those same words associated with an unthinkable tragedy can reinforce one of OCD’s most painful fears: What if having the thought means I could actually act on it?

Traci Ibrahim has lived with harm OCD for more than 40 years, experienced postpartum OCD after the birth of her third child, and spent decades treating OCD as a therapist. She explains why intrusive thoughts are not intentions or predictions of behavior, and why it is critical not to conflate OCD with the different symptoms and diagnoses discussed in the Clancy case. Traci is here to clear up all the misinformation spreading.

At NOCD, we specialize in exposure and response prevention (ERP) therapy, the most effective treatment for OCD—a treatment that can help you live a fulfilling life. If you’re ready to take your first step, book a free 15-minute call with us at https://learn.nocd.com/YT

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Rebecca Voskanian remembers sitting in a high school classroom shaking uncontrollably, heart racing, with no idea why it was happening. For a while, she assumed maybe everyone felt that way and simply didn’t talk about it. This would last for years.

It wasn’t until she finally found a therapist that things began to change. Treatment gave Rebecca tools to manage her anxiety, but it also gave her the confidence to pursue a master’s degree in psychology and eventually help others facing many of the same fears she once struggled with. Looking back now, there’s one thing she wishes she could tell her teenage self: it won’t always be this way, but you have to be willing to ask for help.

At NOCD, we specialize in exposure and response prevention (ERP) therapy, the most effective treatment for OCD—a treatment that can help you live a fulfilling life. If you’re ready to take your first step, book a free 15-minute call with us at https://learn.nocd.com/YT

Follow us on social media:
https://www.instagram.com/treatmyocd/
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When someone you care about has OCD, your instinct is to help. You reassure them, check the locks one more time, answer the same question again, or help them avoid whatever is making them anxious. It feels supportive in the moment — but those well-intentioned actions can quietly strengthen OCD instead of weakening it.

In this video, Dr. Patrick McGrath explains the difference between supporting someone with OCD and accommodating the disorder. He also shares practical ways loved ones can set healthy boundaries, respond without feeding compulsions, and become part of the recovery process instead of the OCD cycle.

At NOCD, we specialize in exposure and response prevention (ERP) therapy, the most effective treatment for OCD—a treatment that can help you live a fulfilling life. If you’re ready to take your first step, book a free 15-minute call with us at https://learn.nocd.com/YT

Follow us on social media:
https://www.instagram.com/treatmyocd/
https://twitter.com/treatmyocd
https://www.tiktok.com/@treatmyocd
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.