Living with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

In this episode Julie and Andy finish their conversation about "15 things to give up in order to be happy" (www.purposefairy.com). They talk about giving up on your fears, giving up your excuses, giving up the past, giving up attachment, and give up living your life to other people's expectations. From realizing that fear is only an illusion, to letting go of other people's expectations on us so we can live our own life, write our own story, and live our own legacy, this episode is an interesting conversation on how the list of 15 things not only affects everyday people but also intimately affects those of us struggling with ocd. The episode ends with a plug for OCD Challenge and a quick overview of how the website can be used for people who are wanting to start ERP but may not have the therapist or money resources to do so.

In this episode Julie and Andy welcome back Aubrey and her husband Chris for the second part of their discussion about living with OCD and living with a loved one who has OCD. Aubrey asks Julie some questions about her upcoming ERP appointment and how she is feeling about it. She also shares some of the items on her own hierarchy from when she did ERP herself. Chris and Andy talk about the role nutrition plays in a healthy body and mind. The four talk about how OCD impacts you as parents both before and after a child is born and Aubrey makes the exciting announcement that she as Christ are expecting their first baby. This is part 2 of a not to miss conversation with Julie and Andy's special guests.

In this episode Andy and Julie welcome in-studio guests Aubrey and Chris. Listeners may remember Aubrey from two previous interviews and now she and her husband are back for another episode. Julie discusses with Aubrey what has been going on in her life and how she is doing as far as her OCD and whether she is still on medication or still in therapy. The four talk about ERP therapy and how it benefited Aubrey and how Chris was able to help her with her exposure homework assignments. They end the episode talking about OCD in social situations and how each of them differ in how they handle such instances. The discussion is lively and entertaining and sure to bring some laughs as well as some insights into the continuing battle Julie and Aubrey fight against OCD.

This episode is the third installment of Andy and Julie's conversation about 15 Things to give up in order to be happy (www.purposefairy.com). Today they cover numbers seven through ten which include giving up the luxury of criticism, giving up the need to impress others, giving up your resistance to change, and giving up labels. Though the things might be quite simple at first glance, there are layers of depth to each item on the list and many applications for OCD sufferers as well as others. Throughout this series Julie has had "ah ha" moments when she realizes something about her self she did not see before, and this episode is no different. If real change is going to happen then there have to be things that we are willing to give up and even though the "15 things" are not an exhaustive list they are important for us to take note of on our journey to wellness.

In this episode Julie and Andy continue their conversation on "15 Things you should give up to be Happy." They tackle giving up your self-defeating self-talk, giving up you limiting beliefs, and giving up complaining. These are all things easier said then done but things that Julie thinks she really needs to work on in order to make not only her life but also her OCD better. The conversation poses several poignant questions and makes Julie have an introspective look inside her mind and the motives behind the things she does. Although these are general areas of life they are very adaptable to areas of struggle for people with OCD as well. Julie enjoys exploring how to relate everyday principles such as these to those that will help her down the road to healing and real living in her own life.

In this episode Julie and Andy talk about "15 things that you should give up in order to be happy," a list they found on purposefairy.com that is gaining in prominence on the web. There are many things that cause us stress and suffering but instead of letting them go we cling to them. The hope in discussing this list is that if we give up these things we will allow ourselves to be stress free and happy, something that people with OCD long to be. The first thing they talk about it giving up the need to always be right, something that Julie struggles with because of her OCD. The second thing they discuss is giving up your need for control and the third is giving up on blame. Andy has a couple personal stories that highlight these topics and the resulting conversation leaves Julie realizing that these are things she desperately needs to put into practice in order to free herself. The list has general principles we all should take to heart but for someone with OCD it has deeper meaning for how we should live our daily lives while still struggling with this mental disorder.

In this episode Julie and Andy talk about their recent trip to Houston for the quarterly conference of OCD Texas. They start out by giving an update on how Julie is doing and how things are at work and then dive right into the information from the conference. They talk about the concept of thought-action-fusion and go over some of the topics speakers spoke on. The expert panel discussion at the conference was very good and Julie and Andy recall some of the strange and interesting questions along with how the experts answered them. They continue the episode by talking about the new iPhone app called "Live OCD Free" as well as the great new interactive website for OCD sufferers called OCD Challenge which can be found online at www.ocdchallenge.com. Lastly they discuss the support groups they went to and how far they have each come on their journey to wellness over the past few years.

In this episode Julie and Andy have short conversation about a few different lighter than usual subjects as Julie has been under the weather and not able to talk as long as usual. They being talking about the factors that determine how successful a person will be undergoing Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for OCD and come upon a couple surprising factors that people may not immediately think about. After that they talk about tips for taking a vacation while struggling with OCD and they then finish the episode with some common OCD myths and the subsequent facts about the disorder that refute those myths. This is a shorter than usual episode that keeps the mood light yet hopes to provide the listeners with some pertinent information.

In this episode Julie and Andy start by giving an update on their week and how Julie has increased her medication in the light of some recent struggles. They then turn their attention again to listener emails and answer questions that have been posed to them. The questions range from knowing how much to share about your OCD with coworkers, to wondering if you will eventually dissolve as a person, to questions about scrupulosity, and struggles with ROCD and knowing what it is and what it is not. Andy shares interesting insight on the questions from someone's point of view who does not have OCD and adds a well needed balance to the episode. Julie and Andy are always glad to receive listener emails and always glad to lend their opinions when asked.

In this episode Julie and Andy talk about the difficulty of being in the middle of increased anxiety and still recording a show for all to hear. Julie has been having a rough time with a spike in anxiety that has left her at a loss of where it came from, why it is hanging around, or how best to deal with it. This anxiety seems different to Julie and reminds her of when she was a child and had that sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach for seemingly no apparent reason. After they talk through this they continue the show with answering a listener's email talking about ruminations and how to stop them when they are about real life things such as pets that have passed away. Julie has plenty of experience with ruminations herself and shares how she experienced very similar obsessions when her dog was killed and is now fighting hard not to have the same thoughts while leaving her daughter for a weekend away. This podcast is not always about the good times and the successes along the way but as this episode highlights, sometimes it is about the difficult times and about putting one foot in front of the other and just simply making it through one more day.

In this episode Julie and Andy talk about recent events in their lives and how a slow downward spiral over the last week caused Julie to have a panic attack episode the likes of which she has not experienced in a number of years. They talk about what caused the episode to happen and then how she dealt with it once she was in the middle of it. Julie shares how her anxiety got so high and her fears got so overwhelming that at one point she would have harmed herself were there anything around to do so with. Thankfully after a period of time she was able to recover and Andy was able to help her calm down. It is important for Julie to learn something and grow from this experience so they continue their discussion talking about what she did learn and how she was able to come out of it unharmed. They end by talking about the next steps Julie needs to take in order to deal with the issues that have cropped up and how she can become a stronger and more well-adjusted person from going through these things. This episode is an honest and open discussion of the real issues that face Julie and Andy everyday and how they are willing to share them if it will help someone else through a similar struggle in their life.

In this episode Andy and Julie discuss Chapter 2 of Present Perfect by Pavel Somov. The main theme of the discussion is being less preoccupied with what should should be and being more in awe of what already is. They talk about the difference between the theoretical best vs. the practical best as well as the difference between perfectionists and realists. Julie is challenged by this chapter to accept the world around her instead of rejecting it and in so doing realizing that acceptance is courage and not surrender. They end the episode by talking about some very pertinent exercises from the chapter and then a final discussion on the implications of the book to all aspects of Julie's life and what she is currently going through. The hope for all listeners of this episode is that they will learn to "notice the ordinary perfection of what is."

In this episode Julie and Andy continue to discuss the first chapter of Present Perfect and begin to use a more interactive question and answer format. They talk about where perfectionism in general comes from, why it is so easy to get caught in its trap and also what its pitfalls are. They also do a number of exercises that are in the book that really help Julie get down to the core issues of her perfectionism and help her look at it from the outside as an impartial observer. They discuss some technical details of perfectionism such as primary versus secondary perfectionism as well as the three types of perfectionistic hunger and which type Julie thinks she struggles with. They conclude the episode talking about how the metaphorical hunger of perfectionism can only be satisfied with the bread of acceptance and the practice of mindfulness. This episode provides an interesting look at the parallels of Julie’s OCD and her concurrent struggles with perfectionism.

In this episode Julie and Andy continue to talk about Julie’s therapy sessions. The topic of conversation focuses on perfection versus imperfection and how these two things drive and threaten all Julie’s behaviors either consciously or unconsciously. Painful memories are relived as Julie shares stories of her childhood but through that reliving she learns how to look at happenings in a different and new, less painful way. We all want to be loved for our intrinsic worth and not for what we do or how we act and this is something that Julie has struggled with her whole life and goes into more detail about in this episode. The discussion then turns to a book Julie has been reading over the past year called Present Perfect by Pavel Somov. She talks about the first chapter and how just reading the first few pages gave her great hope and encouragement that her perfectionism does not have to be a lifelong sentence but can be something that spurs her on to live in a different and new way.

In this episode Julie and Andy talk about Julie’s third therapy session and how her therapist gets down to the “nitty gritty” of why Julie does certain OCD behaviors and what the meaning behind them is. Three main topics are discussed which are value, worth and control. It is only when Julie is able to really get a handle on these issues that she is able to recognize the past patterns she has had and in turn recognize what she needs to change in order to start down the road to healing. Following this discussion Julie and Andy next turn their focus to a recent “flake out” that Julie had, a flake out like no other where Julie was left stunned by the control she saw her OCD having when it was threatened. The whole issue revolved around ERP and around Andy no longer enabling her and what resulted from the smallest of issues suddenly blew up into the largest flake out Julie has had in a long time, she felt physically ill, numb, emotionally drained and left with the knowledge that what is left of her OCD is not going to go away quietly, it is going to fight hard to stay in control and it is going to challenge anyone who stands in its way, including Andy.