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Therapy in a Nutshell

6 Thinking Patterns that Make OCD and Anxiety Worse

Therapy in a Nutshell

Therapy in a Nutshell -Emma McAdam

Mental Health, Education, Health & Fitness:mental Health, Self-improvement, Health & Fitness

4.8658 Ratings

🗓️ 27 October 2022

⏱️ 12 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Check out the course, Taking Charge of Intrusive Thoughts, here: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/managing-intrusive-thoughts OCD is caused by a combination of factors- genetic and biological(what’s going on with our bodies, including inflammation, nutrition, stress, etc), environmental (our experiences), and psychological- how we think. The way you think and act determines whether you feed or starve your OCD. In this video we’ll look at 6 types of thinking that feed OCD, they make it worse. And the reason we look at these is because when you can notice these thoughts, clarify that they aren’t helpful, and then replace them with something else, you actively decrease OCD symptoms. OK, so let’s explore 6 thinking patterns that make OCD worse and then we'll talk about what to do about it. 1. Inflated Responsibility 2. thought Fusion- Believing that Thinking it and doing it are the same thing 3. Excessive concern with controlling one’s thoughts “I shouldn’t ever think this…” 4. Overestimation of threat 5. Intolerance of uncertainty 6. Perfectionism- "I can't make a mistake" Looking for affordable online counseling? My sponsor, BetterHelp, connects you to a licensed professional from the comfort of your own home. Try it now for 10% off your first month: https://betterhelp.com/therapyinanutshell Learn more in one of my in-depth mental health courses: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/ Support my mission on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/therapyinanutshell Sign up for my newsletter: https://www.therapyinanutshell.com Check out my favorite self-help books: https://kit.co/TherapyinaNutshell/best-self-help-books Therapy in a Nutshell and the information provided by Emma McAdam are solely intended for informational and entertainment purposes and are not a substitute for advice, diagnosis, or treatment regarding medical or mental health conditions. Although Emma McAdam is a licensed marriage and family therapist, the views expressed on this site or any related content should not be taken for medical or psychiatric advice. Always consult your physician before making any decisions related to your physical or mental health. In therapy I use a combination of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Systems Theory, positive psychology, and a bio-psycho-social approach to treating mental illness and other challenges we all face in life. The ideas from my videos are frequently adapted from multiple sources. Many of them come from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, especially the work of Steven Hayes, Jason Luoma, and Russ Harris. The sections on stress and the mind-body connection derive from the work of Stephen Porges (the Polyvagal theory), Peter Levine (Somatic Experiencing) Francine Shapiro (EMDR), and Bessel Van Der Kolk. I also rely heavily on the work of the Arbinger institute for my overall understanding of our ability to choose our life's direction. And deeper than all of that, the Gospel of Jesus Christ orients my personal worldview and sense of security, peace, hope, and love https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/believe If you are in crisis, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org or 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or your local emergency services. Copyright Therapy in a Nutshell, LLC

Transcript

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0:00.0

This is the Therapy in a Nutshell podcast. I'm Emma McAdam, a licensed marriage and family therapist.

0:06.2

These episodes are filled with research-backed therapeutic education that you can start applying in your life today.

0:12.1

I hope you find today's episode beneficial, and if you know of someone who could benefit from this podcast,

0:17.6

please don't hesitate to share it. Let's work together and share tools everyone can use

0:21.8

to help deal with the difficult mental health struggles they're going through. Each podcast

0:26.6

episode comes from a corresponding video. You can find them on the Therapy in a Nutshell YouTube

0:32.0

channel. Also, these podcasts are educational and don't replace the advice or direction you may be receiving

0:39.3

from a therapist or other health professionals.

0:42.3

Please enjoy the episode.

0:45.3

OCD is caused by a combination of factors, genetic and biological, so that's what's going on with our bodies, including inflammation, nutrition, and stress,

0:55.9

et cetera, environmental, which is our experiences, and psychological, so how we think.

1:02.0

And the way you think and act determines whether you feed or starve your OCD.

1:06.6

In this video, we'll look at six types of thinking that feed OCD. They make it worse.

1:11.1

And the reason we look at these is because when you can notice these thoughts and clarify that they aren't helpful,

1:17.0

and then replace believing them with something else, you can actively decrease OCD symptoms.

1:23.0

Hey, real quick, if you'd like to learn more about managing intrusive thoughts and managing anxiety around health,

1:29.3

which was previously known as hypochondria or health anxiety, then please check out these two new

1:35.5

courses I have on my website. They're taught by Dr. Kat Green. She's a board certified psychologist

1:40.7

who specializes in OCD and anxiety disorders. And in these courses,

1:44.9

she'll teach you a step-by-step process to managing those obsessive thinking patterns and

1:52.4

intrusive thoughts. So check out the link in the description if you'd like to learn more.

1:57.4

Really easy to do. Okay, back to the video. Okay, so let's explore six thinking patterns that make OCD worse and then we'll talk about what to do about it.

...

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