Episode 702: Dr. Debra Theobald McClendon, New Comprehensive Book on Scrupulosity

Listen, Learn & Love Hosted by Richard Ostler

Richard Ostler

Religion & Spirituality

4.7 • 855 Ratings

🗓️ 29 September 2023

⏱️ 103 minutes

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Summary

My friend, Dr. Debra Theobald McClendon, joins us to talk about her new book: “Freedom from Scrupulosity: Reclaiming Your Religious Experience from Anxiety and OCD”—a powerful book focused on a comprehensive examination of religious and moral scrupulosity, with a focus on treatment. In the podcast, Dr. McClendon (active LDS, licensed psychologist, Ensign/LDS living author, speaker at Education Week and BYU Women’s Conference) gives an overview of her new book covering anxiety, scrupulosity, gospel principles/church talks that apply to this space, and clinical insights to bring more understanding and healing. She talks about how scrupulosity is not a spiritual weakness or a moral failing, but rather a mental health issue. Dr. McClendon shares powerful excerpts from the book, including stories of people with scrupulosity (all client quotes are shared with permission). These stories may speak to you--that you are not alone--and give you hope for a better quality of life and a vision for how to move forward to be able to find peace and joy in your religious worship. We conclude the podcast with advice to parents and local leaders. We discuss the practical issue of how to find a therapist. I also share some of our family story with scrupulosity and the people (including Dr McClendon) that were the answer to our prayers. If you are working to understand and solve anxiety/scrupulosity (or want better tools to help others), please listen to this podcast, check out Dr. McClendon’s website (which links other resources, as well), and read her book. It is the path to understanding and healing. Thank you, Dr. McClendon for being on the podcast. Your work is so needed in our community. And thank you for blessing the Ostler family. Links: Dr McClendon website: debramcclendon.com Book link on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1950304426 Book link on Deseret Book: deseretbook.com/p/freedom-from-scrupulosity

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome listeners to another episode of Listen, Learn, and Love hosted by Richard Osler.
0:09.6	My guest on today's podcast, joining us from her home in Utah County is my friend Dr. Deborah
0:17.4	McClendon. Welcome to the podcast. Thank you. Thank you so much, Richard, for having me. Dr. McClendon, welcome to the podcast. Thank you.
0:22.3	Thank you so much, Richard, for having me.
0:28.8	Dr. McClendon is going to talk about scrupulosity and her new book, and I'll introduce that in a second.
0:34.8	She's also been on the podcast three other times because I'm so passionate about this subject in Dr.
0:35.7	McClendon's work.
0:38.8	The first time she talked about this was in October of 2019, episode 191. Then she talked about a book she wrote, episode 231, about stronger marriages.
0:48.2	And then she came back on episode 336 in October of 2020 to do a Q&A with Scrupulosity.
0:57.1	And so it's been, this is coming out roughly in October of 2023.
1:01.0	So it's been three years since you've been on the podcast.
1:03.2	And she has written a really serious book listeners.
1:08.4	I think it's the first and most comprehensive book about scrupuliosity
1:12.7	in our faith community. And she's going to talk about that book. But if you haven't heard our
1:17.5	personal story, I just want to share it in a couple minutes. Our son, Ben, was serving a mission in
1:22.6	Samoa. And just a kid that had a great life before his mission,
1:27.8	then got in a really dark place in Samoan.
1:30.5	We didn't understand why suicidal ideation was creeping into his lives.
1:34.7	And, you know, you pray and you fast and you go to the temple's parents,
1:37.9	but it's often prayers are answered through other people.
1:41.4	And I went to lunch with a friend describing his symptoms. And the friend who,
1:46.6	like Dr. McClendon, is a trained clinical therapist, recognized this sounded like
	...

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