Moral scrupulosity OCD, or the relentless pursuit of certainty about one’s morality, can feel like a truly impossible situation. You have a thought about something you did or thought about doing, or felt an urge to do, and so forth, and because this experience doesn’t line up with your presumed identity as a moral […]
It’s that time of year again! If you live anywhere near me, the days are shorter, the, weather is colder, and the OCD is counting the ways it can get to you. It’s the most… (jingle jingle) obsessive tiiiime… (jingle jingle) of the yeeearrrrr…
The several weeks of time between Thanksgiving and New Years, or […]
When I was a kid, my parents had their driveway repaved and this left a glorious mound of dirt at the top of it for a few days. It was probably ten feet tall and I was clearly told not to play on it, but the moment my mom and dad were off running […]
Mindfulness, or learning to view thoughts and feelings as observable phenomena instead of “the truth” or “threats,” has been instrumental in my journey through OCD. But it was only in the last five years or so that I really started meditating. This was spurred in part by the fact that the $200 I cleverly […]
By Molly Schiffer, LCPC
Currently you may only know the suffering associated with Health Anxiety OCD, but through the right treatment, there is hope of learning to appreciate the way your mind works.
One of the things I find most heartbreaking about working with some of my OCD clients is that the disorder has ripped from […]
It can be argued that many forms of OCD come down to a fear that lack of vigilance could lead to a loss of identity. One with Harm OCD may worry that failure to catch that one impulse could lead to spontaneous discovery that he/she is a violent or harmful person. One with sexual […]
Once you understand Hyperawareness Obsessions and how the mind has gotten stuck, you can learn to stop doing what makes sense instinctively (the mental equivalent of flailing about in quicksand) and do the mindfulness and CBT work that can help you get grounded again.
Your whole life you were one way and now you appear […]
About OCD: For individuals with OCD, having a label for their OCD is a way for them to join with others and feel a part of a group with fellow sufferers.
by Molly Schiffer, LGPC
When I meet clients for the first time they often arrive at my office with some mixture of trepidation and despair, […]
Gaining mastery over your OCD, or gaining mastery over any challenge, means reconciling what’s good for you with what makes you feel good.
I recently gave a talk called “Obsessive Fear of Violence in OCD” at a psychiatric conference. My talk was part of a panel on gun violence in the United States and what […]
by Molly Schiffer, LGPC
Loving someone with OCD can be a gut-wrenching experience. When a loved one receives a diagnosis of OCD and begins treatment, this may come as a tremendous relief for the family. Often family members have watched their loved ones suffer for years prior to them getting the right diagnosis. Whether it’s […]
