Your body feels like it’s on fire with anxiety. You can’t sleep, and you can barely keep food down. You’re constantly ruminating, replaying worries and worst-case scenarios in your mind, and you may be withdrawing from friends and family. You might feel nauseated, experience headaches, heartburn, chest tightness, or a constant sense of dread. Some … Continued

What it is: POCD is a subtype of obsessive‑compulsive disorder, a condition where intrusive thoughts about  being sexually attracted to children plague the sufferer and cause intense anxiety and depression, leading to repetitive mental or physical actions (compulsions) to relieve anxiety.  In POCD, obsessions focus on FEARS of being a pedophile and causing harm to … Continued

For some people overthinking is not a brief or isolated event.  For some people overthinking is actually a symptom of OCD.  For some, thinking about something that’s bothering them can last for weeks, or even months.  It may cause insomnia, substance abuse, panic attacks, frustration, losing hours and hours of time a day, and the … Continued

Is What I have OCD?OCD takes many shapes, and it takes a skilled therapist to properly diagnose OCD.  Clients come to me who have OCD symptoms that don’t fit into the types of OCD people recognize; namely hand washing, or “being very neat”.  In reality OCD is much more complex and multifaceted.  I put together … Continued

It’s the middle of the night, and everyone is asleep but you.  The later it gets, the more taboo your thoughts become, taking you to a place only accessible in this late, quiet hour.  You begin to think about death. You might, at first, fear the death of your parents, pre-grieving them.  You might even … Continued

Hello dearest Panic Disorder sufferers!  Today I wanted to talk to you about an interesting kind of phobia.  We all know about common phobias such as spiders, dogs, germs, etc.  Now let’s talk about a fear that most of us with panic attacks know well; the fear of body sensations. You may not know this, … Continued

Today I’d like to tell you a story of therapy.  The story started three years ago when I met Gerald who found me online and came to me in tears.  (All names and details of this story have been changed to protect confidentiality.) Gerald was a single 32 year old man living in Los Angeles.   … Continued

If You Have Obsessional OCD, Then You Experience Scary OCD Thoughts They are intrusive, scary, annoying at the very least.  They come out of nowhere and make you feel crazy.  For some people they are debilitating.  Here is what some OCD thoughts sound like: You really feel like you have to jump off this building, … Continued

What is PTSD? PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) is characterized by the following symptoms: Repetitive thoughts and memories related to a traumatic event Recollections are intrusive, meaning you try not to think about them but can’t help it. Recurring dreams about the traumatic event Nightmares might be about the event specifically almost like a flashback, … Continued

Social anxiety is something that everyone experiences at some point. We feel tense and nervous around other people, especially those we are trying to impress. We feel pressure to be interesting and likable. We get tongue tied, and endure awkward silences. All of this is normal and universal. Many people are labeled as being “shy”. … Continued