Making Sense of OCD is a podcast by Consultant Clinical Psychologist Dr Liz White that explains why obsessive-compulsive thoughts can feel real and why reassurance, checking and mental reviewing often keep OCD going. It breaks down the psychological mechanisms that maintain OCD and explains approaches such as ERP and Inference-Based CBT in plain English. The show aims to help listeners understand their experiences and begin responding differently to OCD.
Episodes
3 Relationship Habits That Make OCD Worse
What if the habits you thought were helping you find clarity in love are actually keeping you stuck in a cycle of uncertainty and anxiety?In this video podcast, I break down three common habits that can be a feature of Relationship OCD: romanticizing love, comparing your relationship to others, and engaging in compulsive 'relationship tests'. I unpack how these patterns can keep you caught
What is Existential OCD? A Psychologist Explains
Do you struggle with questions such as “What’s the point of life?”, “Am I even real?”, “How do I know if anything matters?” - questions that go far beyond healthy curiosity and spiral into distress.In this video, I delve into the complexities of Existential OCD (EOCD) - a relatively unknown subtype of OCD where intrusive thoughts focus on deep philosophical questions about life, reality, meaning,
Why ERP Feels Like It's Making You Worse
Are you trying Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) for OCD and feeling like your anxiety is getting worse? Do the obsessional thoughts and compulsions feel louder and stronger than ever? This video podcast can help.I break down what really happens when you do ERP - and why feeling worse is actually a sign that your brain is starting to change! Learn why the spike in anxiety is NORMAL, what’s ha
Relationship OCD or the Wrong Relationship?
Is it ROCD - or is your relationship actually wrong?That question can feel terrifying, especially when the stakes feel this high. You don't want to ignore real problems, but you also don't want anxiety making your decisions for you.In this video/podcast, I break down the difference between obsessional doubt about your relationship and genuine relationship concerns. I explain how the two ca
Can Using AI Make Your OCD Worse?
Can using AI make OCD worse? If you’re asking ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or other AI tools repeated questions about intrusive thoughts, doubts or fears, AI may be becoming part of an OCD reassurance-seeking cycle.In this video, I look at what happens when an OCD doubt meets a tool that never really makes you stop. You can keep adding detail, asking from another angle, checking one more possibility -
Confession Compulsions in OCD
Do you feel an overwhelming need to confess something, disclose every detail or make absolutely sure another person knows the truth? In this episode, I look at confession as an OCD compulsion — why it can bring temporary relief and why the urge to confess often comes back again.About meHi, I'm Dr Liz White, a UK based, Consultant Clinical Psychologist registered with the HCPC. I worked in the
OCD’s Biggest Lie: “This Isn’t OCD” - A Clinical Psychologist Explains
One of the most difficult parts of OCD can be the feeling that this time the fear is different - that maybe this one really does need to be worked out. In this episode, I look at why doubts about whether something is “really OCD” can become part of the problem, and what can help when you find yourself pulled into trying to know for certain.About meHi, I'm Dr Liz White, a UK based, Consultant C
How to Break the OCD Cycle
You know the pattern: an intrusive thought or doubt shows up, anxiety rises, you feel an urge to do something about it, you get some temporary relief - and then it starts all over again. In this episode, I take you through five skills that can help you start changing that cycle, including how to respond differently to intrusive thoughts, sit with difficult feelings and urges, reduce compulsions an
Why OCD Thoughts Feel So Real
Part of you may know that an OCD thought or doubt doesn’t really add up or make sense - and yet it can still feel incredibly convincing. So why does that happen?In this episode, I explain how OCD can pull you away from what you already know and into imagined possibilities that start to feel more important than the evidence in front of you.We’ll look at OCD stories, inferential confusion, the “brid
