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mindful_psyche, Beverly Hills, CA (2025)

04/17/2025

For some individuals with OCD, tinnitus becomes more than just a sound—it becomes a fixation.

Tinnitus—a ringing, or buzzing in the ears—can be particularly distressing when paired with sensorimotor (or somatic) OCD, a subtype where the brain becomes hyper-focused on internal sensations. In this case, it’s not just the sound that causes discomfort but the obsessive fear that the person will never be able to stop noticing it.

Common compulsions include checking if the sound is still present, avoiding quiet environments, seeking reassurance, or mentally trying to suppress the awareness. While these behaviors may temporarily reduce anxiety, they ultimately reinforce the brain’s belief that the sound is threatening or intolerable.

Treatment involves learning to tolerate the presence of tinnitus without reacting to it compulsively. Through Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), individuals can gradually retrain the brain to disengage from the obsession and reduce compulsive behaviors. Mindfulness-based strategies also play a helpful role, allowing individuals to observe the sound without attaching fear to it. Over time, the brain becomes less reactive, and the sound fades into the background of awareness—no longer front and center.

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04/16/2025

Relationship OCD (ROCD) isn’t just about fearing you’re in the wrong relationship — it’s about being stuck in the need for certainty that you’re in the right one. People with ROCD often spiral into intrusive thoughts, questioning their feelings, their partner’s qualities, or the relationship itself.

It’s not a lack of love — it’s the brain’s struggle with doubt and discomfort around not knowing for sure.

This can show up as overanalyzing your feelings, obsessing over your partner’s flaws, or constantly seeking reassurance. These patterns might offer short-term relief, but they keep the cycle alive.

ROCD doesn’t mean you’re in the wrong relationship — it means your brain is chasing clarity where certainty doesn’t exist. Learning to live with uncertainty is a key part of ROCD recovery.

Do you struggle with ROCD? Comment below ⬇️

04/15/2025

When you live with anxiety or OCD, your brain’s threat detection system becomes overactive. It responds to perceived danger as if it were real — even when there’s no actual threat. That’s why anxiety feels so physical: the brain activates a full-body stress response, preparing you to fight, flee, or freeze.

Intrusive thoughts are part of this process. They appear suddenly, feel intense, and often contradict your values — but they aren’t dangerous. They feel “sticky” because the brain tags them as important or urgent. But urgency doesn’t equal truth.

Compulsions — whether mental or behavioral — are the brain’s way of trying to reduce that discomfort. But each time you respond, it reinforces the idea that the thought was dangerous. Recovery happens through new learning, allowing the thought to be there without engaging. That’s how the brain begins to rewire and learn — this isn’t a threat.

03/13/2025

If any of these truths hit home for you, know that you’re not alone. Healing from a dysfunctional family can feel like a lonely and overwhelming journey, but it is possible. The first step is recognizing the toxic patterns that have shaped your life—and giving yourself permission to break free from them. It’s not selfish to prioritize your peace, and setting boundaries is a powerful act of self-love and survival.

You deserve to heal, to have a voice, and to create the healthy, fulfilling relationships that are possible for you. It’s okay to let go of the roles you’ve been forced into. You’re allowed to choose your own path, even if that means disappointing people who’ve relied on your silence or compliance.

💬 Which of these truths hit closest to home for you? Share in the comments below.

02/27/2025

A backdoor spike is basically feeling anxious about not feeling anxious.

It’s like a surprise challenge that appears when you’re making progress in your recovery. Instead of seeing it as a major setback, recognize it as a normal part of the process.

These spikes often come up when you least expect them and can make you question your progress.

Remember, encountering these spikes doesn’t mean you’ve failed; it’s just a chance to strengthen your skills and continue moving forward.

Have you experienced a backdoor spike in your OCD?

02/23/2025

False Memory OCD involves experiencing vivid and convincing memories that either didn’t happen or are remembered incorrectly. Your mind can create these “memories” out of anxiety, causing you to question your reality and wonder if you did something wrong or hurt someone—even without any evidence. The more you try to prove the memory is real or false, the stronger the doubt becomes.

Obsessions (the distressing thoughts):
⚪️“What if I did something terrible and forgot?”
⚪️“What if I hurt someone and can’t remember it?”
⚪️”What if I did something awful, but I’ve blocked it out?”

Compulsions (the things you do to feel certain):
🟢Rethinking past moments over and over
🟢Asking others for reassurance (even though it doesn’t help)
🟢Analyzing the memory in extreme detail
🟢Avoiding situations that could trigger more doubts

In reality, real memories don’t need this much checking—OCD does. The real challenge is learning to sit with uncertainty and stop chasing the “truth.”

Does this sound familiar? Let’s talk in the comments! ⬇️

02/08/2025

My clients often ask, “Why am I having these intrusive thoughts that don’t align with my self-concept?”

The answer is simple, OCD attacks what means most to you.

It targets your core values and things you care about deeply, making you question them.

What has OCD taken away from you?
How has it impacted what you care about most?

Share your experiences in the comments below!

01/31/2025

OCD can make you feel trapped in your own mind. You start questioning everything—your thoughts, your actions—and suddenly, nothing feels natural anymore. The simple act of thinking becomes overwhelming as you try to “control” it, questioning if it’s “right” or if you’re somehow forcing it. It’s like trying to hold onto sand—the harder you grip, the faster it slips beyond your control.

Sensorimotor OCD involves obsessions around things like breathing, blinking, or swallowing but it can also fixate on the very presence of thinking taking place. The more you try to monitor or “control” your thoughts, the more they slip beyond your control. It’s like trying to hold onto something that’s constantly shifting—no matter how hard you try, it feels just out of reach.

But what if there’s another way? Mindfulness-based approaches help you acknowledge your thoughts without getting lost in them. Instead of trying to be hyper-aware of every thought, you can learn to simply be aware of them as they come and go. It’s about stepping back and allowing those thoughts to exist without letting them dominate your experience. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) teaches you that having unwanted thoughts is okay—what matters is how you respond. You don’t need to control them; you just need to stop letting them control you.

Treating hyperawareness OCD with mindfulness means noticing your thoughts without trying to control them. Although it may seem counterproductive, the key is noticing not just the thoughts, but also the resistance to them. By observing your thoughts without judgment, you can learn to accept them without the urge to control or push them away. This practice helps you recognize that discomfort is just part of the experience and can be managed without feeding the OCD.

01/29/2025

Have you ever felt like you’re constantly searching for the perfect solution to feel better? Like, if you could just find the right therapist, or the right treatment, or the right answer—everything would finally click?

This is something many people with OCD experience: an ongoing cycle of seeking out the “perfect” fix. You might find yourself switching therapists or specialists, convinced that the next one will finally give you the answers you need. Or maybe you’ve visited multiple doctors, hoping that one will provide the diagnosis or reassurance that will put your mind at ease.

But here’s the thing—OCD keeps you locked in this cycle of seeking, believing that the next solution is the one that will bring you relief. Each time you get an answer, it feels like a temporary fix, but the relief doesn’t last. You’re left feeling more frustrated and overwhelmed, thinking you just haven’t found the right thing yet.

So, what’s the cost of all this searching? It fuels your anxiety, makes you question your progress, and keeps you stuck in the same pattern. The more you search for certainty, the further away you get from feeling at peace.

The truth is, real healing doesn’t come from finding the perfect solution. It comes when you learn to sit with uncertainty, to accept that not every question has an answer, and that you don’t need to be “perfect” to heal. Healing is about progress, not perfection.

So, if you’ve been caught in this cycle of constant searching, it’s time to shift the focus. Instead of chasing the next answer, start accepting that the journey itself—imperfect, messy, and uncertain—is where real growth happens.

01/27/2025

Have you heard of Beginner’s Mind?

It’s one of my favorite concepts to share with clients, especially when working with OCD and anxiety. In Zen Buddhism, Beginner’s Mind, or Shoshin, is about approaching life with openness, curiosity, and a lack of preconceptions.

When we’re dealing with OCD or anxiety, our brains often create stories about how something will go—stories rooted in fear and “what-ifs.” Without even experiencing a situation, we make assumptions based on these mental scripts.

For example:
💭 “If I don’t do this compulsion, something terrible will happen.”
💭 “I just know I’ll feel anxious the whole time if I go to that event.”
💭 “I can’t handle it—it’s going to be unbearable.”

But here’s the truth, these stories aren’t based on reality. They’re based on the brain’s attempt to protect us, even if it means keeping us stuck.

Beginner’s Mind invites us to let go of those preconceived notions and approach experiences as if it’s our first time seeing, feeling, or trying something. Instead of assuming how it will go, we step into the moment with curiosity:

🌟 What will it actually feel like if I don’t do the compulsion?
🌟 What could I learn if I try the thing my anxiety tells me to avoid?
🌟 What might happen if I just let it unfold?

This mindset isn’t easy, but it’s a powerful tool in breaking free from the mental stories OCD and anxiety love to tell. It opens the door to growth, freedom, and experiences we might otherwise miss.

What’s one area of your life where you could practice Beginner’s Mind? Comment below ⬇️

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Monday	9am - 7pm
Tuesday	9am - 7pm
Wednesday	9am - 5pm
Thursday	9am - 5pm
Friday	9am - 5pm