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Dr. Z., Walnut Creek, CA (2025)

07/18/2025

🎙️ I had such a heartfelt conversation with Noel McDermott’s Mental Health Works recently.

We talked about anxiety—how it shows up in our everyday lives, and how often we try to fight it, fix it, or push it away.

I shared how, through Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), we can begin to respond to anxiety with something radically different: compassion.

Instead of struggling with our thoughts and feelings, ACT invites us to make space for them—and to gently shift our focus toward what really matters.

As a behaviorist, this is the heart of my work: helping people understand their inner world through a compassionate, science-based lens.

Behavioral science doesn’t have to live in a textbook—it can live in how we speak to ourselves, how we care for our emotions, and how we choose to show up, even in hard moments.

Thanks again, Noel, for the beautiful exchange. 💛

Link here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALBtlKhwDDU

07/17/2025

Anxiety is more common than you might think. Globally, over 300 million people experience an anxiety disorder. In the U.S., nearly 1 in 5 adults live with anxiety each year, and in the UK, high anxiety levels impact more than a third of women and nearly a third of men. If anxiety is part of your story, you’re not alone.

But here’s the twist: Despite how widespread anxiety is, only about 1 in 4 people actually seek support.

In a recent conversation I had with UK therapist John-Paul Davies — now available as a podcast episode — where we dive deep into what makes Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) so helpful for anxiety. John-Paul is a therapist in the UK who has started a YouTube channel focused mental health matters and general well-being.

I dive into what truly sets Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) apart for anxiety. We explore:

- What makes ACT a compassionate and practical approach for anxiety-based struggles
- Why psychological flexibility is so powerful in daily life
- How to notice the difference between choices rooted in fear, and steps taken in service of your values
- How to live meaningfully with anxiety — not in spite of it

Values-based living. It’s not about getting rid of anxiety; it’s about choosing actions that reflect who you want to be, even when anxiety is present.

Listen here: https://www.thisisdoctorz.com/the-intersection-of-anxiety-fear-and-human-experience-through-acceptance-and-commitment-therapy/

07/08/2025

🎙️ I had such a heartfelt conversation with Noel McDermott’s Mental Health Works recently.

We talked about anxiety—how it shows up in our everyday lives, and how often we try to fight it, fix it, or push it away.

I shared how, through Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), we can begin to respond to anxiety with something radically different: compassion.

Instead of struggling with our thoughts and feelings, ACT invites us to make space for them—and to gently shift our focus toward what really matters.

As a behaviorist, this is the heart of my work: helping people understand their inner world through a compassionate, science-based lens.

Behavioral science doesn’t have to live in a textbook—it can live in how we speak to ourselves, how we care for our emotions, and how we choose to show up, even in hard moments.

Thanks again, Noel, for the beautiful exchange. 💛

Link here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALBtlKhwDDU

07/02/2025

When thinking about OCD, most people are very familiar with public compulsions because they’re visible and easy to catch.

But, what happens when our brain fires intrusive thoughts and they respond to them using all types of private thinking strategies?

What happens when without knowing, we are doing a mental compulsion?

Most of us don't know that they were getting lost in compulsively thinking over and over, compulsively going into answer-seeking, and compulsively searching for the “right feeling.”

In this free handout, I share the 11 most common forms of mental compulsions that help catch those tricky mental strategies, stop the OCD cycle, and help clients get back into their life.

Check out the handout here:
https://www.actbeyondocd.com/mental-compulsions-handout/

06/02/2025

FREE VALUES-BASED JOURNAL

How often do you play-it-safe?

How often do you get stuck in your head?

How often do you notice a gap between the life you want to live and the life you're living?

You aren’t alone.

When dealing with doubts, worries, anxieties or fears it's quite likely that you spend a lot of time in your head, thinking and thinking and relying on all types of strategies to manage all those anxious thoughts.

If you’re ready to get out of your head and break free from those barriers that stand between you and the life you want to live, this practical 22-page guide will help you to get back on track!

If you’re like many other people, you may wonder, “how does one actually get back on track?”

Here is my response: You check your values and how you have been living them.

When was the last time that you paused and asked yourself:
- Am I doing what matters?
- Am I living my values in my relationships, career, friendships, and spiritual life?

The reality is that most of us live life letting life happen to us and if we’re lucky, we figure out what’s truly important to us and what we want to stand for.

So, another way to check how we're really living is by pausing and checking what truly matters to you, and whether your actions are congruent with those values or not.

Here is a 22-page template you can use; it includes a description of 9 life areas, a values thesaurus, a values dashboard, and reflective prompts for each area in your life.

Click here to download a 22-page template of a values-based review:
https://proud-snow-5694.ck.page/d2a5e77ba3

04/23/2025

Feeling overwhelmed by anxiety? You're not alone—and there's a path forward. 🌟

In this episode of the Finding Genius Podcast, Dr. Patricia Zurita Ona delves into Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), offering practical tools to help you manage anxiety and reclaim your life. Discover why anxiety can make life feel smaller and learn effective strategies to navigate through it.

Key Takeaways:
- Why your life can feel like it’s shrinking when dealing with anxiety
- The worst thing you can do if and when anxiety arises
- Practical strategies to utilize during a panic attack
- The ways in which ACT can help regulate the nervous system

Episode is now on Apple Podcasts: http://apple.co/30PvU9C

Learn more about Dr. Z's experience with ACT: https://eastbaybehaviortherapycenter.com/who-we-are/

03/21/2025

𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗘 𝗘-𝗠𝗔𝗜𝗟 𝗖𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗦𝗘: 𝟲 - 𝗢𝗕𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗖𝗟𝗘𝗦 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗗𝗢𝗡'𝗧 𝗞𝗡𝗢𝗪 𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗔𝗥𝗘 𝗞𝗘𝗘𝗣𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗦𝗧𝗨𝗖𝗞 𝗪𝗜𝗧𝗛 𝗢𝗖𝗗, 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗔𝗖𝗖𝗘𝗣𝗧𝗔𝗡𝗖𝗘 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗠𝗜𝗧𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗦𝗞𝗜𝗟𝗟𝗦 𝗖𝗔𝗡 𝗛𝗘𝗟𝗣

If you have OCD, or you know someone who does, please register for this 6-day free email course to learn about the 6 obstacles that keep you stuck with OCD and how they can be addressed with compassionate, actionable, and research-based skills derived from Acceptance and Commitment Skills (ACT)

Each day you'll get an email that addresses a specific block, and clarifies how ACT ⁠can be helpful to you in tackling that particular obstacle.

These are the conversations that I have with my clients who are struggling with OCD and that I hope are useful to you. Most of the time, my clients don't realize and don't know that, what they're doing and how they're responding to their obsessions, make things worse and take them far away from how they want to live their lives.

Dealing with OCD is hard and, yet, learning effective skills and tackle it like a PRO is possible!

I'm committed to supporting you throughout getting unstuck from OCD and living a purposeful, joyful and happy life. So, if you have any questions during this free e-mail course, you can always hit "reply" to any of the emails from this free course and I'll get back to you. I promise!

Register here: https://www.actbeyondocd.com/e-mail-course-free-version-registration/

03/06/2025

This week, we're diving into the concept of "playing it safe" — what it looks like, why we do it, and how to find a balance in our lives.

Imagine a life where you feel secure enough to take risks that truly matter to you!

Read the full article here: https://www.thisisdoctorz.com/the-psychology-of-playing-it-safe

⁠

03/03/2025

𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗘 𝗪𝗘𝗕𝗜𝗡𝗔𝗥: 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝟵 𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗹𝗲 𝗢𝗖𝗗 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗔𝗖𝗖𝗘𝗣𝗧𝗔𝗡𝗖𝗘 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗠𝗜𝗧𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗘𝗫𝗣𝗢𝗦𝗨𝗥𝗘 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀!

If you have OCD, or you know someone who does, please register for this FREE WEBINAR to learn about the 9 ways in which 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗽𝘆 (𝗔𝗖𝗧) & 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 (𝗘𝗥𝗣) can get you unstuck in a compassionate and actionable way.

This webinar is based on the conversations that I have with my clients struggling with OCD and the work we do together; I hope are useful to you.

Most of the time, my clients 𝗱𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆'𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗼𝗯𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲 and takes 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗳𝗮𝗿 𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀.

Dealing with OCD is hard, yet, learning effective skills and tackling it like a PRO is possible!

I'm committed to supporting you throughout getting unstuck from OCD and living a purposeful, joyful, and happy life. So, if you have any questions during this webinar, you can always send it my way and I'll get back to you. I promise!

Register here: https://www.actbeyondocd.com/webinar-master-free-registration/

02/18/2025

(*) For more actionable, research-based and compassionate tips on Acceptance and Commitment skills (ACT) for ineffective playing-it-safe moves and anxiety-based struggles subscribe to my newsletter Playing-it-Safe here: https://www.thisisdoctorz.com/playing-it-safe-newsletter/

02/11/2025

We've all felt the sting of rejection at some point, haven't we? It's a universal experience, yet it can feel so discouraging when we're in the midst of it.

I've certainly felt that sting many times, and that's what pushed me to write this article.

I can assure you that this piece isn't just another "chin up" pep talk!

Whether you're facing professional rejection, personal setbacks, or just wanting to be better prepared for life's inevitable bumps in the road, I share with you evidence-based and compassionate psychological skills to navigate those moments.

Here's a glimpse of what you'll read:

- How to use reflection to uncover valuable insights about yourself.
- Four evidence-based skills to manage rejection effectively.
- Ways to stay true to your values, even when facing setbacks.
- How to create a personalized rejection plan (yes, it's a thing!)

Click the link to read the full article: https://www.thisisdoctorz.com/when-rejection-hits-science-backed-ways-to-manage-it/

⁠

01/30/2025

𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗘 𝗣𝗗𝗙 𝗪𝗜𝗧𝗛 𝟮𝟬 𝗠𝗜𝗡𝗗𝗙𝗨𝗟𝗡𝗘𝗦𝗦 𝗘𝗫𝗘𝗥𝗖𝗜𝗦𝗘𝗦 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗧𝗘𝗘𝗡𝗦 𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗨𝗚𝗚𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗪𝗜𝗧𝗛 𝗢𝗖𝗗

I finished writing this workbook on a winter dawn, with a loud central heater in the background; similar to today's weather as I type this post.

This has been one of the most rewarding projects I have participated in for many reasons:

- It makes Acceptance and Commitment skills accessible & it shows how it goes hand and hand with Exposure

- It shows how the CHOICE POINT is super-handy to navigate OCD situations. Put it simply, it reminds everyone that we do have a choice to handle those obsessions and to move towards the things we value or away from them.

- It acknowledges that tackling OCD is not easy, and it can feel very hard; yet, this workbook helps readers to find their choice point, to remember how it feels choosing, and always choose how to live their life!

- It teaches readers 20 unhooking skills to practice and try day by day as different ways to handle obsessions and urges to do compulsions I want to take this moment to say

I have created A FREE PDF WITH 20 AWARENESS EXERCISES, ready to put into practice, so teens can practice the skills of stepping back, watching what their mind does, and staying in the moment.

Click here to get the download: https://www.thisisdoctorz.com/act-workbook-for-teens-with-ocd/

Click here to get the book: https://amzn.to/3wYigyM

Dr. Z.

07/18/2025

07/17/2025

07/08/2025

07/02/2025

06/02/2025

04/23/2025

03/21/2025

03/06/2025

03/03/2025

02/18/2025

02/11/2025

01/30/2025

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