Description:

⚠️ Content warning: this episode contains discussion of suicidal ideation and themes that some listeners might find distressing.

pOCD — pedophilia-themed OCD — is one of the most misunderstood and stigmatised subtypes out there, and Molly Lambert has lived it. In this episode, Molly shares what her intrusive thoughts actually looked and felt like: from existential anxiety to fears about being a paedophile, magical thinking, emotional checking, and the spiral that nearly broke her. She talks honestly about suicidal ideation, how TikTok helped her find her way, what it took to finally share her thoughts with others — and what acceptance can actually look like on the other side.

Laura, Jess and Molly also dig into how common pOCD really is, why it tends to hit the people it does, how therapy helped, and why Molly now advocates publicly for OCD awareness (including how she handles the inevitable backlash). Plus: postpartum mums and pOCD, the role of drinking and distraction, and Molly gets involved in the Brain Spam feature 🧠

Podcast by

Laura Mole, Adv. Dip, MBACP OCD specialist therapist

and

Jessica Hayes, Msc PGDip, BABCP Accred OCD and perinatal specialist therapist

Featuring Molly Lambert, OCD and mental illness advocate

Edited by Christian Nickson

Timestamps:

01:00 Hellos

01:30 Introducing Molly Lambert

02:57 What were Molly's thoughts like? From existential anxiety to paedophile fears

05:20 Magical thinking and checking emotions

09:20 When the pOCD started to spiral

14:40 How common is pOCD and why does it happen?

16:45 Thinking about suicide

17:30 What helped Molly realise it was OCD?

19:30 How drinking and distractions fit in

20:50 How TikTok helped

23:45 Other themes sneaking in

25:30 Starting to share the thoughts with others

28:30 Sharing with family

30:10 Advice for sharing — and Molly's experience of others' reactions

31:20 Therapy for Molly's OCD

35:47 Pursuing an OCD diagnosis

41:15 What acceptance can look like

45:00 Laura's OCD Doris

46:00 OCD help needs to be personalised

47:15 Molly's advocacy work for OCD

53:12 How Molly deals with negative feedback online

58:00 Postpartum mums and pOCD

1:04:50 How do Molly's friends and family help?

1:07:00 Where to find information and support

1:12:12 What did 15-year-old Molly need to hear?

1:14:33 Brain Spam

1:18:50 Wins of the Week

1:20:00 Avoidance in pOCD

1:20:25 Exposure Lab

1:22:30 Goodbyes

Get in Touch:

Got intrusive thoughts to share or questions for us:

Email us at ocdcollectiveuk@gmail.com

Follow us on Instagram and TikTok: @justcheckingpod

For our individual OCD Instagram and Tiktok pages: @jess_helps_your_ocd and @ocdtherapylaura

Please check out our privacy policy: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YJZ4Sdh4OpxjRR9twGY6dOMH9n55Mq6qTqLBxOtN3Fw/edit?usp=sharing

Content Warnings:

We do reference some thoughts that people may find distressing so please listen with caution if this is you, and take a break if you need to.

Disclaimer

This podcast provides educational content only and is not a substitute for professional mental health support, please contact a mental health professional for advice and support.