In this episode of the OCD Family Podcast, Nicole Morris welcomes back Dr. Michael Greenberg, licensed clinical psychologist and creator of Rumination-Focused ERP, to explore a deeper way of understanding OCD.

Dr. Greenberg shares insights from his article “OCD as a Defense Mechanism,” where he integrates behavioral approaches like ERP with psychoanalytic perspectives on emotional conflict and relational development. Together, Nicole and Michael discuss how OCD symptoms may function as defenses that displace difficult emotions into obsessions and compulsions.

This conversation invites clinicians, families, and those with lived experience to consider a both-and approach to OCD treatment—one that addresses symptoms while also exploring the emotional dynamics that may fuel them.

In this shorter check-in episode, Nicole shares why choosing rest and regulation over pressure and perfection is sometimes the most important OCD work we can do. When life feels chaotic, self-care isn’t avoidance—it’s protecting your nervous system.

She also announces the re-release of key early episodes on YouTube, including conversations on supporting adult children with OCD and navigating higher levels of care.

If you’re overwhelmed or newly navigating OCD, this is your reminder: you’re not alone—and there is hope.

Full-length interviews resume next week.

After an unplanned pause, Nicole is back—and she’s getting real about it. In this candid check-in episode, she shares why stepping away without over-explaining was actually an act of response prevention, not disappearance. OCD often demands perfection, performance, and constant reassurance—but sometimes the most regulated choice is silence.

As 2026 begins, she explores how “new year, same fear” can feel especially true with transitions and added pressure. OCD doesn’t reset at midnight. Still, familiar fear doesn’t mean lifelong suffering. Drawing from her experience as both a clinician and someone in recovery, Nicole reminds listeners that evidence-based treatments like ERP, ICBT, ACT, and medication offer real hope.

If you’re struggling—or supporting someone who is—this episode is a reminder: you’re not alone. We can sit with discomfort, choose values over fear, and build hope, even in quiet seasons.