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Breaking the Rules: A Clinician's Guide to Treating OCDBreaking the Rules is a show for mental health professionals designed to help you build confidence in treating Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Author: Dr Celin Gelgec and Dr Victoria Miller
Breaking the Rules is a show for mental health professionals designed to help you build confidence in treating Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Effective treatment of OCD requires commitment, creativity and the recognition that things can sometimes get a little messy. And on the show, youll hear from a range of leading professionals and learn everything there is to know about OCD and other related mental health concerns. This podcast is brought to you by Melbourne Wellbeing Group, a psychology practice based in Melbourne with a special focus on treating OCD. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Language: en Genres: Health & Fitness, Mental Health, Science, Social Sciences Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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Readiness, Uncertainty, and Behaviour Change in OCD Treatment
Episode 70
Monday, 9 February, 2026
In this reflective and practical episode of Breaking the Rules, the hosts unpack a phrase that shows up constantly in therapy rooms: “I don’t feel ready.” What does it actually mean? Is readiness a feeling—or is it a decision we make in the presence of fear, uncertainty, and discomfort?Using OCD as the primary lens, this conversation explores how clients often wait for certainty, calm, or clarity before taking action—and how that waiting quietly reinforces avoidance. The discussion moves beyond symptom management and into the deeper work of distinguishing thoughts vs feelings, building emotional literacy, and helping clients move forward despite anxiety rather than waiting for it to disappear.This episode is especially valuable for clinicians working with ambivalence, treatment resistance, or clients who feel “stuck” before starting ERP or making meaningful behavioural change.💬 Key themes:Why “ready” is not an emotion—but a choiceThe difference between thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensationsHow emotional reasoning keeps OCD in controlThe trap of waiting for certainty before actingUsing ACT, motivational interviewing, and values-based actionHelping clients name fear, dread, shame, and excitement accuratelyWhy language matters in therapy—and how it can open or close changeMoving clients out of intellectual insight and into embodied experienceSupporting behaviour change without reassurance or avoidance💡 “Ready is not a feeling—it’s a decision.” 🧠 “Certainty is the fantasy OCD keeps chasing.” 💬 “Of course you’re scared—and you can still act.”🔖 Chapters 00:00 Introduction and the origin of the idea 03:00 What clients mean when they say “I don’t feel ready” 05:00 Readiness, certainty, and the OCD trap 07:00 Thoughts vs feelings: why we confuse them 09:30 Emotional reasoning and avoidance 11:00 Values-based action and willingness 13:00 Naming emotions vs shutting change down 15:00 Anxiety, excitement, and bodily sensations 17:00 Moving from insight to action 19:00 Why waiting for readiness keeps clients stuck 21:00 Final reflections for clinicians #OCD #TherapyPodcast #MentalHealthProfessionals #ERP #ACT #BehaviourChange #ValuesBasedLiving #BreakingTheRulesPodcast #ClinicianSupport #AnxietyRecovery Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
