Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is one of the most misunderstood mental health conditions—often reduced to stereotypes about cleanliness, organization, or “quirks.” In this episode of our Behind the Label series, we break down what OCD actually is: a brain-based disorder driven by fear, uncertainty, and a misfiring threat system. We explore the difference between obsessions and compulsions, how OCD shows up neurologically, emotionally, and behaviorally, and why insight alone isn’t enough to make the thoughts stop. From chronic doubt and hyper-responsibility to time-consuming rituals and mental compulsions, we unpack how OCD can quietly take over daily life.

We also discuss evidence-based treatments like Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), medication options, and how therapy helps people build tolerance for uncertainty rather than chasing reassurance. For loved ones, we cover what’s genuinely helpful—and what unintentionally keeps OCD in the driver’s seat. Along the way, we challenge common misconceptions, clarify misused OCD language, and offer a compassionate framework for understanding the difference between OCD-driven behaviors and personal preferences. This episode is about replacing shame with clarity, and judgment with understanding.

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Website - www.embracementalhealthnsc.org

Instagram - @embrace.mental.health

Facebook - www.facebook.com/emh.nsc/

Email - embracementalhealthnsc@gmail.com

Bet you never thought your favorite TV show and your favorite podcast would cross paths, did you? But Stranger Things is bursting at the seams with powerful mental health metaphors and parallels—so many, in fact, that we decided to make it a mini-series!

In this first episode, we explore how some of the stories, characters, and even monsters from Seasons 1 and 2 reflect real mental health experiences, including trauma, anxiety, recovery, and being a caretaker. We also explore the power of belief, connection, and community—and why healing isn’t a single heroic moment, but a long walk through the Upside Down with people who keep the lights on for you.

Connect with us!

Website - www.embracementalhealthnsc.org

Instagram - @embrace.mental.health

Facebook - www.facebook.com/emh.nsc/

Email - embracementalhealthnsc@gmail.com

If you’ve ever wondered why you tend to pull away, cling tightly, or feel uneasy in close relationships, this episode explores how Attachment Theory can help make sense of those patterns. Attachment styles aren’t diagnoses or personality flaws — they’re adaptive responses formed in early relationships to help us survive and stay connected. In this episode, we unpack what attachment is, how it develops, and why everyone has an attachment style shaped by their relational experiences.

We walk through the four main attachment styles — secure, anxious, avoidant, and disorganized — and explore how they show up in adult relationships, from romantic partnerships to friendships, family dynamics, and even work environments. Most importantly, we talk about why attachment is not a life sentence. Healing and earned secure attachment are possible through awareness, nervous system regulation, safe relationships, and therapy. Attachment styles explain how we learned to protect ourselves — not how we’re required to connect forever.

Resources:

• Quiz Link: https://quiz.attachmentproject.com/

• https://link.springer.com/rwe/10.1007/978-3-319-15877-8_513-1

• https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3855268/

• https://archive.org/details/sim_developmental-psychology_1992-09_28_5/page/758/mode/2up

• https://www.researchgate.net/publication/247946864_Patterns_of_attachment_A_psychological_study_of_the_strange_situation_Mary_D_Salter_Ainsworth_Mary_C_Blehar_Everett_Waters_and_Sally_Wall_Hillsdale_NJ_Erlbaum_1978distributor_HalstedWiley_New_York_xvi

• https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/development-and-psychopathology/article/abs/children-classified-as-controlling-at-age-six-evidence-of-disorganized-representational-strategies-and-aggression-at-home-and-at-school/2A8C2B7A7350A024CC6341D8E3530171

• https://srcd.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1540-5834.00037

• https://www.jstor.org/stable/1127388?origin=crossref

• https://www.jstor.org/stable/1128475?origin=crossref

• https://books.google.com/books?id=WzHIfiCXE8EC&pg=PA121#v=onepage&q&f=false

Connect with us!

Website - www.embracementalhealthnsc.org

Instagram - @embrace.mental.health

Facebook - www.facebook.com/emh.nsc/

Email - embracementalhealthnsc@gmail.com