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In this episode of The OCD Confessional, we're joined by Anah Pignatelli, OCD advocate, educator, and creator of Key to OCD.

For more than 20 years, Anah has navigated OCD in its many forms, including Relationship OCD (ROCD), Sexual Orientation OCD (SO-OCD), and Contamination OCD. Today, she uses her platform to help others understand OCD, break free from shame, and move toward recovery.

Anah shares her personal journey from being consumed by uncertainty and intrusive thoughts to becoming an advocate who helps thousands of people better understand what OCD really is.

In this episode, we discuss:

• What Relationship OCD actually feels like
• How SO-OCD creates doubt about identity and attraction
• Contamination OCD and fear-based compulsions
• Why reassurance keeps OCD alive
• The role of ERP in recovery
• Building Key to OCD and finding purpose through advocacy

This conversation is honest, hopeful, and full of practical insights for anyone struggling with intrusive thoughts and uncertainty.

🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and everywhere you get your podcasts.

Support the show

🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube & everywhere podcasts live.
📲 Instagram & TikTok: @theocdconfessional
📺 YouTube: The OCD Confessional https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9LpIFjdtZQ

Supported by NOCD
If you or someone you love is struggling with OCD, check out NOCD — a leading virtual health platform that connects people with licensed therapists specially trained in Evidence-Based ERP (Exposure and Response Prevention) therapy. NOCD offers live video sessions, between-session therapist messaging, access to in-app therapeutic tools, and a global peer community. Their goal: make expert OCD treatment accessible, effective, and affordable.

➤ Visit https://learn.nocd.com/ocdconfessional to learn more and get matched with an OCD-trained therapist.

🧠 The OCD Confessional is hosted by Liam Martin & Alicia Hill — real stories, intrusive thoughts, and the tools we use to cope (with plenty of laughter).

Disclaimer: The OCD Confessional is intended for education, awareness, and community support only. It does not provide therapy or professional mental-health advice. If you are struggling or in crisis, please seek help from a licensed mental-health professional. In the U.S., you can call or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

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In this episode of The OCD Confessional, we’re joined by Lukas S. Snear, therapist at NOCD, to discuss one of the most misunderstood and stigmatized forms of OCD: POCD (Pedophilia OCD).

POCD is not about desire or intent. It is a subtype of OCD characterized by unwanted, intrusive thoughts, fears, and doubts that can create overwhelming shame, anxiety, and isolation. Because the topic is so taboo, many people suffer in silence and are afraid to seek help.

Lukas helps us unpack:
• What POCD actually is
• How intrusive thoughts become obsessive fears
• Why reassurance never solves the problem
• The difference between OCD fears and genuine desires
• How Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) helps people recover
• Why so many people with POCD feel alone — and why they aren't

This conversation is educational, compassionate, and filled with hope for anyone struggling with intrusive thoughts they don't understand.

🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and everywhere you get your podcasts.

Support the show

🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube & everywhere podcasts live.
📲 Instagram & TikTok: @theocdconfessional
📺 YouTube: The OCD Confessional https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9LpIFjdtZQ

Supported by NOCD
If you or someone you love is struggling with OCD, check out NOCD — a leading virtual health platform that connects people with licensed therapists specially trained in Evidence-Based ERP (Exposure and Response Prevention) therapy. NOCD offers live video sessions, between-session therapist messaging, access to in-app therapeutic tools, and a global peer community. Their goal: make expert OCD treatment accessible, effective, and affordable.

➤ Visit https://learn.nocd.com/ocdconfessional to learn more and get matched with an OCD-trained therapist.

🧠 The OCD Confessional is hosted by Liam Martin & Alicia Hill — real stories, intrusive thoughts, and the tools we use to cope (with plenty of laughter).

Disclaimer: The OCD Confessional is intended for education, awareness, and community support only. It does not provide therapy or professional mental-health advice. If you are struggling or in crisis, please seek help from a licensed mental-health professional. In the U.S., you can call or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

Send us Fan Mail

In this episode of The OCD Confessional, we’re joined by Steven Poskar, MD, psychiatrist, Clinical Director of OCD NYC, member of the Scientific and Clinical Advisory Board of the International OCD Foundation, and one of the country’s leading experts in the treatment of OCD and related disorders.

This conversation focuses on one of the most debated and misunderstood topics in OCD treatment: medication.

Dr. Poskar breaks down what medications for OCD actually do, why SSRIs are used differently in OCD than in depression, and the most common misconceptions patients have when starting treatment. We also discuss why medication alone is often not enough — and how it works best alongside evidence-based therapies like Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) and CBT.

We also explore the growing interest around:
• Psilocybin and OCD
• MDMA-assisted therapy
• Glutamate-targeting medications
• Why some medications fail
• How to think critically about “gut health” and alternative treatment claims

This episode is educational, nuanced, and grounded in real clinical experience — whether you’re considering medication, currently taking it, or simply trying to better understand OCD treatment.

Support the show

🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube & everywhere podcasts live.
📲 Instagram & TikTok: @theocdconfessional
📺 YouTube: The OCD Confessional https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9LpIFjdtZQ

Supported by NOCD
If you or someone you love is struggling with OCD, check out NOCD — a leading virtual health platform that connects people with licensed therapists specially trained in Evidence-Based ERP (Exposure and Response Prevention) therapy. NOCD offers live video sessions, between-session therapist messaging, access to in-app therapeutic tools, and a global peer community. Their goal: make expert OCD treatment accessible, effective, and affordable.

➤ Visit https://learn.nocd.com/ocdconfessional to learn more and get matched with an OCD-trained therapist.

🧠 The OCD Confessional is hosted by Liam Martin & Alicia Hill — real stories, intrusive thoughts, and the tools we use to cope (with plenty of laughter).

Disclaimer: The OCD Confessional is intended for education, awareness, and community support only. It does not provide therapy or professional mental-health advice. If you are struggling or in crisis, please seek help from a licensed mental-health professional. In the U.S., you can call or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.