In this episode, Carrie welcomes Greg and Stacey Oliver from Awaken Recovery to share their journey of faith, healing, and recovery from compulsive sexual behavior. Episode Highlights: How faith and community play a vital role in recovery from compulsive sexual behavior. Why isolation fuels addiction and how authentic connection brings healing. The difference between forgiveness and true healing through confession and community. How addiction often masks deeper emotional wounds and u...

As we continue the Healthy Perspectives on Sex series, Carrie explores what it means for Christians with OCD to face intrusive sexual thoughts with faith and honesty. She opens up a deeper conversation about shame, healing, and renewal in Christ. Episode Highlights: How OCD can distort normal sexual thoughts and create unnecessary guilt. The key differences between intrusive thoughts and sinful thoughts. Why trying to suppress or “neutralize” thoughts often makes OCD worse. How faith and...

As The Healthy Perspectives on Sex series continues on Christian Faith and OCD, Carrie explores what healthy sexual development looks like from birth through age 25. She discusses how OCD can complicate perceptions of sexuality and calls for open, grace-filled dialogue about faith, the body, and healing. Episode Highlights: What healthy sexual development looks like from birth through age 25. How curiosity, modesty, and body awareness naturally evolve as children grow. The importance of t...

In this episode, Carrie launches the Healthy Perspectives on Sex Series, opening up about her personal journey of recovering from purity culture and how its messages shaped her faith, identity, and view of sexuality. She also explores how purity culture has impacted many Christians struggling with OCD and intrusive sexual thoughts, offering insight, grace, and hope for those seeking healing and freedom. Episode Highlights: -How purity culture shaped a generation’s beliefs about sex, faith, ...

In this episode, Carrie and her husband Steve celebrate their 5th anniversary by sharing 5 lessons they’ve learned in marriage—practical insights shaped by parenting, challenges, and everyday life, all while keeping Christ at the center of their relationship. Episode Highlights: -How the little things can strengthen connection -The value of communicating with grace and being intentional with your words -How to avoid making assumptions and instead extend your spouse the benefit of the doubt -...

In this episode of Christian Faith and OCD, Carrie is joined by Joe Feldman, founder of Cover My Mental Health, who shares his family’s battle with insurance companies and how that experience led to creating free resources that help others get the care they deserve. Episode Highlights: What “medical necessity” means and how it impacts your insurance coverage for OCD and other mental health care Why documenting your provider search is crucial when navigating insurance barriers How to file...

In this episode, Carrie shares how our brains link colors, numbers, and events in ways that can trigger OCD. She offers relatable stories and practical tools to help break these patterns. Episode Highlights: How everyday experiences can form powerful associations in our brains. How trauma can create associations that fuel OCD symptoms. Examples of how OCD attaches meaning to colors, numbers, and routines. The difference between ERP (Exposure and Response Prevention) and ICBT approache...

Carrie is joined by Rachel Kuchem Woodward, LCSW, a therapist with lived experience of OCD, to discuss how pastors can better support those who struggle through insights on discipleship, treatment, shame, and spiritual warfare. Episode Highlights: -Rachel’s personal journey with OCD and how her faith community played a role in her healing. -How pastors can discern between normal spiritual wrestling and scrupulosity. -The role of safe spaces, gospel-centered preaching, and grace-based disciple...

In this episode, Carrie explores the hidden stories and emotions that make letting go of items so difficult. Drawing from conference insights and personal experiences, she shares practical wisdom to help anyone declutter and create a home that feels peaceful, joyful, and welcoming. Episode Highlights: The stories we tell ourselves about objects, including how joy, identity, and memory influence what we keep. Why letting go can feel like loss and the connection between grief, trauma, and p...

In this heartfelt episode, Carrie sits down with her husband Steve to talk about one of life’s hardest challenges: living with uncertainty. They dive into what it looks like to live with faith, peace, and joy in the face of an unpredictable future. Episode Highlights: -How uncertainty impacts whether you struggle with OCD, chronic illness, or everyday worries—and why acceptance is such a key step in the journey. -The power of living one day at a time, with practical ways to choose joy des...

In this episode, Carrie explores the link between overworking and OCD, sharing warning signs of burnout and offering biblical wisdom and practical strategies for balance, rest, and healthy boundaries. Episode Highlights: How overworking and OCD are often connected. Key warning signs of burnout to watch for. Common beliefs that keep Christians stuck in unhealthy work habits. Why rest, boundaries, and compartmentalization matter for recovery. Faith-based strategies to find balance and hon...

In this episode, Carrie goes “off script” to explore a Dialectical Behavioral Therapy skill—radical acceptance—and why it’s a powerful tool for Christians navigating OCD, grief, and life’s hard realities. Episode Highlights: What radical acceptance really means—and what it doesn’t. How fighting reality keeps you emotionally stuck (and what to do instead). Biblical perspectives on suffering and endurance from James 1, Romans 5, and Romans 8:28. Practical ways to sit with and move through ...

In this episode, Carrie explores how to recognize when it might be time to move on from your therapist. She unpacks both major red flags and quieter signs that the fit isn’t right, offering practical, faith-based insight for clients, loved ones, and fellow professionals.  Episode Highlights: What red flags signal it's time to immediately leave and report a therapistWhy dual relationships and boundary violations matter in Christian therapyHow to assess if your therapist’s approach or personali...

In this episode, Carrie explores how to identify and overcome all-or-nothing thinking, a common challenge for those with OCD. She offers practical strategies for developing flexible thinking to foster peace and recovery. Episode Highlights: How to recognize all-or-nothing thinking in yourself. Mindfulness exercises to help detach from obsessive thoughts. The importance of taking different perspectives to break rigid thinking. How asking "What if it went well?" can shift your mindset. ...

In this episode, Carrie unpacks what it really means to take a thought captive and why that verse can feel confusing for Christians navigating OCD. She brings biblical clarity, challenges common misconceptions, and shares a more grace-filled way to respond to intrusive thoughts. Episode Highlights: What that “take every thought captive” verse actually means in context—and why it’s not about perfect thought control How spiritual armor like the helmet of salvation helps protect your mind in ...

In today’s episode, we’re wrapping up our Personal Story Summer Series with Michael Kier, author of Waging War Against OCD: A Christian Approach. Michael shares his honest journey through scrupulosity, intrusive thoughts, and how grace—not striving—transformed his view of God and mental health. Episode Highlights: What it’s like to live with scrupulosity (religious OCD) from childhood into adulthood How to tell the difference between conviction from God and intrusive OCD thoughts W...

As part of the Personal Story Summer Series, we’re bringing back Carrie’s powerful conversation with Amber Williams Van Zuyen, who shares her journey through harm OCD, intrusive thoughts, and the difficult decision to take medication during pregnancy. Amber’s story is relatable, faith-filled, and a reminder that you’re not alone in the struggle. Plus, don’t miss Carrie’s upcoming live webinar Calming the Inner Chaos: Tips for Christians Seeking OCD Treatment on August 11 at 4PM CT—replay ava...

In this episode, Carrie revisits a powerful conversation with author Peyton Garland, who shares her journey through OCD, scrupulosity, and anxiety while holding onto her Christian faith. Episode Highlights: -The emotional weight of growing up in a culture where therapy was viewed as weakness, -The spiritual confusion and fear that can accompany OCD in rigid religious environments -How finding a diagnosis provided clarity and freedom -The role of her supportive husband in her healing...

In this episode, Carrie responds to the International OCD Foundation’s newly released 2024 treatment guidelines. She offers a therapist’s take on the updates, and what they mean for Christians navigating OCD. Episode Highlights: What the IOCDF’s updated 2024 treatment guidelines mean for OCD care, and why this shift matters. How Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) compares to newer approaches like Inference-Based CBT (ICBT) and metacognitive therapy. Why faith-based concerns and...

In this episode, Carrie speaks with Virginia-based therapist Stephanie Smith about her personal and professional journey with OCD, including how it intersected with her Christian faith. They explore the development of scrupulosity, the healing impact of ICBT, and the importance of separating OCD’s voice from the truth of God’s grace. Episode Highlights: Stephanie’s personal journey with OCD, beginning in childhood and evolving into scrupulosity during her teen years. Why OCD often targets...