Christian Faith and OCD, Scrupulosity, Intrusive Thoughts, Compulsions, ICBT
Christian Faith and OCD: Practical Strategies to Greater PeaceDo you constantly worry about "what-if" scenarios and obsess about things you can't control?Are you frustrated with performing the same compulsions over and over and wish you could find freedom?Do you struggle to find OCD resources that understand or align with your Christian faith?You’re in the right place. This podcast will help you connect with God’s peace by learning practical skills leading you out of the OCD mental prison and walking in the freedom God has for you. Hi! I’m Carrie Bock, Christ follower, wife, mom and Lic...
249. Christian Perfectionism with Mark DeJesus
In this episode, Carrie talks with Mark DeJesus, author of Freedom From Just Right But Never Enough, about why Christian perfectionism and scrupulosity keep so many believers stuck on a performance treadmill, and what it looks like to step off.
You’ll Learn
Why Christian perfectionism can look like devotion while quietly fueling OCD and scrupulosityWhat Paul’s warning to the Galatians has to do with your spiritual checklist todayWhy “pride” may not be the real problem when you are hard on yourselfWhy grace can feel too good to be true, and why that reaction is so commo...248. When Your Sibling has OCD with Austin Kang
Continuing the Relationship OCD series, Carrie welcomes Austin Kang, founder of Behind the Scenes, to explore what it’s like to have a sibling with OCD, the emotions that often go unspoken, and how families can support a loved one without losing sight of their own needs.
Why siblings of people with OCD may feel overlooked as their family focuses on managing the disorder.
How resentment, guilt, fear, and grief can affect sibling relationships, even when there is deep love.
How to support a sibling with OCD without accommodating their obsessions an...
247. When You're Married to Someone with OCD with Larinda Horton
In this episode, Carrie is joined by licensed professional counselor Larinda Horton to explore how to support a spouse with OCD without feeding the cycle, while also caring for your own well-being.
Episode Highlights:
Why a loving response to OCD can sometimes make it strongerHow to separate your spouse from the diagnosis and face it as a teamWhat healthy boundaries sound like when they come from care, not punishmentHow to manage frustration when recovery feels slowThree simple words that can improve how couples talk about OCDConnect with Larinda:
www.fortheonecounseling.com/larinda-horton
246. Navigating the Messiness of Dating as a Christian with Steve and Carrie Bock
In this episode, Carrie sits down with her husband Steve to talk honestly about the messy, hopeful, and often awkward road of Christian dating, sharing what they wish someone had told them before they found each other.
Episode Highlights:
Why trusting God's timing in dating can save you from years of heartache and regret
How to spot true relationship dealbreakers vs minor preferences when dating with intention
What doing your homework before a relationship really means (without becoming a stalker)
Why too much texting and long phone calls...
245. Why Relationship OCD is Complicated and Hard to Treat
In this episode, Carrie explores the challenges of relationship OCD and how it can affect the way people experience and navigate their relationships.
Episode Highlights:
What relationship OCD looks like day to day, from replaying conversations to checking your feelings for proof
Why "is this love?" and "am I attracted enough?" can never be answered with certainty
How outside voices, Hallmark expectations, and past relationships get pulled into the doubt
Why mental compulsions like rumination and internal checking are so easy to miss
What kind of...
244. Revisit: Christian Integration of Acceptance and Committment Therapy
In this episode, Carrie revisits her past conversation with psychotherapist and author Ingrid Ord about acceptance and commitment therapy, this time adding the insights she's gained from five more years of working directly with OCD.
Episode Highlights:
Why avoiding anxiety just makes it spread wider and wider, and what psychotherapist Ingrid Ord says actually happens once you stop arguing with the thought
Carrie's own take on why OCD therapy often misses attachment wounds
Where ACT hits a wall for moderate to severe OCD, and which evidence based tools Carrie s...
243. Why You Don't Need to Be Afraid of Your Emotions or Your Body Sensations
In this episode, Carrie explores why emotions and body sensations are not something to fear as a Christian, reframing them instead as data and opportunity for connecting with God.
Episode Highlights:
Why fear and shame are the only emotions God doesn't experience, and what that means for how you process your own feelings
How anger, sadness, and guilt can each become useful signals instead of threats
Why suppressing emotions often backfires and leads to resentment, addiction, or shutting down completely
A self-defense inspired technique for handling overwhelming...
242. Why You Don't Need to Be Afraid of Your Thoughts as a Christian
In this episode, Carrie explores why Christians with OCD do not need to fear intrusive thoughts and how understanding the difference between thoughts, desires, actions, and identity can loosen the grip of scrupulosity.
Episode Highlights:
Why having an intrusive thought does not mean you will act on it
How mental compulsions like rumination, rebuking thoughts, repeated prayer, and neutralizing can keep Christians stuck
Why OCD can attach frightening meanings to thoughts about faith, relationships, harm, or sexuality
How ICBT helps distinguish intrusive thoughts from your true desires, values...
241. How to Make OCD Worse or Not!
In this episode, Carrie revisits an earlier conversation about the connection between stress and OCD, taking a deeper look at why stress can make OCD symptoms worse and how to navigate stressful seasons without letting OCD take over.
Episode Highlights:
Why stress can make OCD symptoms worse, even after a period of recovery
How positive life changes can create stress and trigger an increase in OCD symptoms
Simple ways to stay grounded in your relationship with God during busy seasons
How movement, boundaries, and f...
240. How Do I Know If I'm Obsessing Right Now?
In this episode, Carrie helps you distinguish between everyday uncertainty and OCD by exploring obsessional doubts, compulsions, rumination, faith-related OCD, and the ways ICBT can help you identify when OCD is turning uncertainty into a crisis.
Episode Highlights:
How to recognize when an everyday uncertainty may be turning into an OCD obsessionWhy OCD often targets the people, beliefs, and values that matter most to youHow urgency, internet research, rumination, and reassurance-seeking can signal OCDWhat ICBT teaches about the difference between everyday doubts and obsessional doubtsHow Christians can respond to uncertainty without trying to...239. Discerning God's Call in a New Season with Mandy Horne
In this episode, Carrie sits down with Mandy Horne, a registered nurse, board-certified holistic nurse, and nurse coach, to explore how to discern God’s call in a new season, recognize His guidance through uncertainty, and take faithful steps forward when the full path is not yet clear.
Episode Highlights:
How to discern whether God may be calling you into a new season
Why God may give you one step instead of the entire plan
How prayer, Scripture, community, and wise counsel can help confirm a decision
Why gr...
238. Is God Asking Me to Give This Up?
In this episode, Carrie shares a personal story about how God led her to let go of something she had enjoyed for years, using that experience to help Christians with OCD recognize the difference between the Holy Spirit's gentle conviction and fear.
How to recognize the difference between the Holy Spirit's conviction and OCD's urgency.
Why enjoying something doesn't automatically make it an idol.
Biblical questions to ask when evaluating the entertainment you consume.
Why lasting spiritual transformation begins in the heart, not through fear or pressure.
...
237. Natural Support for Your Hormones with Celisha Gerber, LAc, ND
In this episode, Carrie sits down with naturopathic doctor and acupuncturist Celisha Gerber to explore how natural hormone support can help women understand the connection between hormonal changes, CCD, anxiety, and emotional resilience, while offering practical, faith-centered strategies for working with the body instead of against it.
Episode Highlights:
Why hormonal changes can intensify OCD, anxiety, and intrusive thoughts
How perimenopause, stress, and nervous system regulation are deeply connected
Simple lifestyle habits that naturally support hormone balance and emotional health
The surprising role of nutrition, sleep, movement, a...
236. When Autism and OCD Overlap with Nikole Krueger, LMSW
In this episode, Carrie welcomes back licensed clinical social worker Nikole Kruger to explore the overlap between autism and OCD, why many adults are identified later in life, and how understanding neurodivergence can reduce shame and improve treatment.
Episode Highlights:
How autism and OCD can overlap and why the two are sometimes difficult to distinguish
Why many adults don't realize they're autistic until later in life, even if they've always felt different
How masking can lead to exhaustion, burnout, and challenges with identity and relationships
Why understanding the...
240. How Do I Know If I'm Obsessing Right Now?
In this episode, Carrie helps listeners distinguish between everyday uncertainty and OCD by exploring obsessional doubts, compulsions, rumination, faith-related OCD, and the ways ICBT can help identify when OCD is turning uncertainty into a crisis.
Episode Highlights:
How to recognize when an everyday uncertainty may be turning into an OCD obsession
Why OCD often targets the people, beliefs, and values that matter most to you
How urgency, internet research, rumination, and reassurance-seeking can signal OCD
What ICBT teaches about the difference between everyday doubts and obsessional...
235. Learning to Trust When Everything is Uncertain: Part 2 of my Testimony
In this episode, Carrie continues with Part 2 of her testimony, sharing how God sustained her through a high-risk pregnancy, her husband's rare neurological diagnosis, profound grief, and the ongoing journey of trusting Him through life's greatest uncertainties.
Episode Highlights:
Why trusting God often begins where control comes to an end.
How surrender became a turning point that strengthened her faith.
What helped Carrie navigate grief, uncertainty, and unanswered questions.
Why remembering God's past faithfulness builds confidence for today's challenges.
How living one day at a time creates...
234. Clinging to God's Promises When Life is Hard: Part 1 of My Testimony
In this episode, Carrie shares Part 1 of her personal testimony, revealing the truths God taught her during one of the darkest seasons of her life and why those lessons still shape her faith today.
Episode Highlights:
Why God's promises became my anchor through divorce, grief, and unanswered prayers
How suffering exposed beliefs I didn't realize I had about God's character
What helped me keep trusting God when life didn't unfold the way I expected
How counseling, community, and Scripture became part of God's provision during heartbreak
233. When Health Issues, OCD, and Faith Collide: A Personal Story with Whitney Paige
In this episode, Carrie sits down with Whitney Paige to share how her journey through OCD, scrupulosity, chronic illness, and spiritual struggle reshaped her understanding of God's love and faithfulness.
Episode Highlights:
Why chasing certainty often keeps Christians stuck in the OCD cycle.
The connection between chronic illness and mental health.
Practical ways to anchor your faith when your feelings tell a different story.
What scrupulosity can distort about God's character and His love for you.
The role of community, treatment, and biblical truth in finding...
232. Postpartum Inpatient Stay to OCD Recovery: A Personal Story with Kathy Young
In this episode, Carrie sits down with Kathy Young as she shares her journey through postpartum OCD, multiple inpatient psychiatric hospitalizations, a misdiagnosis of postpartum psychosis, and the lessons she learned on the road to recovery.
Episode Highlights:
-How to recognize when postpartum OCD symptoms may be mistaken for postpartum psychosis or other mental health conditions.
-Why sleep deprivation, hormonal changes, and anxiety can intensify OCD symptoms after childbirth.
-How perfectionism and the need for control can quietly fuel obsessive thinking during motherhood.
-Practical...
231. When You're a Christian & Drinking Too Much: A Personal Story with Jon Seidl
In this episode, Carrie welcomes back Jon Seidl, a returning guest, author, speaker, and founder of Veritas Recovery, to share his personal journey through addiction and recovery while exploring how identity, shame, unresolved pain, and a deeper relationship with Christ can shape the path toward lasting healing and freedom.
Episode Highlights:
How unresolved trauma and emotional pain can influence addictive behaviors later in life.
Why shame often keeps people stuck while godly conviction creates a pathway toward healing.
The role identity plays in both addiction and long-term recovery.
230. Handling OCD Flare Ups with ICBT: A Personal Story with Rachael Kelley
In this episode, Carrie sits down with Rachael Kelley, a Christian writer and former Empowered Mind student, to discuss navigating OCD flare-ups, overcoming scrupulosity, and learning to trust God's love throughout the recovery journey.
Episode Highlights:
How Rachael Kelley learned to navigate OCD flare-ups without viewing them as failures in recovery.
The primary obsessional doubt that was driving many of her scrupulosity fears.
Why OCD often disguises itself as spiritual conviction and how to recognize the difference.
The ICBT strategies that helped her challenge intrusive thoughts and obsessional reasoning.
229. Navigating OCD, ADHD, and Autism: A Personal Story with Erica Hackworth
In this episode, Carrie welcomes Erica Hackworth to share how discovering the connection between her ADHD, autism, and OCD transformed her relationships, faith, self-understanding, and journey toward recovery.
Episode Highlight:
Discover how ADHD, autism, and OCD can overlap and influence one another in unexpected ways.
Recognize the hidden signs of OCD that extend beyond contamination fears and perfectionism.
Identify the difference between OCD-driven fear and genuine spiritual conviction.
Learn practical ways to communicate neurodivergent needs within relationships and family life.
Apply ICBT principles to break free from...
228. A Missionary Follows the Good Shepherd: A Personal Story with Ana
In this episode, Carrie sits down with Ana, a missionary who shares her journey through scrupulosity OCD, navigating fear and major life decisions while discovering Jesus as her Good Shepherd, faithfully leading her through missions, marriage, and deeper trust in Him.
Episode Highlights:
How scrupulosity OCD can distort your view of God and His will for your life
Why fear and anxiety don't necessarily mean you're making the wrong decision
Practical ways to discern God's direction through prayer, Scripture, and wise counsel
How to move forward in faith w...
227. Finding Paternal and Maternal Love in God: A Personal Story with Chris Russo
In this episode, Carrie sits down with pastor Chris Russo to discuss how religious OCD, intrusive thoughts, childhood trauma, and fears surrounding salvation shaped his relationship with God and how counseling, community, and faith became important parts of his healing journey.
Episode Highlights:
How scrupulosity can create intense fears surrounding salvation and judgment
Why childhood trauma and loss can quietly affect your relationship with God
How intrusive thoughts can distort the way Christians interpret scripture
The difference between intellectually understanding God’s love and emotionally receiving it
Wh...
226. Found ICBT after ERP Wasn't Effective: A Personal Story with Dr. O. Alan Noble
Carrie sits down with author and professor Dr. O. Alan Noble to share his deeply personal journey through years of OCD treatment, intense suffering, and ultimately finding hope through ICBT.
Episode Highlights:
Why traditional talk therapy and reassurance can unintentionally keep OCD cycles going
How ERP may help some people while still leaving others feeling stuck and exhausted
The key differences between ERP and ICBT in treating OCD
How iCBT helps people recognize the difference between reasonable doubts and obsessive doubts
How faith, community, and hope can...
225. Is Empowered Mind Right for Me?
In this episode, Carrie shares why so many Christians feel trapped in exhausting OCD cycles and how Empowered Mind: Christian ICBT for OCD offers a different approach to finding peace, clarity, and lasting healing.
Episode Highlights:
What makes inference based cognitive behavioral therapy (ICBT) different from traditional OCD treatment
Why so many Christians struggle silently with scrupulosity and intrusive thoughts
How Empowered Mind helps simplify OCD recovery into practical, faith based steps
Why being “functional” doesn’t always mean you’re truly free from OCD
Who Empowered Mind is...
224. Remaining Hopeful When Past OCD Treatment Has Failed
In this episode, Carrie shares how to move forward when OCD treatment, ERP, prayer, or recovery programs leave you feeling stuck, discouraged, and questioning whether things can really change.
Episode Highlights:
Why failed OCD treatment can feel emotionally devastating for Christians
The mindset shift that changes how recovery and progress are viewed
What may actually be missing when therapy does not seem effective
Why more people are exploring ICBT after difficult ERP experiences
How faith, resilience, and growth can still emerge from disappointment
223. How Mindfulness is Helpful for ICBT
In this episode, Carrie shares how mindfulness and Inference-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (ICBT) can come together in a powerful way to support your OCD recovery journey.
Episode Highlights:
The difference between mindfulness and meditation, and why it matters
How mindfulness helps you create space from intrusive thoughts
Why building distress tolerance is key for OCD recovery
What ICBT is and how it reveals what’s really happening behind OCD
How faith, Scripture, and staying present support your healing journey
Explore the Empowered Mind: Chr...
222. Can AI help with OCD?
In this episode, Carrie explores the concerns of using AI for OCD and shares practical ways to use it wisely while staying grounded in truth, community, and your identity in Christ.
Episode Highlights:
Why using AI during a mental health crisis can be harmful and what to do instead
How AI can become a form of reassurance seeking that feeds the OCD cycle
The ways AI may unintentionally reinforce negative thought patterns
Why human connection and godly community are essential for healing
221. Your Scrupulosity Question Answered
In this episode, Carrie answers listener-submitted questions from email and a recent survey about scrupulosity to help you better understand it and respond in healthier ways.
Episode Highlights:
Carrie’s answers to listener questions about intrusive thoughts and scrupulosity, drawn from real experiences shared through email and survey responses
How to recognize intrusive or critical thoughts as OCD, not your true beliefs
Why scrupulosity targets what matters most, including your relationship with God
How to identify the core fear beneath obsessive doubts
220. Getting Unstuck from Spiritual Mental Rituals
In this episode, I talk about how spiritual mental rituals are actually mental compulsions in OCD, and five steps to help you recognize these patterns and begin stepping out of them.
Episode Highlights:
The connection between spiritual mental rituals and compulsions in OCD
Ways to become more aware of when these patterns are happening in your mind
Practical strategies to create distance from intrusive thoughts through mindfulness and thought diffusion
The underlying fears and “feared possible self” that drive spiritual mental rituals
Why OCD’s reasoning process keeps...
219. The Holy Spirit and Blasphemy Concerns with Pastor Jeremy Pickwell
In this episode, Carrie sits down with Pastor Jeremy Pickwell, founding pastor of Alinea Church, to talk about the Holy Spirit, the fear of blasphemy, and how to find peace when your thoughts make you question your relationship with God.
Episode Highlights:
• What the Holy Spirit really is and why He is personal, not just a feeling
• How the Holy Spirit helps guide, comfort, and strengthen you in daily life
• What the Bible actually means by blasphemy of the Holy Spirit
• Why intrusive thoughts are not the same as rejecting God
• How to sto...
218. How Do I Know It's Time to Switch Churches? with Steve Bock
In this episode, Carrie and her husband Steve share their personal journey of navigating when it may be time to leave a church, walk through red flags, yellow flags, and how to prayerfully discern your next step.
Episode Highlights:
How to recognize the difference between red flags and yellow flags in a church
Why sound doctrine and healthy leadership matter for your spiritual growth
How your own role (connection, serving, engagement) impacts your church experience
Practical steps to take before deciding to leave, including conversations and self-reflection
<...217. When the Suffering Won't End with John Bennett
Carrie welcomes back John Bennett from Episode 76 for a powerful conversation about how a multiple myeloma diagnosis in 2019 has shaped his faith, perspective on heaven, and daily purpose, with encouragement for anyone walking a long road of suffering.
Episode Highlights:
What John discovered when he stopped fighting his diagnosis and chose to embrace it instead.
How to keep going when OCD, anxiety, or suffering feels like a long-term battle.
Why focusing on today can bring more peace and reduce anxiety
How acceptance can help you walk with God in...
216. How Do I Know I'm Saved?
In this episode, Carrie dives into why salvation doubts can feel so real for Christians with scrupulosity and how OCD can pull believers into convincing fear-based stories about their faith.
Episode Highlights:
Why salvation doubts can be common among Christians
How scrupulosity creates fear-based faith narratives
The difference between grace based salvation and works based thinking
Spiritual seasons and why feelings of closeness with God change
Understanding the OCD bubble through Inference-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (ICBT)
Explore the Empowered Mind: Christian ICBT for OCD: https://carriebock...
215. Healthy Confession and Repentance With Scrupulosity with Michael Kheir
In this episode, Carrie welcomes returning guest Michael Kheir, author of Waging War Against OCD, to discuss forgiveness, repentance, and how Christians with OCD can break free from cycles of fear and guilt in their relationship with God.
Episode Highlight:
How scrupulosity twists the meaning of repentance and confession
The difference between Holy Spirit conviction and OCD condemnation
Why obsessive confession often comes from fear rather than faith
How understanding justification vs. sanctification changes the way we view our sin
What the fruit of the Spirit can teac...
214. Reading the Bible Differently for Scrupulosity
In this episode, Carrie explores how scrupulosity can quietly turn Scripture into fear and pressure while offering a more peaceful, grace-filled way to reconnect with God’s Word.
Episode Highlights:
Why Scripture can feel triggering when you struggle with scrupulosity
How shame cycles form around Bible avoidance
Simple ways to begin reading again without pressure
Why understanding everything isn’t required for spiritual growth
How rigid beliefs about Bible reading can fuel OCD
Practical ways to reconnect with God’s Word in peace
E...
213. Pt 2: Why Scrupulosity is so Complicated and Hard to Treat
In this episode, Carrie continues exploring why scrupulosity can feel so layered and difficult to untangle. She examines the hidden fears, spiritual experiences, and beliefs about God that may be quietly fueling the struggle.
Episode Highlights:
How scrupulosity often attaches itself to other OCD themes
What it means to identify the “primary obsessional doubt” beneath the surface
Why theology and personal history both matter in recovery
How early relationships can shape your view of God
Why healing may require examining both belief systems and identity
What...
212. Pt 1: Why Scrupulosity is so Complicated and Hard to Treat
As we continue the Scrupulosity Series, Carrie unpacks the hidden layers that make religious OCD uniquely complex, especially when spiritual doubt, fear of sin, and confusion about God’s character get tangled in the OCD cycle.
Episode Highlights:
Why scrupulosity (religious OCD) is more complex than other OCD themes and why it often feels harder to treat
How church culture and biblical counseling can unintentionally reinforce the OCD cycle
Why reassurance about salvation, sin, or blasphemy can actually make scrupulosity worse
How mental health stigma in Christian spaces delays pr...
211. Embracing God's Love
We’re kicking off the Scrupulosity Series by starting at the foundation, God’s love.
In this episode, Carrie explores how shame, church hurt, and feelings of unworthiness can cloud our view of Him, and how Scripture invites us to receive the steady, unchanging love of Christ that nothing can take away.
Episode Highlights:
How scrupulosity distorts your view of God’s character and keeps you stuck in fear
Why embracing God’s love is foundational to healing from religious OCD
Common reasons we reject God’s love, including church hurt and s...
