200. Why OCD Makes Every Thought Feel Important

What if the person treating your OCD has lived through it too?

In this episode of The OCD Whisperer Podcast, Kristina Orlova speaks with Andrea Gutiérrez-Glik, LCSW, an OCD, anxiety, and complex PTSD specialist who also has lived experience with OCD. Together, they explore OCD, trauma, lived experience, I-CBT, and what it means to find treatment that actually fits the person behind the diagnosis.

This honest conversation dives into:

• How trauma and OCD can become entangled, and why trauma isn’t necessarily the sole cause of OCD

• Why OCD can be especially difficult to recognize in marginalized communities

• The differences between ERP and Inference-Based CBT (I-CBT) and why a more trauma-informed approach may be helpful for some clients • How OCD can be experienced both viscerally in the body and cognitively through doubt and rumination

• What healing can look like when the sources of trauma are still present in your life

• Andrea’s concept of compassion, community, and freedom as important elements of healing

• Why lived experience can teach therapists things that textbooks cannot fully capture

• How to recognize when you may need a therapist who provides specialized OCD treatment

• Why medication can sometimes help people who feel stuck and make it easier to engage in therapy

Whether you’re navigating OCD yourself, supporting someone with OCD, or looking for a therapist who truly understands the disorder, this episode offers validation, practical insight, and hope...and a reminder that there may be more effective treatment options available than simply talking about what you’re going through.