Licensed and multi-certified therapist Kathryn Wood joins Kristie and Felicia to demystify Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and intrusive thoughts. They break down what OCD actually is (and isn’t) and differentiate reality from pop psychology stereotypes.

Some takeaways:

• The difference between a fleeting thought and a persistent, intrusive thought
• Why typical “advice” can actually make OCD worse
• How OCD can manifest: from perfectionism to fears of causing harm
• Learning to sit with uncertainty as healing

Connect with Kathryn:

• Kathryn's website: emboldenedtherapy.com
• Kathryn’s profile on BestTherapists.com

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• TreatMyOCD.com
• International OCD Foundation

*Hosts: Kristie Plantinga and Felicia Keller Boyle

*Watch full episodes on YouTube: What Your Therapist Thinks

*Connect with us on Instagram: @wyttpodcast

*Brought to you by BestTherapists.com

*Produced by PodVision.

If you found this episode helpful, please subscribe, rate, and leave a review, or share it with a friend who might need it!

This podcast is for entertainment purposes only and is not a substitute for professional mental health care. If you’re struggling, please reach out to a licensed therapist or call your local crisis line for support.

Licensed Therapist Mary Beth Somich joins Kristie and Felicia to demystify the concept of enmeshment in families, especially between mothers and sons. They look at what enmeshment actually means (hint: blurred boundaries and no space for individuality), where it comes from, and why it’s so tough to break free from.

Some takeaways:

• How enmeshment manifests in real life
• The effects of enmeshment on adult romantic and family relationships
• Why setting boundaries can often feel like “rocking the boat”
• How to shift to healthy connections without cutting ties

Connect with Mary Beth: www.yourjourneythrough.com

*Hosts: Kristie Plantinga and Felicia Keller Boyle

*Watch full episodes on YouTube: What Your Therapist Thinks

*Connect with us on Instagram: @wyttpodcast

*Brought to you by BestTherapists.com

*Produced by PodVision.

If you found this episode helpful, please subscribe, rate, and leave a review, or share it with a friend who might need it!

This podcast is for entertainment purposes only and is not a substitute for professional mental health care. If you’re struggling, please reach out to a licensed therapist or call your local crisis line for support.

Licensed Therapist Ashley Hudson joins Kristie and Felicia to explore the complex and heavy topic of parental emotional abuse. They discuss why this form of abuse is so difficult to identify, why parents engage in it (often unconsciously), and the long-term impact it has on children as they transition into adulthood.

Some takeaways:

• Why emotional abuse is harder to spot than physical abuse
• The "good kid": How fear of a parent's reaction creates anxious compliance
• Strategies for coping like setting "quiet boundaries"
• Letting go of the "good kid" identity and accepting being labeled as the "bad guy"

Connect with Ashley: https://www.ashleyhudsontherapy.com/

Domestic Violence Hotline: https://www.thehotline.org/

*Hosts: Kristie Plantinga and Felicia Keller Boyle

*Watch full episodes on YouTube: What Your Therapist Thinks

*Connect with us on Instagram: @wyttpodcast

*Brought to you by BestTherapists.com

*Produced by PodVision.

If you found this episode helpful, please subscribe, rate, and leave a review, or share it with a friend who might need it!

This podcast is for entertainment purposes only and is not a substitute for professional mental health care. If you’re struggling, please reach out to a licensed therapist or call your local crisis line for support.

Drama Therapist Arianna Wheat joins Kristie and Felicia to explore emotional numbness as a coping mechanism for when we feel overwhelmed by intense emotions or past trauma. Arianna believes healing begins with connection—to one’s past, present, and with someone who sees them fully.

Some takeaways:

• How to regulate your nervous system
• Hyper and hypo-arousal: what are they and why are they relevant?
• Challenging the “shoulds”
• Radical acceptance of your emotions

Connect with Arianna:

• https://www.soulinsession.com/
• https://www.instagram.com/soulinsession

*Hosts: Kristie Plantinga and Felicia Keller Boyle

*Watch full episodes on YouTube: What Your Therapist Thinks

*Connect with us on Instagram: @wyttpodcast

*Brought to you by BestTherapists.com

*Produced by PodVision.

If you found this episode helpful, please subscribe, rate, and leave a review, or share it with a friend who might need it!

This podcast is for entertainment purposes only and is not a substitute for professional mental health care. If you’re struggling, please reach out to a licensed therapist or call your local crisis line for support.

Therapist Halle Thomas joins Kristie and Felicia to unpack the exhausting reality of hypervigilance, a.k.a the survival mechanism rooted in trauma that has no "off switch." Through conversation and Reddit stories, they expose how hypervigilance manifests and leads to self-fulfilling prophecies in relationships. You’ll also hear validating, practical strategies for healing and why making mistakes is a crucial part of recovery.

Some takeaways:

• Healthy vigilance vs hypervigilance originating from trauma
• Hypervigilance as social anxiety or shutting down curiosity
• Why your nervous system is stuck in "always-on" mode
• Strategies for healing, such as "dosing safety"

Connect with Halle:

• https://www.besttherapists.com/profile/halle-thomas-lpc
• https://www.chicorycounseling.com/

*Hosts: Kristie Plantinga and Felicia Keller Boyle

*Watch full episodes on YouTube: What Your Therapist Thinks

*Connect with us on Instagram: @wyttpodcast

*Brought to you by BestTherapists.com

*Produced by PodVision.

If you found this episode helpful, please subscribe, rate, and leave a review, or share it with a friend who might need it!

This podcast is for entertainment purposes only and is not a substitute for professional mental health care. If you’re struggling, please reach out to a licensed therapist or call your local crisis line for support.

Coming soon to your headphones! A mental health show where actual, licensed therapists open up about what they’re really thinking, while answering the internet’s most burning mental health questions. And by burning mental health questions, we mean the stuff you’re posting about anonymously on Reddit in the middle of the night.

Each week, you’ll hear from expert therapists to break it all down: from emotional numbness and trauma to self-worth and healing. First episodes drop September 10.

*Watch full episodes on youtube.com/@WhatYourTherapistThinks

*Connect with us on Instagram: @wytt_podcast

*Hosts: Kristie Plantinga and Felicia Keller Boyle

*Brought to you by BestTherapists.com

*Produced by PodVision.

This podcast is for entertainment purposes only and is not a substitute for professional mental health care. If you’re struggling, please reach out to a licensed therapist or call your local crisis line for support.