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Nathalie Rutherford | OCD and Anxiety Therapist

@mindonfire_ocd

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《 Christ follower 》
Licensed MFT #123200
💻Teletherapy for kids, teens & adults who reside in CA
•Helping you face your fears and get your life back 🫶🏻

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This is one of OCD’s favorite tricks! All of a sudden, something from years ago is stuck in your mind and OCD is having a hay day with it. OCD tries to tell you that you might not be remembering correctly, or that the event means something about you. My favorite article about this is from @ocdbaltimore, I’ll put it in my stories!
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#memories #past #memory #yearsago #pastmemories #faceyourfears #bait #vulnerability #falsememory #intrusivethoughts #OCD #ERP #anxiety #panic #uncertainty #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #selfcompassion #acceptanceandcommitmenttherapy #ocdawareness #mindfulness #psychology #pureocd #community #ocdawareness #exposureresponseprevention #bravery #brave by @mindonfire_ocd

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4 years ago

If someone tells you to just “stop thinking about it” or “stop doing compulsions”, it’s *usually* because they don’t understand how OCD works. A simple explanation that this is a brain disorder that causes a brain glitch can be super helpful. You can respond by saying “I wish it were that easy, but here’s how OCD actually works in the brain…” There are actual brain scans that show differences in a brain with OCD vs a brain without OCD. If everyone with OCD could just snap their fingers and stop having their thoughts, don’t you think they would?!

#realOCD .
#ocd #pureO #pureOCD #discomfort #uncomfortable #OCDawareness #obsessivecompulsivedisorder #therapy #evidencebasedpractice #mentalillness #recovery #overthinking #stigma #acceptance #anxiety #panic #panicattack #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #counseling #misconceptions #ERP #exposureresponseprevention #education #worry #recovery #invisibleillness #awareness #hope by @mindonfire_ocd

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4 years ago

SWIPE through to the end to see an amazing explanation of fear vs. intuition, written by @melodywilding in the article titled “How To Tell The Difference Between Fear And Intuition”.

#trustyourgut
#ocd #pureO #pureOCD #discomfort #uncomfortable #OCDawareness #obsessivecompulsivedisorder #therapy #evidencebasedpractice #mentalillness #recovery #overthinking #stigma #acceptance #anxiety #panic #panicattack #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #counseling #misconceptions #ERP #exposureresponseprevention #education #worry #recovery #invisibleillness #awareness #hope by @mindonfire_ocd

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4 years ago

Taking a little pause on accepting new clients as our little crew gets ready to welcome baby #3 this summer 🥹🤍 booster sessions from previous clients are welcome until I officially go out! I’ll be back this fall!

Ready to step back into postpartum and willingly experience all that it will bring (anxiety, too!🌷) by @mindonfire_ocd

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4 months ago

A hug to my little 4-year-old self 💛

Little 4-year-old me couldn’t cross a street without doing compulsions. She dropped her mother’s hand and ran back to the start, zig-zagging in a serpentine pattern, believing the safety of her world depended on it.

She was the little girl furiously scrubbing at the sink, crying, no, screaming at school drop-offs because of terrifying thoughts. Images of her mom dying that she couldn’t turn off.

She couldn’t focus in class. Her teacher said she just stared at the ceiling, counting the dots, over and over.

She lost weight because she was afraid of her food being poisoned or contaminated. She would spit her lunch out in the cafeteria in front of her peers - her OCD fears louder and far outweighing the embarrassment of what others thought.

She was afraid to swallow her saliva -  holding it in until her mouth was too full, then spitting into her jacket and walking around school in clothes soaked with spit. Again, the fear louder than the embarrassment.

Intrusive thoughts about God, religion, contamination… She lived in a nightmare and didn’t feel she could wake up from it.

Until… her parents got the right diagnosis. She got the right treatment.
And now? She’s thriving. Married with two beautiful daughters.  A therapist treating OCD and anxiety disorders, the very thing that tortured her the most. Helping others find peace in their chaos.

Sometimes, I imagine my older self hugging that little girl tight, telling her she’s not crazy. She’s not alone. This feeling won’t last forever.

And through it all, God was never absent.
He was gathering every broken piece,
shaping it into something good.
Because that’s who He is.

“He has made everything beautiful in its time.” (Ecclesiastes 3:11)

Not for my glory,
but for His.
From ashes to beauty.
From torment to testimony.
That little girl didn’t stay stuck -
and my prayer is that her story now brings hope to others. Because OCD is treatable and life can get better. by @mindonfire_ocd

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a year ago

Not all compulsions look like checking your pulse or Googling symptoms.

Some happen silently, in the space between breaths.

You replay a moment over and over. You scan your body in your mind. You tell yourself, “If it were serious, I’d know by now… right?” You try to logic your way out of the fear, hoping to find the one thought that finally makes it go away.

These are mental compulsions—quiet but exhausting.

They don’t solve the fear. They feed it.
They convince your brain something is wrong, even when all the evidence says otherwise.
And the more you engage with them, the more stuck you feel.

But you are not broken. You are not weak for doing this. Your brain is just trying to protect you the only way it knows how.

You are not alone in this. And you don’t have to do it alone anymore. 💛

#HealthAnxiety #MentalCompulsions #IntrusiveThoughts #OCDRecovery #OvercomingHealthAnxiety #AnxietySupport #YouAreNotAlone #mental health #mentalhealthmatters #OCD #anxiety #anxietyawareness #ocdawareness by @mindonfire_ocd

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a year ago

Happy Valentine’s Day to the man who wasn’t scared when I told you about my OCD on our FIRST DATE 😅. I laid it all out there because I didn’t want to waste my time dating someone who wasn’t right for me. He smiled, wasn’t phased, asked questions, and immediately started reading Jon Hershfield’s (@ocdbaltimore ) book “When a Family Member has OCD” to learn how he can love me through it and best support me. The one who proposed to me and married me despite relationship OCD roaring its ugly head, even on our wedding day. The one who prays with me and laughs with me and helps me have a better relationship with anxiety by cracking jokes and reminding me how silly my brain can be. The man who gave me two beautiful girls. He’s not perfect, but neither am I, and we’re figuring life out together. I hope the man he is can give everyone hope that there are people out there who do exist, who can and will love you through your struggles, whatever they are. Wait for them, look for them, and don’t expect any less. ❤️

#marriage #husbandwife #relationship #husband #support #therapist #ocdtherapist #anxiety #depression #mentalhealth #therapy #teletherapy #selfcompassion #erp #mindfulness #act #therapistsofinstagram #anxietyawareness #anxietysupport #anxietyattack #panic #panicattack #bfrb #phobias #anxietyrelief #obsessivecompulsivedisorder #ocdspecialist #brave by @mindonfire_ocd

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2 years ago

Leaving a therapy session confident and with new tools in hand? Best feeling ever! by @mindonfire_ocd

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2 years ago

Sometimes it feels like that, though 🤪🧠 by @mindonfire_ocd

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2 years ago

Accurate😩

#memes #anxietytips #meme #anxietyhumor #funny #kardashian #humor #kimkardashian #anxietyrelief #intrusivethoughts #OCD #ERP #anxiety #panic #kimk #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #selfcompassion #acceptanceandcommitmenttherapy #ocdawareness #mindfulness #psychology #pureocd #community #ocdawareness #exposureresponseprevention #bravery #brave by @mindonfire_ocd

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2 years ago

How’s this for a mind twist?! OCD is counting on you to think your thoughts are the problem. As long as you have this belief, every time you get a scary thought, you’ll want to do compulsions to get rid of the thoughts. The ACTUAL problem is that we think that thoughts are the problem. This is what actually keeps a lot of people stuck. This is what gives OCD power! ⁣

So, what do we do? We have to change our relationship with our thoughts. You’re allowed to get intrusive thoughts. You can’t control that. But what you CAN control is how you respond to these thoughts. Will you push them away, or will you use them as an opportunity to change your relationship with anxiety?
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#thoughts ⁣
#ocd #pureO #pureOCD #cognitive #uncomfortable #OCDawareness #obsessivecompulsivedisorder #therapy #evidencebasedpractice #mentalillness #recovery #overthinking #stigma #acceptance #anxiety #panic #panicattack #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #counseling #misconceptions #ERP #exposureresponseprevention #education #worry #recovery #invisibleillness #awareness #hope by @mindonfire_ocd

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2 years ago

Starting a family is a big decision—and not everyone desires it. But if having children is something you truly want, this message is for you.

I’ve always known I wanted to be a mom, and I wasn’t going to let OCD take that away from me. Yes, it’s a challenge. But I choose to learn from my OCD, to let it shape me into the kind of mom I’m meant to be for my girls. Every day, I strive to do my best, knowing that the struggle holds me accountable and pushes me to grow into a better version of myself for them.

Your values—not your fears—should guide you. Yes, your kids might inherit anxiety or OCD, but that’s okay. Why? Because you will be the perfect person to teach them that anxiety is not dangerous. You’ll show them that they can experience difficult emotions and tolerate them with resilience.

By modeling how to live with anxiety and manage it, you’re giving them a set of emotional tools that most people don’t even learn until adulthood—if at all. You’ll teach them how to express their feelings rather than bury them, and how to navigate life’s inevitable challenges with resilience.

Don’t underestimate your ability to be an amazing parent just because you live with anxiety. In fact, your experience can make you a better, more empathetic guide for your children. You’ve already walked through the fire, and now you can pass on the wisdom.

ETA: If you're in a season of waiting—struggling with infertility, or hoping for a child but feeling stuck in the process—I want you to hear this: Your desire to be a parent is valid, even if it feels like your path to parenthood is taking longer than expected. The waiting can be agonizing, and it can stir up feelings of doubt, fear, and even guilt. But just because the journey is tough doesn’t mean it won’t happen. I’m rooting for each of you to live out your values and have the beautiful life you’ve always dreamt of, whatever that looks like❤️ by @mindonfire_ocd

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2 years ago