Ian O'Brien: OCD Story, and research on why people struggle to engage with ERP using over 100 interviews from The OCD Stories podcast (#509)
Published: October 26, 2025
Duration: 55:30
In episode 509 I chat with Ian O'Brien. Ian is a psychotherapist based in Dublin, Ireland, who specialises in OCD.
We discuss his OCD story including relationship OCD (rOCD) and pOCD, getting therapy, support groups, and becoming a therapist. We then discuss his research on why people struggle to engage with ERP (Exposure and Response Prevention) in which he analysed over 100 interviews from The OCD Stories podcast to explore the real challenges people face in starting, sticking with, or completing ERP. He shares the three major themes that emerged where people struggled with ERP including lots of sub...