
EP.081 | Rumination, Trauma & OCD: Inside Rumination-Focused ERP with Dr. Michael J. Greenberg
From Hello Trauma Brain by Raysa Michelle
May 14, 2026 · 1h 29m · Season 3 · Episode 81
About this episode
Raysa Michelle discusses rumination OCD with Dr. Michael J. Greenberg, exploring its complexities and treatment strategies.
In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Michael J. Greenberg, licensed clinical psychologist and the director of OCD Associates, to talk about something I've lived with since childhood but only recently learned has a name: rumination OCD. For a long time, I thought rumination was something that happened to me, a side effect of trauma. But Michael's work helped me see that rumination is actually something we do, and if it's something we do, it's something we can stop. We talk about what rumination is, how it differs from intrusive thoughts, the six engagement patterns that keep rumination going, and how attachment and complex trauma can intensify OCD loops. This conversation opened my eyes to how treating OCD requires different tools than treating C-PTSD, and I hope it offers you the same clarity it gave me. Chapters: 10:49 Conversation with Dr. Greenberg begins 13:02 Understanding Rumination in OCD 14:11 The Control of Rumination 17:08 The Complexity of Stopping Rumination 19:56 The Role of Core Fears in OCD 35:49 Core Fears and Emotional Conflicts 37:37 The Role of Attachment in OCD 52:06 Dependency and Control in Treatment 58:11 Inner Child Work and Its Challenges 01:02:48…
People in this episode
Host: Raysa Michelle
Guest: Dr. Michael J. Greenberg
Topics covered
- rumination OCD
- trauma
- mental health
- OCD treatment
- emotional conflicts
- attachment theory
Keywords
- rumination
- OCD
- trauma
- mental health
- emotional flashbacks
- core fears
- attachment
- ERP
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: OCD Associates
Books & works: Individu
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