EP.081 | Rumination, Trauma & OCD: Inside Rumination-Focused ERP with Dr. Michael J. Greenberg

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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