Breaking Free from OCD, Anxiety & Stress with Matt Codde
Matthew Codde LCSW

Latest episode
541 episodes
- Feel Fear Without Believing It: The Consciousness Shift Behind OCD & Anxiety Recovery
If you're stuck in OCD, anxiety, or intrusive thoughts, here's the thing that keeps you stuck longer than the thoughts themselves. You keep identifying with your mind. It says something, and you believe it must be you, and it must be true, and you have to listen to it. That chain of events is the actual problem, not the theme of the fear.
In this episode Matt breaks down why you cannot solve a problem of the mind by using the mind, no matter how much you research, rationalize, or ruminate. Fear is a state. It's a field that runs through your nervous system, and your mind's only job in that moment is to try to explain why it's happening. Trying to think your way out just keeps you inside the loop.
What actually shifts things is a different plane entirely: experiencing fear from consciousness instead of from the mind. Not managing it, not fighting it, not solving it. Letting it surface and run its course. That's the real transcendence, and it's an inner realization, not something you get from listening, reading, or understanding harder.
Get started here: restoredminds.com/start
🧭 What You’ll Learn in This Episode
✅Understand why identifying with your mind is what keeps the fear loop running
✅Learn why you can't think, research, or rationalize your way out of anxiety
✅See why fear is a state in your nervous system, not proof of anything
✅Discover the shift from being the mind to witnessing the mind
✅Learn what non-resistance actually looks like in a moment of fear
✅Understand why this is an inner realization, not an intellectual concept
✅Find out how the free assessment and new Restored Minds app can help you apply this
🚀 Resources to Help You Heal:
📥 FREE Recovery Guide
Start your journey to freedom from OCD and anxiety with expert tools and step-by-step guidance.
👉 Download now: https://www.restoredminds.com/start
📖 Get a Copy of Our Book: From Stuck to Unstuck
Learn practical strategies to overcome fear and reclaim your life.👉 Buy now: https://a.co/d/1WEvonT
📘 Taking Back Control (TBC) Program
Learn how to apply these principles daily and dissolve anxiety at the root.
👉 Apply Now: https://www.restoredminds.com/tbc
🎧 Subscribe & Connect for More Support:
✅ Subscribe to our YouTube channel for weekly episodes, tools, and coaching content.
👉 https://www.youtube.com/restoredminds
✅ Leave a Review on your favorite platform to help others discover this life-changing content:
👉 Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3NJI2zD
👉 Spotify: https://spoti.fi/46AiT30
✅ Ask a Question for a future episode:
👉 https://www.restoredminds.com/assessments/2147654461✅ Download the Book – From Stuck to Unstuck
👉 https://www.restoredminds.com/bookFollow Matt Codde, LCSW on Social Media:
🔹 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mattcodde.restoredminds/
🔹 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mattcodde.restoredminds/
🔹 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/restoredminds/
🔹 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mattcodde.restoredminds
📸 If this episode helped you, share it on Instagram Stories and tag us!
⏱️ Timestamps•
00:00 What This Episode Is About: Feeling Fear Without Believing It
•00:48 You Are Not Your Mind: The Consciousness Shift
•01:30 Why You Can't Think Your Way Out of Fear
•02:03 Fear Is a Field, Not a Fact
•03:19 The Trap: Your Mind Will Argue You Out of This
•03:52 True Transcendence: Non-Resistance and the Inner Realization
Disclaimer⚠️This content is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Consult a licensed professional for personalized support. - Do Intrusive Thoughts Last Forever? Here's What Actually Makes Them StickIf you've ever been told "you're just going to have these thoughts forever, you'll have to learn to cope," this episode is for you. Matt Codde, LCSW breaks down why that advice is not only wrong, it's part of what keeps people stuck in the OCD and anxiety loop.Matt explains the real difference between a thought that's neutral and a thought that feels intrusive — and it has nothing to do with the content of the thought itself. Once you understand what's actually driving the intrusive experience, you stop fighting a battle you were never going to win.Get started here: app.restoredminds.com🧭 What You’ll Learn in This Episode✅Understand why the same thought can be neutral to one person and intrusive to another✅Learn why battling thoughts with more thinking always backfires✅See why "you'll have to cope with this forever" is misleading advice✅Understand how releasing emotion changes your relationship to a thought or memory✅Learn what it actually means for a thought to "lose its power"✅See how this applies to any intrusive theme, not just one specific fear 🚀 Resources to Help You Heal:📥 FREE Recovery GuideStart your journey to freedom from OCD and anxiety with expert tools and step-by-step guidance.👉 Download now: https://www.restoredminds.com/start📖 Get a Copy of Our Book: From Stuck to UnstuckLearn practical strategies to overcome fear and reclaim your life.👉 Buy now: https://a.co/d/1WEvonT📘 Taking Back Control (TBC) ProgramLearn how to apply these principles daily and dissolve anxiety at the root.👉 Apply Now: https://www.restoredminds.com/tbc🎧 Subscribe & Connect for More Support:✅ Subscribe to our YouTube channel for weekly episodes, tools, and coaching content.👉 https://www.youtube.com/restoredminds✅ Leave a Review on your favorite platform to help others discover this life-changing content:👉 Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3NJI2zD👉 Spotify: https://spoti.fi/46AiT30✅ Ask a Question for a future episode:👉 https://www.restoredminds.com/assessments/2147654461✅ Download the Book – From Stuck to Unstuck👉 https://www.restoredminds.com/bookFollow Matt Codde, LCSW on Social Media:🔹 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mattcodde.restoredminds/🔹 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mattcodde.restoredminds/🔹 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/restoredminds/🔹 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mattcodde.restoredminds📸 If this episode helped you, share it on Instagram Stories and tag us!⏱️ Timestamps• 00:00 — What this episode is about• 01:01 — The experiment that reveals what makes a thought "intrusive"• 03:05 — Debunking "you'll have these thoughts forever"• 03:36 — Why "just cope with it" is terrible advice• 05:46 — How releasing emotion recategorizes a thought in your brain• 06:49 — Intrusive thoughts are not a life sentenceDisclaimer⚠️This content is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Consult a licensed professional for personalized support.
- Sleep Anxiety and OCD: How Carly Broke the Hypnic Jerk Loop and Learned to Trust Her Body Again
If bedtime fills you with dread, if you've started dreading the sunset, or if hypnic jerks have turned falling asleep into a nightly battle, this episode is for you. Matt Codde, LCSW sits down with Carly, a member of the Restored Minds community, to talk honestly about what it's like to live inside a sleep anxiety loop, and what actually got her out of it.
Carly walks through her own descent into relentless hypnic jerks, the compulsions she didn't even realize were compulsions (bedtime routines built on fear, checking the clock, seeking reassurance from her husband), and the belief that was quietly running the whole show: that a bad night of sleep meant a ruined day. This isn't a sleep hygiene episode. It's a conversation about fear, control, and what it actually means to trust your body to do what it already knows how to do.
🧭 What You’ll Learn in This Episode
✅ Understand why sleep anxiety isn't a sleep problem, it's a fear problem
✅ Learn why traditional sleep hygiene advice can backfire when anxiety is driving it
✅ See why hypnic jerks happen and why they're not dangerous
✅ Discover the difference between "night work" and "day work" in sleep recovery
✅ Learn how hidden compulsions (clock-checking, reassurance-seeking, canceling plans) keep the loop alive
✅ Understand why setbacks are part of the process, not proof it isn't working
✅ See how the Triple-A Response applies to nighttime anxiety and daytime intrusive thoughts
🚀 Resources to Help You Heal:
📥 FREE Recovery Guide
Start your journey to freedom from OCD and anxiety with expert tools and step-by-step guidance.
👉 Download now: https://www.restoredminds.com/start
📖 Get a Copy of Our Book: From Stuck to UnstuckLearn practical strategies to overcome fear and reclaim your life.👉 Buy now: https://a.co/d/1WEvonT
📘 Taking Back Control (TBC) Program
Learn how to apply these principles daily and dissolve anxiety at the root.
👉 Apply Now: https://www.restoredminds.com/tbc
🎧 Subscribe & Connect for More Support:
✅ Subscribe to our YouTube channel for weekly episodes, tools, and coaching content.
👉 https://www.youtube.com/restoredminds
✅ Leave a Review on your favorite platform to help others discover this life-changing content:
👉 Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3NJI2zD
👉 Spotify: https://spoti.fi/46AiT30
✅ Ask a Question for a future episode:
👉 https://www.restoredminds.com/assessments/2147654461
✅ Download the Book – From Stuck to Unstuck
👉 https://www.restoredminds.com/bookFollow Matt Codde, LCSW on Social Media:
🔹 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mattcodde.restoredminds/
🔹 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mattcodde.restoredminds/
🔹 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/restoredminds/
🔹 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@matthcodde.restoredminds
📸 If this episode helped you, share it on Instagram Stories and tag us!
⏱️ Timestamps00:00 What This Episode Is About
01:21 Carly's History with OCD and Anxiety
02:12 The Hypnic Jerk Loop Explained
06:55 Why You Can't Force Yourself to Sleep
09:14 The Setback That Taught Her the Real Goal
14:05 The Storm Clouds Method for Non-Resistance
16:03 Hidden Compulsions: Clock-Checking and Reassurance
21:14 Why "Normal" Is the Right Exposure
24:01 The Elephant on Her Shoulders: Daytime Work
28:38 Her Message to Anyone Still Stuck
Disclaimer⚠️This content is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Consult a licensed professional for personalized support. OCD & Anxiety Treatment with Dr. Melissa Quinn: Meds, ERP, and Integrative Care Explained
28/07/2026 | 1h 17 mins.Is Medication Right for Your OCD? A Psychiatrist Breaks Down SSRIs, Dosing, and What Actually Works
If you've ever wondered whether medication could help your OCD or anxiety, or you've tried an SSRI and felt like "nothing worked," this episode is for you. Matt Codde, LCSW sits down with Dr. Melissa Quinn, a triple board certified psychiatrist who specializes in OCD treatment, for a full breakdown of how medication actually works, why so many people are underdosed, and how medication and therapy work together rather than against each other.
Dr. Quinn walks through SSRIs, clomipramine, augmentation strategies, and common myths (including the cannabis conversation you don't want to miss), while Matt reframes ERP through the Restored Minds lens of emotional integration rather than symptom elimination.
Dr. Melissa Quinn Details:
📍10850 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 850, Los Angeles, CA 90024
📧admin@melissaquinnmd.com
📞424-999-9316
🧭 What You’ll Learn in This Episode
✅ Understand why OCD often requires higher medication doses than depression
✅Learn the difference between a treatment failure and an underdosed trial
✅See why medication is not a substitute for therapy, and how the two work together
✅Understand when benzodiazepines have a legitimate place in treatment
✅Learn why cannabis tends to worsen OCD symptoms rather than relieve them
✅See how tapering off medication safely actually works
✅Understand Matt's reframe of ERP as "Emotional Resistance Prevention"
🚀 Resources to Help You Heal:
📥 FREE Recovery Guide
Start your journey to freedom from OCD and anxiety with expert tools and step-by-step guidance.
👉 Download now: https://www.restoredminds.com/start
📖 Get a Copy of Our Book: From Stuck to Unstuck
Learn practical strategies to overcome fear and reclaim your life.
👉 Buy now: https://a.co/d/1WEvonT
📘 Taking Back Control (TBC) Program
Learn how to apply these principles daily and dissolve anxiety at the root.
👉 Apply Now: https://www.restoredminds.com/tbc
🎧 Subscribe & Connect for More Support:
✅ Subscribe to our YouTube channel for weekly episodes, tools, and coaching content.
👉 https://www.youtube.com/restoredminds
✅ Leave a Review on your favorite platform to help others discover this life-changing content:
👉 Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3NJI2zD
👉 Spotify: https://spoti.fi/46AiT30
✅ Ask a Question for a future episode:
👉 https://www.restoredminds.com/assessments/2147654461
✅ Download the Book – From Stuck to Unstuck
👉 https://www.restoredminds.com/book
Follow Matt Codde, LCSW on Social Media:
🔹 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mattcodde.restoredminds/
🔹 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mattcodde.restoredminds/
🔹 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/restoredminds/
🔹 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@matthcodde.restoredminds
📸 If this episode helped you, share it on Instagram Stories and tag us!
⏱️ Timestamps• 00:00 What this episode is about•
00:53 Why Matt rarely does interviews, and why Dr. Quinn was the exception
•03:03 The presentation begins: biological treatments for OCD
• 06:58 Medication options: why SSRIs are the frontline treatment
• 13:33 The #1 reason medication "doesn't work": wrong dose
• 41:20 The cannabis conversation
• 44:00 Redefining ERP as Emotional Resistance Prevention
Disclaimer⚠️
This content is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Consult a licensed professional for personalized support.- Arguing for Your Limitations: 9 Self-Limiting Beliefs Keeping You Stuck in OCD, Anxiety & Fear
If you feel like you've been "trying to heal" for years but keep landing in the same place, this episode is for you. Matt Codde, LCSW breaks down the most common ways we unconsciously build a case for why we can't change, grow, or heal, and why admitting "I was wrong" might be the most powerful phrase in your recovery.
This isn't about blame. It's about awareness. Matt walks through nine self-limiting beliefs he's seen (and lived through himself) that keep people trapped in OCD, anxiety, fear loops, and chronic suffering, from blaming time and money to hiding behind personality, family, and spirituality.
If you or someone you love has been stuck in the OCD or anxiety cycle and can't figure out why nothing seems to stick, this conversation will help you see what's really in the way.
🧭 What You’ll Learn in This Episode
✅ Understand why admitting "I was wrong" is one of the most healing phrases you can say to yourself
✅Learn the 9 most common self-limiting beliefs that keep people stuck in OCD and anxiety
✅See why blaming time, money, or intelligence is often a disguised fear of change
✅Understand how family and generational beliefs can quietly block your healing
✅Learn why perfectionism is fear wearing a more acceptable mask
✅See how "resourcefulness" matters more than resources when it comes to recovery
✅ Understand how to start recognizing these patterns in your own life
🚀 Resources to Help You Heal:
📥 FREE Recovery Guide
Start your journey to freedom from OCD and anxiety with expert tools and step-by-step guidance.
👉 Download now: https://www.restoredminds.com/start
📖 Get a Copy of Our Book: From Stuck to Unstuck
Learn practical strategies to overcome fear and reclaim your life.👉 Buy now: https://a.co/d/1WEvonT
📘 Taking Back Control (TBC) ProgramLearn how to apply these principles daily and dissolve anxiety at the root.
👉 Apply Now: https://www.restoredminds.com/tbc
🎧 Subscribe & Connect for More Support:
✅ Subscribe to our YouTube channel for weekly episodes, tools, and coaching content.
👉 https://www.youtube.com/restoredminds
✅ Leave a Review on your favorite platform to help others discover this life-changing content:
👉 Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3NJI2zD
👉 Spotify: https://spoti.fi/46AiT30
✅ Ask a Question for a future episode:
👉 https://www.restoredminds.com/assessments/2147654461✅ Download the Book – From Stuck to Unstuck
👉 https://www.restoredminds.com/book
Follow Matt Codde, LCSW on Social Media:
🔹 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mattcodde.restoredminds/
🔹 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mattcodde.restoredminds/
🔹 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/restoredminds/
🔹 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@matthcodde.restoredminds
📸 If this episode helped you, share it on Instagram Stories and tag us!
⏱️ Timestamps
00:00 What This Episode Is About
01:10 The Healing Power of Admitting You Were Wrong
05:53 Limitation #1: "I Don't Have Time"
07:53 Limitation #2: Intelligence, Too Smart or Not Smart Enough
09:44 Limitation #3: "This Is Just Who I Am"
10:49 Limitation #4: The Past, "I Tried That, It Didn't Work"
12:02 Limitation #5: Family, Relationships & Environment
14:05 Limitation #6: Money & Resources
16:44 Limitation #7: Spiritualizing Your Suffering
18:21 Limitation #8: Control & Catastrophizing
18:57 Limitation #9: Perfectionism
19:48 How These Beliefs Keep You Stuck
21:03 Closing Thoughts
Disclaimer
⚠️This content is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Consult a licensed professional for personalized support.
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About Breaking Free from OCD, Anxiety & Stress with Matt Codde
The Breaking Free from OCD, Anxiety & Stress Podcast is hosted by Matt Codde. Visit www.restoredminds.com/about to know more about Matt!
In this podcast, you’re going to learn practical steps on the journey to recovery. In each episode, we will discuss common challenges and provide you with evidence-based strategies to help you overcome them.
At Restored Minds, we believe that recovery is possible for everyone and it's our mission to give you the tools to help you build better mental health so you can become the best version of yourself.
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