108: Anxiety + OCD In Athletes

Female Athlete Nutrition

In this episode of the Female Athlete Nutrition podcast, I talk with marriage and family therapist Carrie Cueto. Carrie specializes in treating co-occurring anxiety and eating disorders, OCD, body dysmorphia and fat phobia, and is the founder of her own private practice, Cultivate Healing. Carrie is licensed to work with clients in California and Colorado, utilizing a form of cognitive behavioral therapy called exposure and response prevention to teach her clients how to overcome their fears and learn to tolerate discomfort in order to fully live their lives.

In this episode, Carrie and I dive deep into anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder, differentiating between normal worrying and clinical disorders: not all anxiety is dysfunctional, and you can experience intrusive thoughts and superstitions without suffering from OCD. We talk about the overlap between anxiety and eating disorders, and the common personality traits that predispose athletes to both. We discuss treatment approaches and how Carrie utilizes exposure and response prevention to help clients recover from body dysmorphia, OCD, and fat phobia. Carrie explains how listeners can challenge their negative beliefs and overcome anxiety, and the importance of seeking the correct specialist support.

Follow Carrie on Instagram and Facebook @cultivatehealingco and online at www.cultivatehealingcolorado.com

Follow me, your host Lindsey Cortes, on Instagram @female.athlete.nutrition

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In this episode we talk about:

2:40 A multidisciplinary approach to recovery

4:35 Carrie’s path to becoming a therapist

7:25 The difference between expected anxiety and clinical anxiety disorders

11:50 What is obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)?

15:10 Recent trends in anxiety and OCD resulting from the pandemic and social media use

17:30 Debunking myths about OCD and anxiety: you can have intrusive thoughts, superstitions, and rituals without OCD

25:30 Risk factors for anxiety and the overlap with traits that make athletes successful

27:00 Perfectionism, and the overlap between anxiety and eating disorders

29:00 A R.U.N. client experience with OCD linked to compulsive exercise and body image concerns

32:30 What is body dysmorphia and fat phobia?

36:00 Treatment for body dysmorphia, OCD, and anxiety. Exposure and response prevention therapy, challenging beliefs and changing mindsets.

44:00 Carrie’s practice: Cultivate Healing

45:00 End of the podcast questions