Moral Scrupulosity OCD: When Your Brain Becomes a Judge
Allison Zeen Allison Zeen

Moral Scrupulosity OCD: When Your Brain Becomes a Judge

If you constantly worry about being a “bad” person, overanalyze past conversations, or seek reassurance about your character, you might be struggling with moral scrupulosity OCD. Learn what this subtype of OCD looks like, how it creates self-doubt, and the evidence-based treatments that can help you find relief.

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OCD and Eating Disorders: Understanding the Overlap
Allison Zeen Allison Zeen

OCD and Eating Disorders: Understanding the Overlap

OCD and eating disorders often overlap in ways that are easy to miss. From intrusive thoughts about food and body image to compulsive rituals around eating, the connection between the two can create intense anxiety and a sense of loss of control. This article explores how OCD can show up in disordered eating patterns—and how evidence-based virtual therapy can help. If you’re in California and struggling with food-related anxiety, you don’t have to face it alone.

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Understanding the Different Subtypes of OCD: More Than Just Cleanliness
Allison Zeen Allison Zeen

Understanding the Different Subtypes of OCD: More Than Just Cleanliness

OCD isn’t just about handwashing or organization—it can take many forms, including intrusive thoughts about harm, relationship doubts, health anxiety, and more. Learn about the different subtypes of OCD and how evidence-based treatment like Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) can help you break free from the cycle and reclaim your life.

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The Power of Co-Regulation in OCD Recovery
Allison Zeen Allison Zeen

The Power of Co-Regulation in OCD Recovery

Co-regulation plays a vital role in OCD recovery by helping calm the nervous system, reduce compulsions, and build emotional safety. When we feel seen and supported by a grounded presence, it's easier to face anxiety and resist urges. This connection-based approach strengthens our capacity to tolerate distress and supports lasting change.

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Eating Disorders and Identity: Rediscovering Who You Are Beyond the Disorder
Allison Zeen Allison Zeen

Eating Disorders and Identity: Rediscovering Who You Are Beyond the Disorder

Eating disorders often become more than just behaviors around food—they can shape your entire sense of identity. Over time, the disorder may feel like a part of who you are, making recovery feel scary or confusing. This article explores how eating disorders impact identity, how therapy can help you reconnect with your true self, and why healing is about so much more than eating differently.

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What Is High-Functioning Anxiety and Do I Have It?
Allison Zeen Allison Zeen

What Is High-Functioning Anxiety and Do I Have It?

Many people with high-functioning anxiety seem calm and capable on the outside—but inside, they’re overwhelmed, overthinking, and emotionally exhausted. Learn the common signs, why it’s often overlooked, and how to recognize if this experience applies to you.

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ARFID and Autism: Why Eating Can Feel So Hard
Allison Zeen Allison Zeen

ARFID and Autism: Why Eating Can Feel So Hard

ARFID and autism often overlap, making eating feel overwhelming due to sensory sensitivities, anxiety, and interoceptive challenges. This article explores why food can be such a struggle for autistic individuals and how therapy can help build a safer, more flexible relationship with eating.

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Signs Your Relationship May Benefit from Therapy
Allison Zeen Allison Zeen

Signs Your Relationship May Benefit from Therapy

When conversations with your partner feel tense, repetitive, or emotionally distant, it may be time to seek support. This article explores the common signs that your relationship could benefit from couples therapy and how improving communication can help you reconnect.

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Understanding Relationship OCD
Allison Zeen Allison Zeen

Understanding Relationship OCD

Relationship OCD (ROCD) causes overwhelming doubts about love, commitment, and your partner—even in healthy relationships. Learn what ROCD looks like and how therapy can help.

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When Food Becomes a Punishment
Allison Zeen Allison Zeen

When Food Becomes a Punishment

Many people use food restriction as a way to cope with shame, guilt, or low self-worth—believing they have to “earn” nourishment. This article explores how restriction can become a form of self-punishment, why it happens, and how healing begins by understanding the emotional patterns behind it.

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How Wellness Culture Can Fuel Eating Disorders
Allison Zeen Allison Zeen

How Wellness Culture Can Fuel Eating Disorders

Wellness culture often promotes the idea of clean eating, discipline, and peak physical health — but beneath the surface, it can fuel anxiety, guilt, and rigid food rules that contribute to eating disorders. This article explores how the pursuit of “perfect health” can mask disordered behaviors and why flexibility, balance, and self-compassion matter more than perfection.

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When OCD Looks Like an Eating Disorder
Allison Zeen Allison Zeen

When OCD Looks Like an Eating Disorder

Sometimes OCD can look a lot like an eating disorder, but the motivation behind the behaviors is different. While eating disorders are often driven by body image concerns, OCD-related food rituals stem from fear, anxiety, or intrusive thoughts. Understanding the difference is key to finding the right treatment and support.

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Why Restriction Leads to Binge Eating
Allison Zeen Allison Zeen

Why Restriction Leads to Binge Eating

Restricting food doesn’t lead to control — it leads to binge eating. Discover how dieting triggers biological and psychological responses that fuel bingeing, and learn how to create a healthier, more balanced relationship with food.

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How Parents Can Help Prevent Eating Disorders in Children and Teens
Allison Zeen Allison Zeen

How Parents Can Help Prevent Eating Disorders in Children and Teens

Parents play a powerful role in preventing eating disorders by fostering a home environment built on body respect, emotional openness, and a balanced approach to food. By modeling a healthy relationship with your own body, encouraging open conversations about feelings, and helping your child navigate harmful media messages, you can reduce risk and support their long-term well-being. Prevention isn’t about perfection—it’s about creating a safe, supportive space where your child feels seen, heard, and valued just as they are.

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How Weight Stigma Contributes to Eating Disorders
Allison Zeen Allison Zeen

How Weight Stigma Contributes to Eating Disorders

Weight stigma—the judgment people face because of their body size—is a major but often overlooked cause of eating disorders. It can lead to body shame, harmful behaviors, and even stop people from getting the help they need. Eating disorders don’t have a “look,” and everyone deserves compassionate, weight-inclusive care that focuses on healing—not appearance.

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The Harmful Link Between Eating Disorders and Societal Praise
Allison Zeen Allison Zeen

The Harmful Link Between Eating Disorders and Societal Praise

Societal praise for weight loss and self-discipline can reinforce disordered eating and delay recovery. This article explores how cultural norms glorify harmful behaviors, making it harder for individuals to recognize their struggles and seek help, and calls for a shift toward more supportive, recovery-focused messaging.

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Eating Disorders That Have Nothing to Do with Weight or Body Image
Allison Zeen Allison Zeen

Eating Disorders That Have Nothing to Do with Weight or Body Image

Eating disorders aren’t always rooted in weight or body image concerns. This article explores lesser-known forms of disordered eating—like ARFID, orthorexia, and trauma-related patterns—and highlights the importance of recognizing and validating these experiences to ensure inclusive, effective care.

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Disclaimer

Some blog posts and educational materials on this site have been created with the assistance of AI tools. All content is carefully reviewed and edited by Allison Zeen, Associate Marriage and Family Therapist (AMFT), to ensure it reflects clinical integrity and aligns with ethical standards. However, this content is not intended to replace individualized therapeutic care.