Alexithymia, difficulty in knowing what you feel and articulating it, is the partly result of an emotional strategy that no longer works. It’s an aspect of your personality that had had a purpose but now needs balancing. Because, while its original intent was to prevent suffering, it now causes suffering. Let’s not put salt on the wound.
For people who are stubbornly perfectionistic, obsessive and compulsive, change can be hard to come by. Particular personality traits that can be positive can also manifest negatively. In this post we explore six of the main blocks to change, including, avoidance motivation, impatience, magnifying difficulties, unrealistic goals, being too cerebral, and clinging to the safe benefits of old ways.
Act your age. It’s a command we usually aim at brats who want to stay […]
Risk aversion evolved to protect us from predators and starvation. But in modern life, those same strategies often backfire. This essay traces the evolutionary roots of risk avoidance, its reinforcement through early family environments, and its expression in obsessive‑compulsive personality styles—revealing how ancient survival tactics undermine meaning, creativity, and desire today.
A recent OCPD diagnosis can feel overwhelming, but change is possible. Using the RAILS framework—Respect yourself, Acknowledge the costs of maladaptive perfectionism, Identify protective strategies, Let go and feel, and Set priorities—you can begin shifting from rigid, unhealthy patterns toward a healthier, more flexible obsessive‑compulsive personality.
Humfrey the Husky dishes out canine wisdom and humorous observations about living with a human who has OCPD, showing how dogs can sniff out our emotional blind spots better than we can. We can all benefit from a dog’s eye view of OCPD.
The metaphor of being taken over in The Matrix is particularly apt for those with obsessive-compulsive personality, which has been compared to a “living machine” because it can be very mechanical. There’s good reason why there are so many stories of machines taking over. And it’s not just about AI and computers. They describe what can, and often does, happen inside of us.
The machine that’s draining your energy is inside of you, not outside.
It takes courage to make a marriage work. The courage to admit you’re wrong. The courage to say you’re right. The courage to take chances in communication, generosity and vulnerability. And most of all, the courage to objectively look at what’s happening emotionally inside of us. This post explores projection and projective identification, two psychological processes that can make or break a relationship.
Ever felt like something was “just not right” even when nothing is wrong? Psychologists call these Not Just Right Experiences (NJREs)—a subtle but powerful force behind OCD and OCPD. Learn what they are, why they matter, and how to manage them before they hijack your peace of mind.
We’ve got perfectionism all wrong. The real problem isn’t high standards—it’s the illusion of perfectibility and harsh judgment that have been grafted onto it. Perfectionism began as a guide toward purpose, but centuries of distortion turned it into an enforcer of impossible ideals. Instead of banishing perfectionism, we can reclaim its adaptive side—commitment, persistence, and pursuit of excellence—while stripping away conceit and control. By befriending adaptive perfectionism, acknowledging its shadow, and clarifying our purpose, we transform it from a tyrant into a trusted partner. This episode brings together science and Jungian psychology for an unconventional approach to dealing with perfectionism.
The Healthy Compulsive book is now available in paperback in addition to hardcover and e-book format:
Healthy Compulsive Book
© 2026 · Gary Trosclair, The Healthy Compulsive Project