Psychology Onions

am I really the crab?

Pete Scobas — Sun, 10 Sep 2023 04:46:16 GMT

there’s a thing in evolutionary biology called carcinisation, which is this phenomenon where a bunch of species have, over time, evolved into crabs.

for these species, that’s the end of the evolution. there’s no… next.

no matter how great or how powerful or how pathetic that species was, it eventually became a crab.

according to carcinisation, everything—…

10 years can change a man

Pete Scobas — Sun, 18 Jun 2023 11:27:52 GMT

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You got some OCD, bro?

Wed, 31 May 2023 14:18:18 GMT

I was at a party recently and I got stuck talking to a guy who mentioned to me a few times that he had OCD. The guy wasn't necessarily a bad guy, just a bit too conversationally intense for me. But my conversation with that guy made me think about this post I wrote about a year ago, titled, "You got some OCD, bro?" That post is below.

A few years ago, my…

cure your OCD with maraschino cherries

Pete Scobas — Thu, 11 May 2023 06:44:59 GMT

Alison Dotson is a writer, OCD advocate, and author of the book Being Me with OCD: How I Learned to Obsess Less and Live My Life. I asked her if she’d interview me on her OCD Q&A blog and she was absolutely stoked to oblige.

It would really frost my tips if you’d read through the interview, linked below:

https://alisondotson.com/2023/04/05/psychology-oni…

Hundred and first

Pete Scobas — Thu, 06 Apr 2023 12:40:52 GMT

Watch Tim Duncan in the 2003 NBA Western Conference Semifinals.

If you want to be dazzled, watch Tim Duncan in the 2003 NBA Western Conference Semifinals.

Watch Timmy absolutely dominate Robert Horry in the mid post. The footwork, the fundamentals, the quiet confidence—Tim Duncan was an agile, six-foot-eleven, Atlantic bluefin tuna. He was buoyant as a go…

Hey I was on a podcast

Pete Scobas — Fri, 24 Mar 2023 12:42:54 GMT

This week, I got the opportunity to be on Bryan Piatt’s mental health podcast, Take What Serves, Leave the Rest. I talked to Bryan about OCD, mental health jokes, and how cold plunges—and cold plunges alone—can kill 99.99% of OCD germs. If you want to hear me ummm, like, and uhhhh my way through a 40 minute interview, I posted the Spotify/Apple Podcast …

A little bit of Monica in my life

Pete Scobas — Wed, 01 Mar 2023 02:25:00 GMT

Having OCD is like listening to two songs at the same time. One is a song you really like. For me that’s something with angsty lyrics, a strong yet subtly-flawed female vocalist—maybe the soft twang of a banjo sprinkled in there.

The other is arguably the worst song ever made: Lou Bega’s 1999 hit, Mambo No. 5.

When I was 18 and about to start college, I …

A brochure about ketamine

Pete Scobas — Fri, 17 Feb 2023 13:15:00 GMT

“We still have a lot of options,” she said. “We can switch SSRIs again or augment our approach with something like Rexulti. I’ve also seen incredible success with ketamine.”

I’ve also seen incredible success with ketamine.

She said it so matter-of-factly, so unvarnished. But still—it sounded like a joke. She then handed me two brochures, a bright red one …

Welcome to my newsletter

Pete Scobas — Wed, 15 Feb 2023 04:28:00 GMT

Subscribe now

Welcome to Psychology Onions. This newsletter dives into the world of obsessive-compulsive disorder, mental illness, and—if time permits, onions.

When you subscribe to Psychology Onions, you will receive an email about every month (probably), on Thursdays (probably not). I kinda just publish whenever I want—but once-ish per month is a good ballpark estimate.

You can check out some of my prior posts here in the archive.

Also: if you’re struggling with OCD and don’t know where to turn, send me a note at psychologyonions(at)substack(dot)com. I’m not a medical professional, but I have been through the whole OCD rigamarole so I might be able to point you in the right direction.

Subscribe to see what all the fuss is about. You’ll receive an email about every month (probably), on Thursdays (probably not). Once you subscribe, make sure to check your spam folder and promotions tab, sometimes the newsletter ends up there.

Subscribe now

I am a truck guy

Pete Scobas — Thu, 09 Feb 2023 12:09:57 GMT

I like trucks. I am a truck guy. A beer and burgers guy. I am a big power, a whole lotta torque guy. A small town, big dreams guy. I haven’t been regular in three months guy. A meat and potatoes guy. I am a truck guy. I like trucks. I like old trucks. Classic trucks. Trucks that aren’t trying to intimidate you. Trucks that just wanna haul. Pull. Tow. Tr…

I'm turning into my mother

Pete Scobas — Thu, 26 Jan 2023 12:04:05 GMT

“I’m turning into my mother,” I say to my wife, stepping out the door and onto our back patio. With my protein shake, cup of water, and superfood juice balanced in my hands, I make my way to our bright-blue plastic patio chairs—careful to not trip over our dog, Annie, and our foster dog, Soup. My wife laughs.

We always joke about how my mom carries a ton…

A little bit of Monica in my life

Pete Scobas — Thu, 12 Jan 2023 12:12:19 GMT

This piece was originally published about a yearish ago. If you haven’t read it, I hope you enjoy it. If you have read it—maybe just read it again and check for continuity errors.

But! Before you read it for the first time or the n+1th time, consider becoming a paid subscriber. I’m just a nervous little guy who is starting to panic about quitting his job…

OCD: mental illness or retirement plan?

Pete Scobas — Tue, 03 Jan 2023 12:11:55 GMT

About a year ago, I had an idea for an OCD and mental health newsletter that was one-part useful mental health content and like… six parts dumb jokes and stuff.

And to be honest, I’m pretty jazzed with how it’s turning out.

So last month I quit my job to write full-time. And today, I’m launching a paid option for Psychology Onions.

Upgrade to paid

Adding a paid option f…

CRUSH your New Year's resolutions

Pete Scobas — Fri, 30 Dec 2022 05:45:17 GMT

I’m an all or nothing kind of guy. All gas, no brakes. Or no gas, all brakes.

I either try to survive on a reckless mixture of caffeine, alcohol, and sleeping pills, or I treat my body like an Orthodox cathedral.

“Does this holy water have any antioxidants?” - me, when I’m healthy

I live my life with a destructively high level of oscillation. It’s either …

Ten years, a retrospective

Pete Scobas — Thu, 15 Dec 2022 12:08:35 GMT

My ten-year high school reunion was last month. I didn’t go—it seemed like an event where classmates I wasn’t friends with would try to sell me life insurance I didn’t need.

But it did make me reflect. Was I really this old? Did I always fart this much? Why is there blood on my hands? Is that a dead body in my bathtub? WHY ARE THE POLICE KNOCKING ON MY D…

How to winch a cactus

Pete Scobas — Thu, 17 Nov 2022 12:05:27 GMT

Saguaro cacti are an iconic feature of the American Southwest. Tall, majestic, and adored by millions, they are everything I am not. But saguaros, much like me, are still susceptible to the laws of gravity.

There’s a 20-foot-tall (or negative 6 degrees Celsius for my non-American readers) saguaro cactus in my wife’s parents’ front yard. It has—unfortunat…

ERPin' and derpin'

Pete Scobas — Thu, 20 Oct 2022 12:05:05 GMT

I’ve written at length about shitting out your emotions, ketamine, and John Malkovich from the movie Being John Malkovich—but I haven’t really discussed ERP (exposure and response prevention) therapy. So let’s spend a bit of time exploring this OCD treatment—no frills, no fluff, no foolin’. Just facts.

Also—this should go without saying—but I’m not a med…

This post is not sponsored by Talkspace

Pete Scobas — Thu, 22 Sep 2022 11:03:33 GMT

I think our obsession with destigmatizing mental illness has backfired. Society’s current attitude towards mental health and mental illness irritates me.

I can’t help but feel like the constant “lived experience” talk, the everything is trauma, everything is a trigger mental health narrative is… bad. Or at the very least, misguided.

To be fair, I’m glad w…

Fwd: Fwd: Fwd: Re: Jesus loves you! Send this message to 10 people in the next 10 minutes!

Pete Scobas — Mon, 15 Aug 2022 02:09:02 GMT

I was going to wear jeans to the funeral. I hate dress pants. I hate all pants. Pants annoy me. Anything dressy frustrates me. But my mom said I couldn’t wear jeans. I said I’m an adult, I can wear whatever I want. My dad said no you can’t. My wife said listen to your parents, you need dress pants.

The day of the funeral I put on my new dress pants and …

You're not unique

Pete Scobas — Thu, 14 Jul 2022 11:41:33 GMT

If it seems like you haven’t heard from me in a while, it’s because… you haven’t actually heard from me in a while. And if you didn’t notice I was gone—maybe think about someone else every once in a while, you dick.

I missed a Psychology Onions post because I finally got COVID and it obliterated what little motivational mojo I try to cling to.

So instead…