Break Free from OCD: Overcoming Obsessive Compulsive Disorder with CBT

This book I found very useful as a source of knowledge and a way to heal OCD sufferers and help supporters.

A very helpful read to overcome OCD by being your own therapist. The book gives a simple and effective way to implement cognitive behaviour therapy.

It's deep, psychological, conceptual and most importantly helpful. It has to be read thoroughly with good focused concentration to absorb it.

Nothing special about OCD. Just general things available on net for free. Go for another.

Not really useful. Too pricy and weak in content.

This book should be a must read for every Cognitive Behavioral Therapist in training,and obviously is a must have for ANY OCD sufferer. I thought I would check it out because of one of the authors, Dr. Paul Salkovskis of the UK, is referenced in most OCD books out there and is a pioneer in the treatment of intrusive thoughts and OCD. Thank god I did. Somewhere along the long way, the American style of treating OCD has been completely over run with an almost obsessive focus on habituation and has lost sight of the human condition. To the point that the cognitive facet of cognitive behavioral therapy has been discounted,minimized, and deluded to the extent of it becoming basically just another form of habituation. in other words, on this side of the pond, the "authorities" on OCD will haphazardly point out the cognitive model in treating OCD, but will undermine it at every turn and spout out sayings like "habituation is the only option" The Beckian style of identifying and changing your reactions to hot cognitions, which fuel OCD, takes a back seat, and even worse is discouraged against. This basically ignores how anxiety and the mind work, This book brings you back to the real world and makes it abundantly clear that we as people are completely capable of responding or not responding to any thought that pops into our minds, as we see fit, no matter how compelling or scary the content is. You will learn that is ok to ignore these thoughts, yes I said ignore, no dancing around it. I mention this, because this choice needs to be made clear to sufferers who have been inundated with all kinds of theories at this point, most of which directly contradict themselves when in the heat of battle. And besides, that's how the mind works, you either attend to a thought or you don't, you either make it important or you don't, anything beyond that only brings more undue attention to the faulty process and grants it even higher priority processing status. The authors obviously have a thorough understanding and compassion for all forms of OCD and not just classic washers and checkers. This is without a doubt the best explanation of how OCD manifests itself, how it is maintained. and how it is treated.

Before I start this review, I should point out for reasons of clarity that I am the Chief Executive of the national charity OCD-UK, but more than that, I am someone with OCD myself. So when reading the book, I read it from a personal perspective, as someone with OCD. The press release for the book describes this as a practical guide written by three leading Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) experts which enables you to make sense of your symptoms, and gives a clear plan to help you conquer OCD. The book does not fail to offer just that! If you believe that Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is primarily a psychological illness and that Cognitive Behavioural Treatment (CBT) holds the key to restoring good health then this is the book for you. Unlike most other OCD books, this book spends a significant amount of time discussing the cognitive aspect of CBT, and helping the reader to understand the mechanisms which drive our obsessive thinking. By doing this, the behavioural exercises which are required to help us overcome this insidious illness make all the more sense, that is what marks this book out from others. Throughout the book the authors write in a gentle, kind, supportive and most importantly, a positive manner, which like any good therapist helps us relax and feel at ease with the authors and what they write. It's written in such an easy to understand style, that is neither too simplistic nor too scientific, which means that this book will be helpful for anyone affected by OCD, from late teens, through to older people, it is written in a style that will benefit people of all ages. I would also go as far as suggesting that every therapist involved in treating people with OCD must read this book, because if the therapists treating us with OCD understand the principles written in this book, then ultimately, we as sufferers, will benefit from their increased understanding of the illness. The books back cover promotion correctly says that whether your condition is mild or severe, this definitive resource will help you reclaim your life and keep OCD away for good. I certainly would agree with that, it's one of the best OCD self-help guides focusing on CBT I have read for many years. Perhaps one criticism is that it does not really offer any extended advice for those whose OCD is severe and entrenched, when OCD is so severe it is hard to see the wood for the trees, where the power of the OCD becomes all-consuming and taking that first step seems impossible. In such circumstances self-help materials like this book will perhaps not be enough to break the shackles of OCD anyway and professional help and guidance will be needed, but, this book still remains a must read because it contains the core principles which ultimately will help them unlock the door to a life free of OCD. It also contains lots of helpful and practical information to help people access professional support, both through the NHS and privately. Throughout the book it uses four primary case studies to help illustrate the theories being discussed, those are: * Checking * Contamination * Rumination (Pure-O) * Religious Blasphemous OCD (scrupulosity) Each case study will demonstrate that the cognitive principles in challenging our OCD thought processes are primarily the same, regardless of the form of OCD, so this book really is suitable for anyone, with any form of OCD. This also illustrates that importance of the cognitive aspect of treating OCD, which is often overlooked for the behavioural part (ERP). The book does not just confine itself to those four categories of OCD, it also discusses those who think they may have compulsions but no obsessions, and vice-versa, those with obsessions but not compulsions. It also offers informative information for Family, friends and carers (FFC), including practical advice for FFC to help you approach the subject of OCD with a sufferer that will not accept they have OCD. The book also contains helpful worksheets which are designed to get you thinking more closely about how your OCD impacts on your life, and from my own experience this is actually a fantastic thought provoking exercise to get you understanding your own OCD in ways you had not previously realised, It can be an emotional exercise, but incredibly valuable non-the-less. Similarly the goal setting exercise to set short term, medium term and long term goals is a positive exercise which is equally invaluable during therapy, and allows you to guide yourself during the therapeutic process. To summarise, I would highly recommend this book to anyone showing mild symptoms through to those struggling and suffering with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, including family members. This book allows you to make sense of your OCD in ways which allows you to see what's going on, and understand how our obsessional worries that keep us locked in a life of OCD can be changed, allowing us to Break free from OCD.

Big thanks to the authors, the book is very good and a big help when you are in dark place because of OCD. Im very glad I bought it. In my experience, it is one of the best self help books for persons suffering from OCD.

intéressant

Really helpful for understanding OCD. Book motivates you gently yet firmly to change your reactions on thoughts and feelings and to recover.