Name: The mindfulness workbook for OCD
ISBN: 9781608828784

The mindfulness workbook for OCD

If you have obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), you might have an irrational fear of being contaminated by germs, or obsessively double-check things. You may even feel like a prisoner, trapped with your intrusive thoughts. Despite the fact that OCD can have a devastating impact on a person’s life, getting real help can be a challenge. If you have tried medications without success, it might be time to explore further treatment options. You should know that mindfulness-based approaches have been proven-effective in treating OCD and anxiety disorders. They involve developing an awareness and acceptance of the unwanted thoughts, feelings, and urges that are at the heart of OCD. Combining mindfulness practices with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), The Mindfulness Workbook for OCD offers practical and accessible tools for managing the unwanted thoughts and compulsive urges that are associated with OCD. With this workbook, you will develop present-moment awareness, learn to challenge your own distorted thinking, and stop treating thoughts as threats and feelings as facts.

What Hacker News says

throwaway05954Mar 2021

I was thinking about my own OCD treatment as I was reading the comments here. I've been reading 'The Mindfulness Workbook for OCD' and it had one of the best suggestions and explanations about meditation that I've seen.

As others have said, 'meditation' is a really vague term but in the context of OCD I got the impression it's just about practicing shifting your attention to one thing and then shifting it gently back there when it begins to wander; as well as allowing OCD thoughts to just 'exist' and not engaging with them.

As a fellow OCD sufferer I just wanted to say good luck. A bit off-topic for this thread but 'The OCD Stories' podcast, NOCD (https://www.treatmyocd.com) and the Zoom support groups run by OCDPeers (https://ocdpeers.com/) have been life-changing for me.

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sharkweekMay 2017

Yes! Exposure-response therapy [1] has been by far the best treatment I have received. It's scary and painful, because it literally forces you to draw the anxiety out and face your darkest fears head-on without compulsions, but it's the only evidence-based treatment for OCD currently out there. I'm already noticing I'm getting my "mind" back, learning that scary thoughts are just thoughts, and I don't need to battle with them for hours.

There's definitely an element of learning mindfulness that's key too. Learning to accept the uncertainty of random "terrible" thoughts that pop into your head, learning to not engage with them and letting them pass, etc.

I recommend two books: The Imp of the Mind by Dr. Lee Baer [2] and The Mindfulness Workbook for OCD by Jon Hershfield and Tom Corboy [3]

[1] https://iocdf.org/about-ocd/treatment/erp/

[2] https://www.amazon.com/Imp-Mind-Exploring-Epidemic-Obsessive...

[3] https://www.amazon.com/Mindfulness-Workbook-OCD-Overcoming-C...

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